Republic or a Monarchy?MontaukNovember 22, 2015 Dear Editor:It was 1787, and the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention were held in strict secrecy. The citizens waited outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia wondering, when the proceedings ended, what had been produced behind closed doors. Benjamin Franklin was questioned by a Mrs. Powell: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” His response: “A republic, if you can keep it.” What has this to do with the rental registry? At the meeting on Nov. 19, many, many citizens verbally objected to this registry, and a show of hands unanimously voted, saying a loud no. So, the people have spoken. Do we have a republic or a monarchy?Sincerely,PAT FLYNNStop Illegal RentalsSpringsNovember 24, 2015To the Editor:Those opposed to the rental registry showed up en masse at the recent public hearing. Not all, but most, were connected to the rental market in some way: landlords, agents, or their lawyers. Universally, they felt that the rental registry would damage their ability to rent, and they presented themselves as all good landlords just trying to make ends meet in a very expensive town. But why would any landlord complain about pool safety alarms that protect children from drowning?Wait a second! Why so much about the landlords and so little about all the other community members, the majority of folks? What about the rest of us who live and raise a family in East Hampton? If we live next to a group share, it is our quality of life that’s diminished while lawbreakers make money. What about the widowed retiree living on a fixed income who sees her school taxes continue to rise year after year? What about our water supply that becomes polluted when our neighbor’s septic system cannot handle 20 people in a three-bedroom house?No one wants to stop legal rentals; we just want to stop illegal rentals. However, each time we call for relief from illegal housing we are ignored. The bottom line for me is that those who oppose the rental registry and are good landlords give cover to those landlords who rent illegally, via their opposition to the rental registry. Sounds a little shortsighted to me.The rental registry is designed to protect all of the community — tenants as well as homeowners — both those who rent and those who do not. It’s designed to protect our quality of life and our natural resources from the problems associated with illegal rental practices. The Town of East Hampton needs the rental registry to stop illegal rentals, for in its absence, we have the status quo. I’m sure the Montauk community feels good to know summer 2016 will be as good as summer 2015 if the rental registry does not succeed!And by the way, that suggestion from those opposing that they be allowed to rent for shorter periods than two weeks? Fuhgeddaboudit!FRANK RIINAAbsolutely AgainstMontaukNovember 23, 2015To the Editor,To my fellow citizens of East Hampton: On Thursday night, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m., we had a town hall meeting about the proposed rental registry law. What a great country has been left to us by our founders, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hancock, Washington, Hamilton, to name a few. They left us a Constitution that protects us from government elected officials telling us what we need and what we can and cannot do.It was clear to all present within the first hour of the meeting that the majority of the people who stood up to the microphone to speak were absolutely against the rental registry. Then came the telling moment when one woman in particular finished what she was saying and said, “If this were an old-fashioned town hall meeting we would settle this issue with a show of hands.”The room was filled to capacity. TownSupervisor Larry Cantwell said to the crowd, “Let’s have a vote by a show of hands.” I turned to see the show of hands in favor, and about 20 people raised their hands. When he asked how many were against it, almost every single hand went up.According to the Constitution, the supervisor could have closed that meeting and immediately said I will no longer pursue the institution of the rental registry law.My question is this to the supervisor: Are you going to do the will of the people and completely drop the proposed rental registry?VINCENT BIONDO‘Most Visionary of Laws’SpringsNovember 22, 2015Dear David,At the public hearing for the proposed rental registry, the packed room consisted of many who were against this new law, even though all the towns in Suffolk County save Smithtown, Shelter Island, and East Hampton have such a law. All of the laws in other towns are so much more restrictive than what is now being proposed by East Hampton. They are also highly successful, as the code enforcement people from other towns told us. Both Smithtown and Shelter Island have no need for such a law, since there is little or no overcrowding in those two towns, but East Hampton is a hotbed of people who are abusing their single-family residences and the present laws of our town. Some of the people who got up to voice their support of this law actually represented large groups, none of which were there in person. Then there are the others who were not physically present in that hall. These are the many who voted for the Democratic slate, in perhaps the second-highest vote count in recent years, based on their support of the rental registry. They were not present to counter the folks who are out to get theirs and presented the board with the strongest opposition ever witnessed, which included a smear in The Independent newspaper. This proposed law is so simple to comply with. We know why the town has proposed this law: Because it is the only way we can keep East Hampton from sliding down the slope to becoming like a town on the Jersey Shore, or, worse, uninhabitable, as our sole-source aquifer becomes so polluted we will all own nothing.So the question remains: Will our town board show leadership by doing what is right for our collective future, or will they succumb to the cries of the despoilers and not support this most visionary of laws that will save East Hampton. Pray God, they are worthy of the faith we have placed in their hands. Sincerely,PHYLLIS ITALIANOInterest of ThemselvesSpringsNovember 25, 2015Dear Editor,On the night of Nov. 19, 2015, a public hearing was held on the proposed rental registry.The supporters spoke in the interest of the community.The opponents spoke only in the interest of themselves.DOLORES WEINBERGAt His WordSpringsNovember 25, 2015Dear Editor,Dave Betts, director of public safety for the Town of East Hampton, made statements to Kitty Merrill of The Independent undermining the value of the rental registry. Subsequently, at the public hearing and at the Group for Good Government meeting at the East Hampton Library on Nov. 21, he did a complete reversal, praising the value and content of the registry.He vowed to enforce the rental registry should it become law. We take him at his word and look forward to him diligently keeping it.FRED WEINBERGMandate for a RegistrySpringsNovember 27, 2015To the Editor:Clearly, there is a public mandate for a rental registry. On Nov. 3, East Hampton Democrats won a decisive victory defeating their Republican challengers, who ran an anti-rental registry campaign. (Remember all those signs?) In fact, Tom Knobel’s results were the worst showing by any candidate for town supervisor since 1999!The November public hearing on the rental registry provided the opponents to the registry, including Mr. Knobel, a last-ditch effort to undermine that overwhelming mandate. The evening was dominated by opponents, repeating the same fears and conjecture about what might happen, as compared to the reality of what has already been successfully operating in 7 out of 10 Suffolk towns. Officials from these towns were interviewed, and in all cases code enforcement was improved, with no negative effects in legal rentals or local economies. Those rental registries (which in some cases are much more stringent than that proposed by East Hampton) have proven to be Constitutional, as our own town lawyer has stated repeatedly.Additionally, code enforcers from both Southampton and Riverhead spoke and provided factual information about how their rental registries have worked to expedite code enforcement and to improve tenant safety. East Hampton’s head of code enforcement also spoke to how the new registry would greatly improve his team’s effectiveness. No matter how many times incorrect information and conjecture are repeated, it doesn’t make it true. Look at what the actual results have been in our sister towns. Follow the people’s mandate. Let’s get the rental registry passed!N.J. BRADLEY
Published 5 years ago
Last updated 5 years ago
Letters to the Editor: Rentals 12.03.15
December 3, 2015