Compost Your Gourd
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
To the Editor,
It's Halloween and we're (hopefully) finishing off the grueling election season. Now it's time to come together in our community. A great way to do that is to volunteer with one of the many local nonprofits and civic organizations that benefit our community. Whether you're interested in helping food-insecure families, cleaning up our shoreline, or protecting our pollinators, there's a place for you to make a difference.
An easy way to start is to keep your gourd from the trash. When your Halloween pumpkin starts getting long in the fang, take it to a drop-off with East Hampton Compost, a collaboration between ReWild Long Island and the Town of East Hampton. Here's the schedule:
This coming Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. at Share the Harvest Farm Stand, 55 Long Lane, East Hampton.
Saturday and Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to noon at the Montauk Community Garden, 9 South Edison Street.
Nov. 16, 8 a.m. to noon at Amber Waves, 367 Main Street, Amagansett.
We'll compost your gourd, turning it into soil food so local farmers and families can eat healthy produce. Plus, we'll fill you in on some great local nonprofits and their projects.
GLORIA FRAZEE
ReWild Long Island
East Hampton Compost
Cover Loads
East Hampton
October 24, 2024
Dear David,
It is my understanding that in the Town of East Hampton you need to cover loads of brush when carrying them in the back of your pickup truck, so imagine my surprise when I had the unfortunate experience of following not one but two East Hampton town dump trucks with large piles of brush, neither covered and neither with the back of the truck closed, spewing debris out and onto the road (and my car) as I drove on the Napeague stretch from Lazy Point to East Hampton.
I guess the town has a policy of, "Do as I say, not as I do"?
RICH MOREY
Positive Impact
East Hampton
October 27, 2024
To the Editor,
I want to extend my thanks to East Hampton Town for organizing Saturday's free paper-shredding and return-medicines day. It was a wonderful way to bring people who are passionate about recycling together to clean out cabinets and drawers. I look forward to this fall cleanup becoming an annual event which will continue to make a positive impact on our community and environment.
Sincerely,
BARBARA RITTBERG
Valued Docents
Amagansett
28 October, 2024
To the Editor:
As co-presidents of the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station on Atlantic Avenue, we depend hugely on our trustees, but the people who are on our front line are the loyal docents -- six of them -- who are at the station in four-hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays starting at the beginning of May until the end of October.
They are responsible for opening the boat room doors, adjusting the thermostat, turning on the lights, putting the "Open" flag out on Atlantic Avenue, projecting a documentary about the station on a screen in the boat room, opening up our visitors book in which tourists write their names and contact information, and even selling merchandise!
They also have to know something of the history not only of the Station but of the South Shore and East End of Long Island, as well as have some familiarity with the history of the United States Life-Saving Service, which merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to become the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. And the docents also need to know about this particular 1902 Station, as well as some of the artifacts on display and the Beebe surfboat on loan to us from the National Park Service.
We salute Town Trustee David Cataletto, who is our docent liaison, and our docents, Dennis Curles, Douglas Haak, Victoria Lundin, Robert Marshall, Marika O'Doherty, and Russell Stein -- know that we could not do our job as stewards of this lovely building and its history in our community without them. Thank you so much, dear and valued docents!
And, if there are any of you in the community who might like to become docents, please get in touch with us -- [email protected] or by mail, Amagansett Life-Saving Station Museum, P.O. Box 51, Amagansett, 11930.
SCOTT BRADLEY
MICHAEL CINQUE
Potential Slush
East Hampton
October 21, 2024
Dear Editor,
The community preservation fund is an excellent source for maintaining our open space. Having said that, it has always had the potential to develop into a slush fund used for purchasing real estate for reasons not in keeping with maintaining our open space.
The plan by the mayor to purchase privately owned businesses to maintain control over the behavior of how these inns are run is not a good idea. Having experienced the mayor's handling of the volunteer ambulance system indicates to me a desire on his part to overreach his position by using a very tempting large fund to "nationalize" the inns and operate them through leasing them to operating firms or individual operators.
These operators would experience the same limitations the current operators have. Would the mayor subsidize their operation when they could not remain profitable because of limitations currently placed on them? It's just not a good idea. Some sort of checks and balances must be kept on the mayor's office to avoid the temptation to use the community preservation fund from being used for purposes it was not originally created for.
PETER LONGO
East Hamptonland
Amagansett
October 27, 2024
To the Editor,
The First Citizen's proposal to use the community preservation fund to buy inns in the village certainly sweeps away any understanding that those funds are to be used to preserve a natural buffer, or to rewild parts of the village and town.
Taken together with his other recent actions regarding the village ambulance, the museum building, and Herrick Park, all of which seem to share a theme of making revenue off properties, an explanation emerges: the First Citizen's goal is to transform the village into a theme park, East Hamptonland! There will be nothing authentic anywhere, and the village, already one of the wealthiest places in the nation, will make a buck off of everything. Come to think of it, replacing the real pond at the southern end with a simulacrum that won't support turtles or swans was a harbinger.
If you're interested, I can draw you a map of how to avoid the village by taking back roads, where you may still see a real horse or farm stand.
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
No Going Back
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
Dear David,
If you have lived in this town since 1984, the year in which our current zoning code was last updated, you have seen how the town has changed. You are blind if you have not seen the damage to our infrastructure.
