Take a Moment
Montauk
March 30, 2020
Dear David:
I want to take a moment to thank all of the workers in the supermarkets, delis, 7-Elevens, the folks at Villa Italian, and all the places doing takeout only for doing a tremendous service to this community at a time of great need and unknown danger. We are a long way it seems from the end of this, but they worked tirelessly without masks or gloves with great professionalism and dignity under stress.
I ask that people follow their direction with regard to the six-feet rule and to treat them with kindness.
JIM DEVINE
The Gift
East Hampton
March 30, 2020
Dear David,
Appearing on our front porch were three bags of food, donated by Round Swamp to senior citizens. Literally a week’s-worth-plus, all kinds of food that is to keep seniors from having to venture to the stores.
Bread, rolls, hamburgers, chicken, soup, banana bread. Yogurt, milk, four kinds of vegetables. Soup, and the list goes on.
We have shared much of the gift with a neighbor, equally stymied by circumstances.
I only wish that I could have shared with everyone.
Thanks, Round Swamp. Thanks, Food Pantry. Thanks to meals on wheels.
TOM FRIEDMAN
DORIS NATHAN
Not Alone
Springs
March 29, 2020
Dear David,
When Thomas Paine said these are the times that try men’s souls he couldn’t possibly have envisioned a time such as this. Sitting here alone on a rainy Monday, experiencing a sense of dread as a guy I went to high school with, Ed Porco, succumbed to this dreaded disease, I am buoyed by a man, Frank Casucci, who went to elementary school with my daughter, Ruth, who lives upstate, and who knocked on my door to deliver a bag of food, and another man, Larry Mayer, who said, I’m going to go out to try and get fish, what can I get you?
Round Swamp has delivered delicious soup to many. Even my own daughter, Paula, has supplied me with necessities like washing detergent. David, these are the kind of real people who will get us through this crisis. They seek to help others get through this by assuring them they are not alone. What can I do for you? is their mantra.
We are lucky there are those who think beyond their own needs.
Sincerely,
PHYLLIS ITALIANO
Detrimental Effects
East Hampton
March 30, 2020
Dear David,
Hope all is well at The Star. I disagree and agree with your editorial “Foresight Was Lacking.” In your editorial, you mention “the wave of people from away who washed in.” And that is exactly what they did, washed in from afar against the orders of government. People west of here had been told for some time to stay in place. They did not. They arrived here, sucking up housing, rental cars, and all the food on our shelves, leaving not much for the locals.
From a grocery stand point of view, we can handle an excessive demand as you stated, but only for a few days, like the Fourth of July weekend, not several weeks or months. How you can blame that on government is beyond me.
Your second part of the editorial concerning the “ever increasing residential development” is where I agree. Local government has failed us there. Your article several months ago titled “The Tipping Point” made it crystal clear that our water supply is on the verge of extinction or pollution. How government can continue allowing people to build in watershed areas, septic systems by the wetlands, or whatever detrimental effects may come into play.
On my own street at the moment, a neighbor is requesting a variance to build a garage and expand a deck mere feet from the wetlands.
This variance relief seems to be a common request by the rich and famous to exploit the limits placed on their properties — all being well known when the property was purchased.
Stay well.
Yours to command,
JEFFREY PLITT
Slap in the Face
Springs
March 30, 2020
Dear David:
Last week’s editorial, “Foresight Is Lacking,” is a slap in the face to all those elected leaders and planners who have diligently worked to preserve our fragile natural resources and historic character when it was under tremendous pressure to build on our ocean dunes and line our harbors with condos, checker-board bucolic farmland, and carve up forests above the aquifer — our only source of drinking water.
To accuse past supervisors, Judith Hope, Tony Bullock, and Cathy Lester plus planning Director Lisa Liquori, of failing to anticipate a crisis of overdevelopment is unwarranted. Perhaps you need to be reminded of the tsunami of overdevelopment proposals that were in front of the East Hampton Town Planning Board in 1983.
The historical 600-acre Grace Estate had preliminary approval for 234 condos along Northwest Harbor, with a polo field, restaurant, and a 600-car parking lot. Barcelona Neck was being carved up by over 100 estate lots on the bluffs of Northwest Creek, cutting off the only access to Northwest Harbor and its rich scallop grounds.
Duck Creek on Three Mile Harbor had received site plan approval for 60 condos where baymen harvested clams. Two hundred condos were planned to ring Lake Montauk. One thousand condominiums could have been built on the Napeague stretch. The proposed development in Montauk’s Hither Woods had so many lots that New York State would have required another elementary school!
Then in 1983, during this impending disaster, a 3-to-2 majority of the town board abolished the Planning Department just as East Hampton was being inundated with these large inappropriate developments.
The community went nuts. Judith Hope stepped up to run as our supervisor, with Randy Parsons and Tony Bullock at her side. Their message was East Hampton — save it or pave it. The choice is clear. At the new town board majority’s first meeting, a moratorium was adopted and all those harmful developments were halted.
It was clear that a new comprehensive plan and zoning map needed to be updated. After many public hearings and later lawsuits against the town over the next four years, the Grace Estate was preserved as a local park, Barcelona was purchased as a state park, Hither Woods was purchased for open space and groundwater protection, Duck Creek and all harbor shorelines were prohibited from condo developments, as was duneland along the ocean coast. Farmland was rezoned so that 70 percent of a parcel had to stay in farmland use.
To date, East Hampton’s leaders have preserved 50 percent of East Hampton in its natural state! There is more to do. Remember, by law, there has to be a balance between preservation and property rights.
There is more to tell, like why does Montauk have no parking and how small lots were subdivided in the early 1900s and greatly increased our population, how our leaders and planners are working hard to provide affordable housing for our local people and the role of our second-home owners.
Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
DEBRA FOSTER
Hand Wipes
Montauk
March 30, 2020
To the Editor:
Don’t use the dunes near the I.G.A. in Montauk as your trash can for hand wipes. The wipes are either entangled in the grass or headed for the beach. Other messes there, too. If no place for trash, take it home.
PAT LUKASZEWSKA
Help Control
East Hampton
March 25, 2020
To The Star:
We have had many issues with the airport in East Hampton but now our major concern should be in closing the airport, as Florida has done, to any incoming flights to prevent the spread of the virus. This should be done immediately to help control the spread of the virus.
DELORES BRIVIO
Shelter Elsewhere
East Hampton
March 25, 2020
To The Star:
It may be time to give up our liberties and make it a mandatory 14-day isolation. This reverses a nation’s motto “give me liberty or give me death” situation. As the number of reported cases is doubling nearly every other day here on the East End, with the influx of those fleeing the city — and I totally sympathize but like many places that won’t let customers into their stores without taking their temperature, these are all just small attempts to flatten the curve. But for now it’s all we have.
Self-isolation is only a partial slowdown. We need to follow the South Korean model. Testing! Without knowing who is contagious, the asymptomatic persons will continue to spread this virus. I had a blood test to see if my white count had increased. Hadn’t. Meant that day my body was not yet fighting any foreign bodies, and now for six days (as I reset my isolation clock after venturing out).
After spending over a year in bed from an injury, I know how to do this, but that’s not what it’s about. Yes, we should respect each other and act as though we were infected. But this is a pandemic that we are only seeing the beginning of. With a president who wants everyone to build back the economy for his re-election at the sacrifice of those that the G.O.P. already deems not valuable to their economic plan — the elderly and the sick. So F.U., Trump! But we need to get our governors to insist that the government provide tests for everyone, and not just one test will do it. And, yes, those traveling to find shelter elsewhere: You are unwittingly spreading the virus. Please isolate!
The White House coronavirus response coordinator says it’s “critical” that people in New York City self-quarantine for two weeks.
ARLENE RECKSON
Stimulus Package
Amagansett
March 20, 2020
To the Editor,
The latest iteration of the coronavirus stimulus package, some $2 trillion worth of expenditures to mitigate in part the economic damage, has some interesting aspects that may impact our region.
Recipients of unemployment insurance will have a bonus tacked on to their benefit checks of $600 per week for the next three months. This doesn’t impact their eligibility for the $1,200 one-time check due in April.
More importantly, certain self-employed workers are eligible for the $600 stipend even if not eligible for unemployment. This may become an administrative mess but is welcome just the same. It recognizes the economic contribution of artists and certain tradespeople for the first time, I believe.
All of this benefits our region by helping keep seasonal workers in our region ready for the much-hoped-for influx of summer folk starting in June. (I suspect international tourism will be crippled this year.)