This is a 40-year-old zoning code that currently dictates and accepts the over-development that is going on. Loopholes in the code allow this. A year and a half ago I was asked to be a member of the zoning code amendment work group. I proudly accepted, and since then our committee has worked very hard in trying to address these loopholes. Updating the code to address environmental concerns is the responsible action to take for the sake of the town and the people who live in it. We would be remiss not to update the code, considering sea level rising, climate change, and other unforeseen threats we will face.
As a member on this committee, it is not my desire to police properties -- it is my desire to protect the properties, protect surrounding neighborhoods, protect our property values, and, above all else, protect the environment. It is my desire to inform and enlighten people about the importance and significance of wetlands, primary dunes, vegetation, scenic easements, and coverage and clearing of properties.
We now encourage innovative-alternative wastewater systems. This is a result of additional knowledge that we now know will further protect each parcel. The overdevelopment of smaller lots in this town is a key component for change -- there will be no going back if we don't take a stand now. This is about being on the right side of history and you can do that by supporting the adoption of these changes and attending next Thursday's public hearing at Town Hall to voice your opinion. In doing so as a community you will be taking a major step in preserving our environmental habitat.
I also want to take a moment to applaud Councilwoman Cate Rogers for taking on this project since this is not popular -- not popular at all -- but it is the right thing to do, and Cate Rogers is not known to back down to a challenge. So now we have an opportunity, all of us working together, to move forward in a positive way in addressing the overdevelopment that is taking place in this town every day.
Next Thursday at 6 p.m. the town board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed zoning code amendments, and I am asking that concerned citizens attend and have their voices heard.
In the past when similar code changes have been on the town board's agenda the hearings attracted many town residents who showed up to voice their support for these code amendment changes. That was a moment for me because it made me realize as a committee member the work we are doing is very important and necessary in terms of protecting the natural resources we take for granted every day.
So, in closing, let us as a community work together. Let us not sell out to overdevelopment. Let us prosper and grow as a community. It is time to act. I urge concerned citizens to attend this public hearing and take a stand to be on the right side of history. Don't allow special interest groups to stop this from happening.
DENISE SAVARESE
Shallow Pockets
Montauk
October 27, 2024
Dear David,
I would like to commend the East Hampton Town Board for its decision to renew the lease for the Maidstone Gun Club and to reject the bid of the Coalition to Transform East Hampton Airport to secure the lease and create a pristine nature preserve with hiking trails and many trees. I found the allusion by the coalition director to the "deep pockets" of the coalition to be rather troubling and elitist, but quite revealing of the mind-set and political consciousness of the coalition members.
I am cognizant that the vast majority of the gun club members have shallow pockets, but they are all stained with sweat while working hard in East Hampton to pay their mortgages, buy groceries, pay for heating oil, pay for gasoline, and pay for their children to attend college or a trade school.
In the past 30 years the wealthy transplants from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey have transformed much and bought much, but the two things they will never be able to buy is Bonac history and Bonac culture.
If the coalition members need to commune and relax with nature, please jump in your luxury vehicle and travel out to Montauk. We have dozens of hiking trails, thousands of trees, great beaches, and wonderful vistas from our iconic Lighthouse, where folks can view the shorelines of Connecticut and Rhode Island and Block Island. Some folks with great eyesight have even claimed to see a shoreline village in Portugal by looking directly eastward from Turtle Hill behind the Lighthouse.
And, yes, I am a proud member of the Maidstone Gun Club. I do not play golf.
Cheers,
BRIAN POPE
Deserves Credit
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
To the Editor:
Our local government officials take a lot of flak, with much of it deserved. However, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez deserves credit in the particular case of the tough but unbiased lease negotiation process she is running with the Maidstone Gun Club.
Despite what the ersatz conservation groups popping up in Wainscott try to claim, the town has been nothing like a "sweetheart" in its lease renewal demands of the club. They have brought outside counsel and appraisers to bear, and have insisted on safety levels and other stipulations that are a challenge to meet, which has extended and complicated the lease negotiation process.
As a Maidstone Gun Club member who wants to see the club finally reopened, for all the reasons stated so well by others, following along has not been comfortable.I know though that the reconstituted gun club board is committed to seeing its plan for a professionalized and modernized facility implemented, in full and respectful cooperation with its landlord, the Town of East Hampton. I see the work the town has put in as indicative of objectivity and good faith, and I am confident that there will be a positive outcome for the gun club if it meets the requirements.
The "noisy nuisance" (to repurpose a delightful phrase from the Star editorial board last week) of motivated interest groups makes it harder for town officials. At the risk of stating the obvious, The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee -- a courtesy listening forum, not part of the decision-making government -- thinking they have any right to review (implication: approve) town business, especially given their thinly veiled personal financial interest in the Maidstone Gun Club matter, shows too much chutzpah. Good for Ms. Burke-Gonzalez for finally ripping them for it.
I have a dog in this fight, and I want it to prevail. What I am also rooting for are more examples like this in our society where governments pair objectivity and backbone to resolve polarized, politicized issues.