The Nick and Toni’s appeal for funds to help their laid-off employees survive until then may be moot.
MARIO STUTTERHEIM
Stocking Up
Glen Cove
March 28, 2020
To the Editor,
You are doing excellent reporting on the practical and local effects of the COVID-19 situation. I read your website every day now.
I noticed that other media were covering complaints by Hamptons supermarkets and shops that well-heeled New Yorkers fleeing the city were overwhelming them and buying everything in sight. One was quoted as saying that a man had come in and swooped up $8,000 in meat.
I got to thinking that $8,000 in meat is a huge quantity for an individual grocery store, but hardly so for a restaurant supplier. Accordingly, I wanted to share with you a solution that we recently used for my elderly parents in Glen Cove: some companies that made their living delivering to restaurants have retooled their immense delivery networks to deliver instead to homes, albeit mostly in the kind of larger-size packaging that restaurants require. Although normally impractical, the sizes they offer can be perfect for stocking up.
Hearing about this from an article in Newsday about 10 days ago, we ordered last Sunday from Baldor. The service we received was amazing! Next-morning delivery!
This is a major New York restaurant distributor whose business took a huge hit from the restaurant closings. To keep their people employed, they retooled their web site so that regular folks can order from it, and it carefully describes the sizes of packages of items.
Baldor is absolutely flush with food. They have virtually everything that they always carry. Given the thousands of restaurants they used to deliver to every day, they are not even remotely overwhelmed with the consumer orders they are receiving, so much so that you can order until 10 p.m. any night for a delivery between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. the next day — still! Delivery is free for orders over $250, which isn’t outrageous for a stock-up order, and prices are very good.
So last Sunday, my elderly Mom, with my help, ordered well over $250 of supplies from Baldor. By about 10 a.m. the following morning, a big Baldor truck pulled up on the street outside, and a few minutes later, a nice guy with a hand truck was carting cases of food to the door. He happily brought it in the kitchen, or could have left it outside the door. Easy-peasy! Like we were a restaurant getting our daily order. They brought fresh stuff like milk and orange juice, larger-but-not-insane supplies of apples, grapes, meat, etc. (which were of excellent quality), and lots of staples, including cans of tuna, albeit about five times the size of a typical can of tuna. (She simply opened one and refrigerated the unused portion in a plastic container.) They had a lot of fancy specialty stuff on the web site, which we passed on but might be interesting to New Yorkers fleeing to their East End homes.
I recognize that I might be a little overzealous in my praise of these guys, but finding them was a great relief when I had no other ability to help worried older parents who didn’t want to go to the supermarket all of a sudden. (Fresh Direct and Peapod were unavailable for at last 10 days in the future.) And I respect Baldor for pivoting to keep their folks employed during the crisis. What is extraordinary is how normal and easy everything was — they had a huge operation that even with the consumer demand they are getting is underwhelmed and capable of doing a lot more.
Goes without saying that I have no connection whatsoever to Baldor; just wanted to let you know about something of which most people are clearly unaware. baldorfood.com
All the best,
WILLIAM CANDEE
Land of the Free
Montauk
March 30, 2020
To the Editor,
Making sure that the United States of America remains the land of the free and the home of the brave is Mark Levin’s vocation. If you are wondering who Mark Levin is, or you doubt what I am saying, listen to his radio show on WABC Radio 770 on the AM dial for those of you who do not listen on your phone or computer.
On Friday night at about 8:53 p.m. you will come to understand why God placed Mark in our time and not in the time of our founders. May God bless and protect Mark’s loved ones and may God please bless America, the greatest country in the world that has ever existed since the beginning of civilization!
VINCENT BIONDO
About Origami
East Hampton
March 27, 2020
Dear East Hampton Star,
First I want to extend my hopes that everyone reading this stays well in this frightening era, and to extend my wishes that those who are ill get well soon.
With that out of the way, I want to discuss something that has brought me much pleasure over the years and is very appropriate for the current situation in which kids are home and at some point many of us can get bored. One answer might be to take up origami. I’m not joking. Origami is a wonderful way to spend free time if you have it, and the results can be very rewarding. For those who may not know, origami is the art of folding paper (Japanese: “ori” to fold and “kami” meaning paper).
My own experience with origami is a long one. I first learned the art when I was 5 years old at the American Museum of Natural History. My interest was kindled by the Origami Holiday Tree, which has been a fixture at the museum for nearly half a century. I learned mostly from books and took that as far as I could on my own until I made contact with Friends of the Origami Center of America (today known as Origami U.S.A. or OUSA). There, I rubbed elbows with most of the great origami artists of the world, and I really learned a lot from them. I also devised several original models, which the organization published in various collections.
The thing to remember about origami as a beginner is that there is no shame in starting by learning the very simplest of models. A well-folded “traditional swan,” one of the very simplest, can be quite elegant and beautiful. The first goal for any beginner regardless of age should be the Peace Crane. This is probably the most recognizable of origami models and is symbolic of the art in general. And once this form is mastered, you have most of the necessary skills needed to fold practically anything else — within reason.
One resource, which modern folders have that those of my generation did not, is the internet, specifically YouTube. You can go on YouTube and find tutorials, which are much better than diagrams. Often diagrams are trying to show a movement in three dimensions in a two-dimensional drawing, and it is terribly confusing. Video courses are the next best thing to an actual in-person instructor. Another important thing to remember is that your first try at any model is going to probably look terrible. The idea is to make the model over and over to train your fingers in how the paper feels and moves and how to make nice, crisp creases. It is also a good rule of thumb to practice accuracy. Often, in really complex models, if a crease is off even slightly, then the inaccuracy is magnified in the final result and the model will look lopsided.
If you are going to get into this art/craft, the first rule is make sure you have the right paper for the project. To be fair, typical printer paper is all you really need to get started, but with anything more complex than a crane, layers begin to build up and the risk of tearing becomes a problem. So go online and get yourself some simple, relatively cheap Kami (this is the standard origami paper). The most common comes from a company called Aitoh, and they make a variety of sizes. For now, make sure that you are buying at least 6-inch squares (15.5 cm.) or you will be totally miserable. This size is good for most basic models.
If you are going to move on to the intermediate level, you should really get 10-inch squares, which are easier to work with. If you are going to make these models to show off, go for 15 or even 20-inch squares (if you can find them). Once you have mastered a lot of basic models, you might be tempted to cut your own custom paper from gift wrap or other sources. This is fine as long as you make sure all measurements are as accurate as possible. Simple models are forgiving, but once you start doing intermediate models and beyond, the more accurately the paper is cut the better. Note that even commercial origami paper is often not exactly square and you may have to trim it if the intended model is complex.
There is a longstanding belief that “true” origami is made from a single square of paper with no cutting, gluing, or taping involved. While there is the purist vein, which is the most difficult to follow, in truth origami really has no such rules. For one thing, nothing says that origami paper has to be square or even have four sides. The first two origami books I owned had many lovely models, which combined two or more modified cranes to make all manner of four-legged creatures.
There is a whole school of origami, which makes use of modules, which interlock to form a beautiful whole. The boxes of Tomato Fusé come to mind. You can also make fantastic origami kinetic sculptures. There is a classic book of diagrams devoted to creating a theme park with rides like a carousel and Ferris wheel, which actually move. One of the great masterworks of modern origami is Dr. Robert J. Lang’s “Allosaurus Skeleton” (no diagrams unfortunately). It is made from multiple squares of paper. Also, if you see a piece of origami on display as art, you can be certain that there is plenty of glue, wire, and even varnish helping the model keep its shape.
Actually most display origami often employs the wet folding method. This is just what it sounds like: The paper is folded wet and then held in the desired shape until dry. Depending on the paper, sometimes potato starch is added to the water to give thin papers a bit of backbone. It also allows artists to use thicker, stiffer papers like watercolor or pastel papers, as well as to put graceful sweeps and curves on edges.
You also have to understand that many origami artists rely on specialty papers, which are made specifically for complex, super complex, and ultra-complex projects. Often they make it themselves or have it specially manufactured. These papers are expensive and should not be used by beginners.
As a final note, please, if you decide to try origami, do not get in over your head. Start simple. Start basic. Take baby steps as it were. Once you learn the crane, take the time to learn to make it well. There are plenty of other comparable models that will be available to you at this level. At the same time, don’t be scared to test your limits; just don’t get too upset when the first attempt fails. There are many people who say, “Oh, I don’t have the coordination to do origami,” and to them I say “nuts.” I have a beautiful crane that was folded for me by a blind man and my late pal Michael Shall had a picture of himself teaching kids with severe defects in their hands to fold swans. He would often say, “If a guy whose fingers are growing out of his elbows can fold a crane, anyone with normal hands can do it.” And remember that you are doing this mainly for yourself. If you fail, try again and again until you get it.