BILL O'LEARY
Perhaps a Compromise
Springs
October 28, 2024
To the Editor,
As the issue of the gun club lease has arisen again, it's odd that the town administration is now implying the club is free to renew its lease -- doesn't the fact that it has been shut down for over a year and a half due to not following appropriate safety protocols have any impact? Doesn't that violate the terms of its original lease? Moreover, if this lease was truly renewed over two years ago, as the town lawyer has implied, why hasn't the town said anything about it in all that time till now?
Perhaps a compromise might be the best solution. If the lease is renewed it should be for only 20 of the 97 acres of that parcel. More important, far greater safety measures need to be put in place and more limited hours of operation should also be enforced. In addition, soil testing should finally take place to determine if lead from the club's activities is compromising the main aquifer below it.
If the town were actually concerned about water quality, it should also finally consider banning the sale of leaded fuel at the nearby airport. This type of fuel was banned over 30 years ago for cars and should finally be [banned] at the airport for planes. Most modern planes don't need it anyway. Very few other airports in the United States still allow this for aviation, and the East Hampton Airport accounts for about 1 percent of the entire amount of leaded fuel sold in the U.S. at this point.
What should the town do with the other 79 acres of woods that are sadly dying, as pine beetle infestation continues? It finally should start talking to solar developers to lease this land out for a community solar project that might help offset at least a quarter of the town's electric usage. This could help lower the cost of electricity for both residential and commercial operations in town while also creating significant lease income for the town -- thousands of times what the gun club wants to pay annually.
For a town that seems to be having a hard time balancing a budget, this would seem to be a no-brainer. In addition, it would also be the first step in a decade for the town to actually lower its greenhouse gas emissions, something it has said it wants to completely eliminate by 2030, but actually produces more of, according to a recent sustainability report. As the town talks about spending millions to dump sand on various beaches to no avail, maybe doing something to finally lower its own emissions that are helping to drive climate change might be a better step and one it can make money from too -- a win-win!
BRAD BROOKS
A Red Herring
Springs
October 27, 2024
To the Editor,
The G.O.P. is proving again that it wants to take away our freedoms. Spreading hate is how they do it. The roadside signs I see everywhere against Proposition 1 claim "No legal rights for illegal immigrants!" That's a red herring to distract you from what Prop 1 is really about.
Let's be clear: Prop 1 protects the freedom of all New Yorkers to make their own decisions about health care. At a time when Republicans are threatening a national abortion ban, whether by new law or by using law that already exists (the Comstock Act, which would ban mailing of abortion medication), New Yorkers need a constitutional amendment that puts control into the hands of New Yorkers, not in the hands of Big Government.
Women need a guarantee that we will not be discriminated against in our ability to control our bodily autonomy. Freedom from discrimination is a human right and a right recognized in the Constitution of the United States. But we know from the Dobbs decision by the extremist Supreme Court that our constitutional rights are under attack.
Vote yes on Prop 1 to protect the right to abortion and family planning in New York.
FRANCESCA RHEANNON
For Clean Water
Southampton
October 15, 2024
To the Editor:
Have you ever booked a seaside vacation, only to find out that the beaches were closed because of pollution or an overgrowth of algae? I have, and it puts a damper on things. You might consider staying home.
Speaking of home, this could be our reality if we don't take action to ensure water quality. Our local economy thrives because of our coastal way of life. If we couldn't enjoy the seafood, surf, or swim safely, the Hamptons would stop thriving. Residents would move to other coastal communities. Visitors would start choosing other destinations for their getaways.
Our way of life is threatened by fecal pollution from outdated septic systems. The contents leak through our sandy soils and travel through groundwater -- our drinking water source -- to our surrounding water bodies. This nutrient pollution acts as a fertilizer for algae, causing blooms. Enter beach closures, fish kills, dying shellfish populations, and potential hazards to human health.
Luckily, there's a solution. We have an opportunity to create long-term funding for septic upgrades this November. Flip your ballot over this election, and vote "Yes" on ballot Proposition 2. Through a one-eighth of 1 percent increase in sales tax -- that's $1.25 on a $1,000 purchase -- we can create ongoing funding for septic and sewer upgrades in Suffolk County. These systems will all have to be upgraded eventually, at the homeowners' expense if not for grant funding.
You might be asking, aren't there existing grant funds for these upgrades? Yes, but it's not enough. I applaud the grant programs and all the homeowners who have already taken advantage of them, but there is a bottleneck. We have over 380,000 outdated systems in Suffolk, and we've only made a drop in the bucket of upgrades. This program needs to be scaled up and implemented more quickly so we can see a real difference in our waters.
Let's safeguard clean drinking water and restore our bays and harbors. We owe it to future generations. Remember to flip your ballot over and vote "Yes" on Prop 2 this election.
For clean water and healthy beaches,
JENNA SCHWERZMANN
Surfrider Foundation
Protect Water Quality
Southampton
October 28, 2024
Dear Editor,
A vote of "Yes" for Proposition 2 on the back of the ballot this election season is supported by our local residents, the environmental community, the business community, and organized labor. It also has received bipartisan political support.
Please join your fellow East End residents in voting to preserve and protect our water quality. Upgrading septic systems and wastewater infrastructure aids in decreasing the amount of nitrogen entering our waterways which creates or adds to harmful algal blooms, or HABs, that have enormous public health implications.
Whether you are voting now through Sunday during early voting or on Election Day, flip the ballot and vote "Yes" for clean water on Proposition 2.