Actually, this is the final story. I once was approached by a woman who told me that when a woman from Japan had come to work in her office, her son had learned to fold a crane and gave it to her as a present. Instead of saying thank you, the woman began scolding him on sloppy folding and inaccurate creases and the poor kid was reduced to tears.
This is wrong and appalling. While it is generally true that small fingers tend to pick up origami very quickly, a crane is a real achievement and sloppy or smooth, if given as a gift should never be turned down.
It is a symbol of peace and friendship, after all (look up “Sodako and the 1,000 Cranes”). And folding 1,000 cranes is an old Shinto/Buddhist tradition, allowing the folder to make a guaranteed wish.
Well, thanks for reading, as always. And maybe happy folding if you decide to give it a try.
Sincerely,
MATT HARNICK
P.S. Be well, everyone!
Genuinely Bizarre
East Hampton
March 29, 2020
To the Editor:
The U.S. government has gone from zero to 65,000 tests a day in less than four weeks. We need to test 150,000 people daily. “We did more tests in one week than South Korea did in a month.” “We have the best people in the world making ventilators.” Who cares? All the praise and the self-adulation. It’s just bullshit. We are in a hole that his government dug for us.
In those four weeks 120,000 people tested positive and 2,000 died.
Bullshit is at the core of the Trump presidency. While it may work to some degree with North Korea or Saudi Arabia, and it saved his butt during the Mueller inquiry and the impeachment process, it doesn’t work against the coronavirus.
Because of his bullshit, Trump and Fox News (Rupert Murdoch excluded) didn’t take the virus seriously. Consequently, we were six weeks late to the solution and forced to go to confinement and lockdown rather than a much less draconian process of containment. Devoid of preparations for the problem and without any plan to move forward we are scrambling.
From the medical and the economic perspectives we are lost in space. Bullshit doesn’t provide beds or jobs.
On a daily basis, the president trots out his team for an update on the virus. What an amazing job everyone is doing and how great, the best economy ever will soon be back in place. More than anything he praises himself and his cronies praise him as well. Bullshit rising.
The two studies on the coronavirus by the Imperial College of London and the Department of Health and Human Services estimate, worst case, a possible death toll in the U.S. of one to two million people. This isn’t bullshit. How we deal with these numbers in the face of an economic collapse and the November election is critical. The choice between short-term economic viability and the potential loss of lives is coming to the table.
Faced with that choice Trump will vote for the economy. “The cure is worse than the disease” he parrots. Solomon he isn’t.
If faced with the same choice as the biblical King Solomon, Trump would have probably cut the baby into quarters and sold off the parts. I know it’s heretical to mention Trump and Solomon in the same context. Solomon wasn’t perfect, but a disingenuous piece of garbage he wasn’t. Solomon wasn’t facing re-election, and his main asset was a so-called thriving economy that had rapidly disappeared. Without it, Trump is toast.
So, Trump’s choices, as if it were his alone given the obsequious soul of the Republican Party, would be to return the workplace to normal and risk the lives of several million people or stay the corona containment/lockdown course and risk an economic collapse. He will probably follow his gut and reopen the economy because the other option is less certain, much more difficult, and might take months to accomplish. Solomon didn’t kill the baby. Will Trump?
In France, Macron is sticking to his plan. It may take four months or more to stabilize the situation. He can’t use bullshit because too many people will call him out. Trump can get away with it because his supporters equate him to Jesus, which is better than Solomon. Even his pro-life people will suck it up. Fox has already started the “get back to work” mantra.
Bullshit is the word of the hour, week, month, and year. Gov. Cuomo called out the war president for his bullshit about using his war powers to get companies to make the ventilators, masks, tests, and outerwear that are in short supply. War and bullshit don’t mix well. See Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to elevate Dr. Fauci to the head of the group, and keep Trump and Pence out of sight. If we are in a war, and we are, we need to put the warriors (not the draft dodgers) out front and end the bullshit.