This year we have the opportunity to correct the course of water quality. One-eighth of 1 cent tax on goods and services in Suffolk County would be dedicated to preserving our water quality, not only of our surface waters but also of our drinking water. This tax would create a continuing funding stream for upgrades to innovative-alternative septic systems to replace the over 350,000 antiquated septic systems in Suffolk County, but would also provide funding for wastewater treatment plants to be expanded or built in locations where this was deemed appropriate.
Your support would be greatly appreciated for this extremely important initiative.
With deep gratitude,
ANN WELKER
Suffolk County Legislator
District 2
Thin the Mix
East Hampton
October 24, 2024
Dear David,
Hope all is well at The Star. How is the motor job going?
Well, at this Election eve, I will throw in my 2 cents. First and foremost, I am a independent voter. I have voted both parties over the years, always voting for who I thought would do the best job. This year's election is just as important as any other except for one ideology -- the thought of one-party rule, as demonstrated locally, is the objective of the Democratic Party. They are a strong and well-organized group. The only way to get the one-party rule pulled from their grasp is to get some Republicans in the mix. It's every citizen's duty to thin the mix to make sure we keep our two-party system.
On a lesser note, Proposition 3, the condemning of a nature preserve to build a roundabout -- anyone who travels the north-south or south-north route of North Main Street and Three Mile Harbor and Springs-Fireplace Roads can attest to this: The backup from North Main Street to Montauk Highway is caused by the two lights on North Main Street with their ill-conceived timing for Cedar Street and Collins Avenue. Coming from the other direction, traffic backed up onto Three Mile Mile Harbor and Springs-Fireplace Roads from the two lights will not be eliminated by the roundabout. If anything, the roundabout will be gridlocked from vehicles heading south. So for me Prop 3 is a no -- and vote for some Republicans. Thin the herd.
As always, best regards. America and Americans first,
JEFFREY PLITT
Trust and Uncertainty
East Hampton
October 27, 2024
Dear David,
On Election Day, I will flip my ballot over and vote no on Proposal 3. That is, I will vote "no" to giving the triangle of preserved parkland at the tippy end of North Main Street to the county for use in addressing the traffic problem at the intersection of Three Mile Harbor Road, Springs-Fireplace Road, and North Main Street.
Here's why I will vote no:
1. Trust. That triangle of land was donated to the town to be preserved. Turning around and using that land for another purpose breaks the trust between the town and the people who donated it. Looking to the future, people may think twice about donating land to the town. Plus, a transfer of the land to the county for any purpose other than preservation would break the trust between the people of East Hampton and the town: We count on preserved lands to stay preserved. We trust the town to protect those lands.
2. Uncertainty. We are being asked to give land to the county without knowing what its fate will be. How much input will the people of East Hampton have on the county's solution to the traffic problem? I fear an expanse of unwalkable, unbikeable paving that denudes sense of place and cannot be easily undone. The people of East Hampton should have full opportunities to respond to, and effect the course of, any proposed plans for the fork in the road that takes so many of us home.
Thanks so much for your efforts in offering a place for your readers to express views and concerns,
Yours sincerely,
EVAN HARRIS
Ugly and Dangerous
Springs
October 27, 2024
To the Editor:
There is a noticeable feeling of relief as you drive past town and thread your way through congested North Main Street to reach the tree-filled triangle of preserved land that leads to either Springs-Fireplace Road or Three Mile Harbor. As you approach, it begins to feel (at last) more like country than city. A big cement-and-asphalt roundabout would take this pleasure away. It would further suburbanize the entrance to the hamlet. It would be one more attack on preservation and the urbanization of a precious resource.
Even more important, roundabouts work well only when traffic is light. That's because they provide no defined right of way. Traffic comes in from at least three directions and it is up to each driver to go or to yield. Just look at the roundabout on Toilsome Lane to see how that works out -- especially in the summer! It is nerve-racking and dangerous.
To regulate traffic at the Sherrill Triangle, use a traffic light. It safely solves the right-of-way problem. It would cost only a fraction of the $14 million estimate given for the nature-destroying roundabout project. This is why anyone who appreciates parkland and wants to avoid costly, unnecessary projects should vote "No" on Proposition 3. Voting for it leaves the final disposition of the matter to the Suffolk County government. Why would we who live here want to gift this decision to bureaucrats and special interests that live somewhere else?
Proposition 3 gives away our choice. Once out of local hands, replacing the two-plus-acre Sherrill Triangle Preserve will become just another job for a construction crew. It is a destructive, costly, ugly, and dangerous solution to the traffic problem. A simple traffic light will do a better job -- and not destroy a precious natural resource.
Do you want to enter and leave Springs via a concrete traffic circle, or do you want to do so via a tree-lined sanctuary? Vote "No" on Proposition 3. Do you want to test your driving skills against a summer visitor in a rental sports car as they challenge you to yield while they go? Vote "No" on Prop 3.
DONALD SUSSIS
Canopy of Trees
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
Dear David,
Last month, on Sept. 10, I joined together with 50 community members for a historical walking tour through the Freetown neighborhood. It was hosted by the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, the historical society, and the trail preservation group. Our tour guide was Allison McGovern, who will be conducting a historical and cultural mapping of the Freetown area in the near future.
During the walk, as we were heading north at the start of Springs-Fireplace Road, we passed the iconic and historic Sherrill house and then entered into a very magical space and experience. The multiacre horse farm was in sight, and there were four beautiful horses, including a galloping young foal. The shade from the trees on the farm that lined the farm fence and the shade from trees on the Sherrill Triangle Nature Preserve across the street created a beautiful canopy above us with sunlight dappling through the leaves. Everyone felt the beauty and magic. If we had had a dopamine barometer with us it would have registered off the charts.
I couldn't help but feel a deep sadness that potentially this will be gone forever if this nature preserve land is bulldozed down to make way for an oversize concrete and asphalt traffic circle. We will lose this one and only green space in this historic neighborhood, and we will also lose that beautiful, cooling canopy created from the nature preserve's trees. The horses and the people who live around this green space will be subjected to the destruction of a nature preserve gifted to the town to protect and preserve. If this major road construction site is built, it will create a permanent urban concrete jungle roundabout for the rest of our days in East Hampton. We all know that once it's gone -- it's gone!
Each town board member makes a pledge and swears to uphold our codes with the understanding of the major impact these codes have on our current and future rural landscape, and what can or could ensue if these pledges are not kept.
Our town code Section 255-1-11 points to our town's rural aesthetic and character: "To protect, preserve and enhance our natural beauty, view sheds, scenic vistas and agricultural areas -- to protect our hamlets and neighborhoods by preventing unnecessary loss of open space, undeveloped and uncleared lands."
We have only this one green space in Freetown. We can clean up the wooded back area and save the healthy trees. There are beautiful, mature holly trees, some magnificent pines, and many maple trees among other species in that wilder area.
To the towns planner's comments and review of the property, I suggest any invasive plants, and certain ones "that might attract the spotted lantern fly," can be removed. We can clean out the downed trees or whatever the concern is, and create a beautiful natural area instead of annihilating a green space that is a gateway to two important communities within our town.
We all know there are other more reasonable and respectful solutions to help mitigate the few extra minutes of backed-up traffic on Springs-Fireplace Road during rush hour and our busy summer months at this intersection. This is not a year-round problem, and to take such a drastic measure is not upholding our town code that protects our rural character and what we have left of a natural landscape in the Freetown area. I will be voting "No" on proposition 3.
BETSY PETROSKI
Ocean of Asphalt
Springs
October 24, 2024
Dear Mr. Rattray,
We are pleased to see the town board is moving ahead on addressing the traffic problems at the junction of County Road 40 (Three Mile Harbor Road) and County Road 41 (Springs-Fireplace Road) at North Main Street. This issue was first raised in the hamlet studies, and several options highlighted in the Draft Springs-Fireplace Corridor Study.
Whether the ballot referendum on parkland alienation is approved or not, the county and consulting engineers of the corridor study have several good options to improve the traffic flow.
In preparing to vote, your readers might want to consider some salient points the engineers have brought up:
The two favored solutions -- a roundabout (requiring the parkland alienation) and lane channelization (which does not) -- are forecasted to handle the forecasted traffic for only 10 to 15 years.
Improved southbound traffic flow will increase the significant traffic backups at Cedar Street and Collins Avenue. A comprehensive solution is needed.
The roundabout will inevitably require two complete lanes of traffic to prevent backups on it, so a detailed plan is needed to avoid an ocean of asphalt.
The exchange of part of the triangular park at that intersection with a piece of property on Swamp Road is a poor choice for the neighborhood impacted by the roundabout. Adjacent parkland purchase and exchange is needed.
I am writing to call for the completion of the Springs-Fireplace Corridor Study which has languished in draft status for several years.
In the town board's resolution that initiated the corridor study, 2019-1382, they committed to:
Identifying roadway circulation, parking, and traffic improvements.
Developing an open space/greenway master plan to screen industrial uses, provide roadside landscaping, protect farmland, and restore and enhance the Three Mile Harbor drainage corridor.
Identifying planning and zoning techniques to reduce environmental impacts from potential buildout, improve development-review standards, and improve visual quality of the corridor.
And, identifying potential capital improvements and town acquisitions to improve conditions.
The consultants have done their job, except for identification of capital improvements and town acquisitions, which must be requested of them or performed by the town board itself.
After five years of study and delay, we need to see action taken to improve the environment, traffic, and streetscape of the corridor. Why can? t we make the town's largest mixed industrial-commercial-residential area a safer, cleaner, and more attractive center for its businesses, residents, and the thousands of users every day?
Sincerely,
JOHN POTTER
Corridor Watch
Spending Frenzy
Amagansett
October 27, 2024
To the Editor,
If anyone watched the Amagansett School Board meeting they would have heard Tom Mager state on Oct. 8 that the board is "committed" to spending $900,000. This is allegedly to bring down the almost-13-percent "unassigned, unappropriated" fund to the allowed 4 percent.
The school that needed to cut its budget last year to save money by letting go four teachers, while piercing the cap, needs to spend now. Spending they have been doing: a second gym teacher, full-time security guard, two account clerks.
Now Dana Kalbacher was demoted from secretary on Oct. 24. She was Maria Dorr's secretary and testified day two of the Maria Dorr hearing.