Perhaps it’s some deep emotional retardation that prompts the president’s staff to constantly talk about the great job he is doing. When in truth he’s doing what he’s supposed to do after completely screwing up our response. There is something genuinely bizarre when we set our standards so low that just showing up gets you a trophy. Fixing something that you broke because of arrogance, incompetence, ignorance, and political motivation should get you fired. According to MAGA doctrine, Trump put himself not the country first.
NEIL HAUSIG
Wrong Message
Southampton
March 29, 2020
Hi there,
First I hope everyone is safe. I am sure everyone is aware that there are a lot of people leaving the city to go elsewhere. While I do not think this is okay, to each their own. Small communities such as Southampton I know have limited resources. I am from the area; my mom is a nurse at Peconic. I know that there is a large elder community on eastern Long Island as well.
Right at the start of the breakout in New York, a major influencer was tested. She was called out for using her privilege to get the test since she wasn’t priority. She then decided to go to the Hamptons several days later to quarantine.
Regardless if she spreads it or not this sends the wrong message. This is not staying in place. This is putting the community in harm’s way. And if you have the virus you are supposed to stay put in your house or room for at least 14 days if not 20. This is extremely frustrating, and I do not think that this is fair, especially for my grandmother, who has a business to run but can’t leave her home; my parents who I cannot see.
We are quarantining to stop the spread. It’s not about comfort; no one is comfortable. Now she is using additional limited resources so the community does not have to stretch for her own comfort. I had to share because this is wrong. Major fashion watchdogs have already called her out. She deletes the comments of most people who want to share their thoughts and feelings. Anyway, stay safe. Thanks for your work in keeping the community informed.
PAULINA MARKIEWICZ
At Sea
Montauk
March 30, 2020
To the Editor,
It is very distressing to see how the governor of Florida is turning his back on the humanitarian crisis unfolding at sea for those unfortunate passengers and crew members of the Rotterdam and its sister ship. Many of these passengers are American citizens who have endured horrendous conditions through no fault of their own.
One country under God? Not according the Governor DeSantis. We’re all in this together? Not according to Governor DeSantis.
According to Governor DeSantis, these passengers aren’t even Floridians. They are not members of the tribe that he was elected to protect. Let’s see what song he sings the next time Florida is hit with a devastating hurricane.
DONALD POLS
Needed the Money
Springs
March 30, 2020
David:
In your March 12 edition an editorial under the Mast-Head, “Ivanka Instead,” showed true hatred for the president. How does the writer know how Vice President Pence really felt about getting the job of handling the coronavirus response. Your paper blames the president for everything, even when he does the best for the country. I believe V.P. Pence is doing one hell of a job. Pence seems to be on top of everything at the meetings. Give credit where due. Stop showing hatred.
Chuck Todd, in his vicious attack on President Trump, stating to ex-V.P. Biden, “Don’t you think he has blood on his hands?” Biden said that was a little harsh, as he advocated that people ignore the health experts, not following distancing guidelines, go out to vote.
We are humans, and we the people needed the money allocated in the stimulus. We did not need Nancy Pelosi to disappear for a week, return, and halt the plan, in order for her to add her own progressive demands. We need the money to survive we don’t need nonessential receiving huge amounts, i.e., the Kennedy Center (strange all employees were fired the day after receiving $25 million). Ms. Pelosi was on TV this morning asking for another stimulus; we didn’t get enough the first time. Of course, she blames President Trump. Her choices are not what I agree with, random companies receiving huge amounts, so sorry some in Congress yielded to her, this was for the virus, not her personal choices. Thank God, Planned Parenthood didn’t receive any monies.
F.Y.I., on Obama’s watch, there were 60.8 million cases of H1N1, 18,306 deaths, 1,700 deaths before Obama did a thing about it. He also admits he was coddled by the media. During President Obama/Biden’s regime, masks were depleted along with other vital equipment and never reordered. This left America with empty shelves in time of our crisis. No one made any remarks. No blaming, screaming for impeachment sounds about this crisis.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO
Crusades
Springs
March 30, 2020
Dear Editor,
The outbreak of a global pandemic is the absolute last place you want to see petty partisan politics. I’d like to thank our congressman, Lee Zeldin, for being so clearly above the fray in handling the coronavirus pandemic.
During the negotiations in Washington, we saw many Democrats use this as an opportunity to impose some of their ideological crusades on the American people. Despite them, we were still able to get some emergency funding bills passed.