This is to make way for a new secretary and office assistant. If you add up all these salaries including Maria Dorr's (yes, she is still the paid principal), all these salaries excluding benefits equal about $679,000. We could add in all the stipends handed out already. Questions are mounting, as we went from the "true needs" written of in this paper in March to the now spending frenzy.
There is so much more. Like, if your last name isn't Karpinski and you speak at a board meeting. Let me see, vying for and receiving a not posted job. . . .
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Sea Change
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
Dear Editor:
The Democratic Party had made well-intentioned but sporadic attempts to connect with the Latino community of East Hampton till Juan Roldan, a 47-year-old landscaper and part-time Uber driver from Ecuador, sparked a sea change. I was happy to play a part.
I knew about First District Democratic congressional candidate John Avlon, a journalist, author, and previous presence on CNN; I wanted to check him out at a meet-and-greet I'd heard about in Three Mile Harbor. Without a car, I needed a ride. I called Juan Roldan, the nice and reliable man I'd used as my driver (without Uber) for a few months. He dropped me off.
I entered a huge backyard filled with about 50 people milling around. A beautiful blonde stepped right up. "Hi, my name is Margaret." It was Margaret Hoover, the host of the PBS show "Firing Line" and Avlon's wife. We talked for 15 minutes nonstop, instant connection. Turns out they spent their first weekend together at Sag Harbor's American Hotel.
John talked to the crowd in English and some Spanish, Kennedyesque, centrist. Margaret gave her whole speech in Spanish. I was impressed, signed up to volunteer for whatever they needed. Juan picked me up as scheduled.
I was excited, raved about John and Margaret, their speeches in Spanish. Juan peppered me with questions -- what was a primary? When was it? Who was John Avlon? What was I going to do to work on the campaign?
I asked Juan his status.
"Vengo de Ecuador, I'm a citizen. American." Proud. He lives in Springs with a wife, two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and a newborn, runs his own landscaping business with his son, John, drives for Uber in the off-season. No, he'd never voted before.
"Want to meet John Avlon?" I asked.
"Si!" Huge smile. Did he ever.
Juan and I went to Avlon's Southampton headquarters for coffee and cookies at another meet-and-greet to recruit volunteers. Avlon was taken with Juan, took pictures with the two of us, just with him, made a short speech.
"I don't want to sit on the sidelines, this election is too important!"
"He's a good man," judged Juan. Smart. A good judge of character, I judged.
"Quiero trabajar para John." Bitten, smitten. Juan also wanted to work for Avlon. We decided to volunteer together as a team. We both spoke Spanish, and he had wheels.
Our first foray canvassing started at 6:30 p.m. after Juan's landscaping was done. We followed Shayla's instructions and knocked on doors in Dune Alpin to persuade registered voters to support Avlon in the primary. Juan was quiet. We got three yeses, two nos, and a few rude people who definitely didn't want to talk to us.
"La gente aqui no son buenos," he said. These people are no good. I agreed.
"Anna, you're wasting us," I reported to another beautiful blonde, Anna Skrenta, the smart, savvy, simpatica, spread-very-thin head of the East Hampton Democratic Party. "We don't want to go to affluent East Hampton, we want to go to the Latino community in Springs and Three Mile Harbor to get out their vote."
"Give me 48 hours." She promised and miraculously came up with a list of Latino voters. "Only go where it says Democrats who voted in the last two elections." Whole new ballgame.
"Ya vamos." Let's go! -- as Spain's new tennis champion, Carlitos Alvarez, exclaims to pump himself up.
We went from house to house talking Spanish, everyone civil, polite. But the only campaign literature we had to leave behind was in English, underscoring our larger problem.
One man asked Juan, "What are they going to do for us."
Juan explained, then added, "The Latinos are interested in jobs and fearful they're going to get deported. The worst is they don't have a voice or presence."
We emphasized that to Anna, who drafted me to work with her on a red, white, and blue brochure in Spanish.
And so out we went back on the campaign trail for Kamala and Avlon and the rest of the Democratic slate two weeks before Election Day, armed with a Spanish brochure -- how to register and vote, bios of the candidates.
We returned to headquarters, Juan asked Jason, a volunteer, to help register online using the app. Success after 40 minutes.
Ten days later, Saturday, the first day of early voting, Windmill Village -- after 50 minutes online, Juan voted. I took a picture, sent it to Anna. Three minutes later a text, from Avlon, "Thank you Juan!" (Anna had forwarded it.)
"Ya vamos! A votar por un futuro mejor" -- Let's vote for a better future.
It's a beginning -- a bridge to a community too long overlooked in the shadows.
Juan, John, democracy!
SUSAN ISRAELSON
Disproved Lie
Amagansett
October 28, 2024
Dave,
I have been a registered Republican since I was 18 years old, but I will not vote for an election denier. It is such a fundamental and easily disproved lie that I could never trust any politician who repeated it, and any voters who believe it in the face of overwhelming evidence are at best being willfully ignorant.
RUSSELL BENNETT
Invisible Ink
East Hampton
October 28, 2024
To the Editor,
"I'm bringing my own pen to vote with because of the invisible ink they use," said a neighbor of a friend of ours recently.
This led me to wonder if the Salem witch trials will be televised on ESPN this year.
TOM MACKEY
Deep Pride
Amagansett
October 27, 2024
Dear David,
Damn it, Mr. Trump! I am a Vietnam War veteran, and regardless of what you say about our nation's fallen veterans, and by extension all veterans, I am not a sucker or loser -- nor are the other 800 veterans who today live in East Hampton and the millions who live 'round the world. We cherish something special that you were too cowardly to ever experience: the deep pride and special honor that come from wearing the uniform of the United States of America.
Through your callous and shameful words, Mr. Trump -- by calling our veterans suckers and losers -- you have forever disgraced yourself in the eyes of every right-thinking American and every man or woman who has ever served our beloved country. You have disgraced yourself, Mr. Trump, and in no way do you deserve to ever again be our commander in chief.
Respectfully,
JIM LUBETKIN
Five Days Away
Amagansett
October 28, 2024
Dear Mr. Rattray,
Missed you at my author talk at the Amagansett Free Library on the 19th. Waited a few extra moments to start, thinking you might pop into the room, breathing heavily, motioning for me to continue. But I'm sure you were busy with other things. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the discussion. I definitely did. What's been particularly interesting for me is that the interviews I've given about the book, "Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation," have all come so close to the election. By the time folks are reading this letter on Thursday (Halloween actually!), it'll be just five days away for those of us voting on Tuesday. Talk about scary!
In addition to various online magazines, and The Sag Harbor Express, I've mostly been the guest on a number of podcasts and syndicated radio programs. A few of those are focused on subjects in the "wellness" realm, a few on politics (leaning left or neutral), one on the future, i.e., where we're headed. All of the hosts wanted to know what it was that made me want to write this book. (Explained in the Introduction.) And all of the hosts wondered what I thought would happen in our coming election, especially one Dave Pamah, a podcaster from London who, along with his colleagues, was gobsmacked at the very thought of America's politics today. I assured him that they weren't the only ones!
Regarding what I thought would happen, I've told them I have no idea. My own left-leaning sensibilities are probably pretty obvious to those who know me. I do hope that whoever wins the presidential election does so by a clear margin. Our democratic process has become so fragile, so vulnerable in recent years that every citizen should feel a vested interest in protecting it. We need to recognize the overarching importance of the very process that is the foundation of our democracy -- the vote!
Happy Halloween, kids, and a happy and safe Election Day!
LYLE GREENFIELD
Gobs of Cash
North Haven
October 24, 2024
Dear David:
Corporations are not people, however the Supreme Court of the United States gave them "corporate personhood," which is now effectively equivalent to the legal status of actual human citizens.
This is pure nonsense, brought upon us by the increasing zealotry of out-of-control party politics, and extremist religious agendas. Extraordinary Wall Street profits and corporate cash are now flooding politics. Accountants used to label that money "unearned income." Think about that for a moment, please.
Established constitutional values are being twisted out of shape every day now as we see women's rights to choose their health care, in collaboration with their doctor, being interfered with. We see unlimited corporate cash flooding politics through aggressive lobbying and huge, direct, anonymous donations of cash, and gifts to key politicians, and even Supreme Court judges. Election campaigns now flood billions of dollars into advertising and carnival rallies that offer little truth, but many lies, with almost no personal accountability.
Democracy was once based on actual citizens with the premise that they were entitled to "one man (person), one vote" during elections. Voters are now mind-washed with unlimited corporate media messages, and see only the candidates who have survived primaries by accepting gobs of this cash with strings attached.
Hedge-fund billionaires now own major newspapers and media, and many now show their cowardice by not endorsing a specific candidate in this most critical election, to avoid financial retribution. Others blatantly promote their own self-interest with little regard to the truth.
We must return to thinking for ourselves, and weed out the torrent of lies and vulgarity. Our democracy was once a noble attempt to improve civilization, which obviously depends on civility and concern for each other. What we witness in media today, at monumental expense, is very little of the behavior of an honest republic that believes in democracy.
This week ended with a startling event at Madison Square Garden. We understand the host D.J.T. claims that his giant ego always wanted his own rally event there in the Garden, and that's all he knew. He got his rally, but?
I have to believe Donald already knew Madison Square Garden in 1939 was the venue for an ugly Nazi rally in support of Adolf Hitler, organized by the German American Bund. Certainly his father, Fred, was a German-speaking son of German immigrants and Fred was active in business in New York City. He is also reported to have been arrested in 1927 at a Ku Klux Klan demonstration. Although there is no conclusive evidence that Fred supported that organization, it's hard to believe Donald knew nothing about this M.S.G. bit of Nazi history.
If the rhetoric and disgusting claims made at Madison Square Garden this Sunday aren't enough to cause decent people to reject this crowd, then we are actually a democracy in real trouble.
Please read up on all the facts pertaining to the real issues that actually affect us. Avoid gossip, prejudice, and lies, then think carefully and vote honestly this Election Day with a clean consciousness.
ANTHONY CORON
A Few Ideas
Montauk
October 23, 2024
Dear David,
In many ways, our country is divided politically. Ultimately, after the election, we must come together or we will divide forever. Here are a few ideas that do not favor any political point of view and would be especially helpful to the nation over time. All these ideas could be implemented over time.
Limit the terms of federal court appointments to 20 years. This will, among other benefits, ensure a greater turnover in the Supreme Court and prevent justices who are past their prime from deciding complex issues.