While they bickered, played party politics, and jumped at any opportunity to attack the president, Lee Zeldin was teaming up with Governor Cuomo to get solid economic relief and P.P.E. to Long Island.
His office has even been connecting people who want to donate P.P.E. with our local hospitals and testing centers that need them. He is a true team player, and I am glad he’s on our side.
MANNY VILAR
Beyond Boring
Amagansett
March 26, 2020
Dear David:
I have noticed over the last 12 months that your letters to the editor have become dominated by about eight letter writers. This has become beyond boring and belongs in a different section called “Editorial Opinions.”
This overrunning of the more community-oriented letters by increasingly political and other advocates should be stopped by the editor. Thanks very much.
JOHN MANNIX
My Parents
East Hampton
March 29, 2020
Dear Editor,
Three days before my mother’s 103rd birthday anniversary, on the Ides of March, a photo of her and my father appeared in your “Recovering the Past” contest. When a caller misidentified them, it got me thinking about where that photograph came from.
Mr. Jack Graves took it long ago and included it in a great article he wrote entitled “Larry and Doris Koncelik” (Nov. 23, 1978). The writer painted a nice picture of my parents living off the land, raising their own food, and caring for their family. It also offered interesting historical anecdotes from Daddy and cherished quotes from Mother on their pioneering spirit in Northwest Woods, East Hampton, that began just after World War II.
To me it certainly is a well-written piece and apropos to the age we are currently living through. I would appreciate it if you would consider publishing that article again.
Sincerely,
MARY CECILIA
KONCELIK MILLER
Constant Drone
East Hampton
March 29, 2020
Dear David
The coronavirus will not kill me, the leaf blowers will! If it is not next to me, it is behind me, in front of me, all over the place — a constant drone all day long. When will it stop?
If people did not like leaves why did they move out here? This is not the suburbs. Yes, it takes a little longer to rake and pick up (am 68 years old and still do it!) not to mention, it is healthier than walking around blowing one or two leaves, as these people do.
And pray tell, who is going to pay for the deafness that is going to plague (and I do not use that term lightly) a whole generation of people?
Enough!
PATRICIA HABR
Will Rebuild
East Hampton
March 29, 2020
To The Star:
I would like to thank the East Hampton Village Policemen’s Benevolent Association for their endorsement of me for East Hampton Village mayor.
It is an honor for me to receive this endorsement from the Police Department that I served for 34 years. I pledge to your membership that as mayor, I will treat everyone fairly and with respect. I will provide you with the tools you need to accomplish your tasks in a safe and efficient manner. I will rebuild the morale within your department and all village departments.
Most of all, in a time of crisis, I will be there with you on the front line. The police will always be provided with the equipment and support they need.
JERRY LARSEN
Used His Position
East Hampton
March 20, 2020
To the Editor,
Jerry Larsen has continually tried to rewrite history when it comes to his past transgressions.
His missteps have been well documented both in his personnel file with the village and in newspaper reports. He has never been able to disssociate his police job from his own personal interests.
In addition to all the issues raised in his March 19 letter to the editor, he continually used his position in the police department to solicit business for his private security company. It created a situation of an unfair advantage to other civilian-owned security companies.
One company made numerous complaints regarding unfair solicitation of their business clients by Jerry using his position as chief. That continued even after Jerry was counseled many times to stop. That conduct, coupled with Jerry’s other misconduct, convinced the village board he could no longer continue as chief. Jerry was told that the village would not renew his employment contract and that he may potentially be facing further disciplinary action. He chose to retire. I think people can decide what that means in terms of his termination. He certainly didn’t leave of his own volition.
As to the anonymous letters he keeps referring to, only Jerry would make an accusation as to their origin without a single iota of proof. That I believe says a lot about his character.
If Jerry had any real ideas to improve the village, he wouldn’t be wasting his time with unsubstantiated accusations.
He and his biggest supporters have suggested that the pre-existing, nonconforming inns on Main Street should be able to expand way beyond their current mandate. He supports the inns’ desires to have large gatherings with loud amplified music. He would turn our beautiful Main Street into “nightclub row.” Imagine the detrimental effect that would have on the surrounding neighborhood. He would fundamentally change our beautiful village into the Coney Island of the East End.
In contrast, Barbara Borsack, Ray Harden, and myself are for incremental change where appropriate if that change is commensurate with the character of our village.
RICHARD LAWLER