Place term limits on the Senate and House of Representatives. I suggest 12 years. An elected official who is too long in one position runs low on new good ideas and may have given up the fight for right in favor of re-election.
Make English the official national language. Language is one of the few things that can bind the nation together.
The age for suffrage should be 21. If an 18-year-old is considered not mature enough to make decisions about smoking or drinking, how can he or she be wise enough to help elect a president, senator, or representative? Exceptions should be made for those willing to risk their lives and/or health for the greater good -- military, police, fire fighters, etc.
Only those eligible to vote should be able to vote. Proof of eligibility should be presented at each voting location at every election.
Yours truly,
DAN BRIGANTI
Tren de Aragua
Montauk
October 26, 2024
Dear David,
For the life of me I can't comprehend why politicians lie, over and over again. A Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, is terrorizing Aurora, Colo., as early as last year, but the department's brass and city officials continued to downplay the situation, according to leaked internal emails.
One fed-up sergeant in the department's homicide unit fumed that so many people in this agency have been denying the true existence of Tren de Aragua, also claiming the whole thing is blown out of proportion while at the same time, the patrol won't respond to these locations without an armored vehicle. Perhaps dogs would help.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis dismissed a takeover as imagination. Videos are being shown on regular television showing these gangs taking over apartment buildings, armed. A woman was interviewed and went on TV [saying] how scared she was. Eventually, she ran from the building. Answer: Why are politicians lying about gang activity and not doing a thing about the situations, and not protecting our citizens?
BEA DERRICO
An F.B.I. Informer
Amagansett
October 28, 2024
Dear David,
Last night I watched Donald Trump and JD Vance at Madison Square Garden. They both used the phrase "enemies from within" -- a paraphrase of our presidential oath of office and the enlistment oath for all that serve. Both end with "So help me God."
Before I continue I want you to know something about me. I am not a baby boomer; I was born during the Second World War. [ . . .] Due to my life experiences, including going to war and being a criminal defense attorney, I want you to take me deadly serious. I say what I do and I never give up.
I wrote about Trump during his first campaign that he was unfit to be the president and commander-in-chief of the United States because he was nothing more than a rich TV reality star. He lacked, and still does, integrity, experience and wisdom.
Recall Donald Trump told Howard Stern, "The only thing I had to fear during the Vietnam War was getting a sexually transmitted disease." By my count, Trump got 7 deferments -- four for college, two for graduate school, and one for bone spurs -- meaning that seven men served in his place. Likely two were killed, three were seriously wounded, and two returned home without visible wounds. Not mentioning "invisible wounds."
I know and can prove beyond any doubt that Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissman had Felix Sater, an F.B.I. informer, in Trump Tower for at least a decade. In 1998 Felix Sater was flipped by Andrew Weissman and took a plea to racketeering conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with the F.B.I. and Department of Justice. I have the document. In 2000, Felix Sater, many years before he would be sentenced, went over to Trump Tower and took over Bayrock L.L.C., already there. Using Bayrock, he partnered up with the Trump organization and laundered close to a billion dollars, mostly for Russian oligarchs. Putin must have allowed all of these illegal transfers of money from Russia to the United States. This occurred while Mueller was the director of the F.B.I. and Weissman was working for him. So for many years, an F.B.I. informer, Felix Sater, was one of Trump's most important partners. Recall Sater resurfaced in 2015 claiming he and Michael Cohen were putting a business deal together to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. And Trump signed off a notice of intent for that deal.
All of the above was first disclosed in the Southern District of New York followed by the Eastern District of New York, first by Frederick Oberlander, later joined by Richard Lerner, and Jim Henry, and other investigative journalists, and I joined in their struggle to speak truth to absolutely corrupt powers including the F.B.I., Department of Justice, federal judges, and Sater with his sleazy lawyers, some of whom are former Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Oberlander and Lerner held off the feds in federal court. Even so, they are still being persecuted by all of the above.
In 2017 Mueller was appointed special counsel to go after Trump's connections to Russia. His first recruit was his friend Weissman, who mentioned Sater in their first meeting. Mueller's appointment was a farce. He was not appointed to get Trump but to cover up what his F.B.I., D.O.J. and Sater did with the Trump organization in Trump Tower. Recall Mueller and Weissman never investigated Trump's financials. Do we now know why they intentionally ignored Trump's financial connections to Russia? There is no doubt that the F.B.I., D.O.J. and federal judges have illegally conspired to keep all the above secret. And there's no doubt the feds had a hands-off policy regarding Trump. They have completely fouled up all their cases against Trump.
Proven: that Trump admires dictators, especially Putin, the most powerful mob boss in the world who has started a war of choice against the Ukrainians and has already lost several hundred thousand men and killed several hundred thousand Ukrainians. Trump, if elected, will bail on the Ukrainians. What would that say about America?
In my opinion, Trump is a narcissist with a personality disorder who cares only about himself, with no regard to whatever harm he does to others. Prime examples are his false claims that he won the 2020 election and the insurrection he caused on Jan. 6, 2021 -- a criminal attempt to undermine our constitution and democracy by stopping the certification of the election he lost. We all saw this in real time. An angry mob of thousands storming our capital with malicious intent -- out to hang Vice President Mike Pence.
So eight days from now, Americans will have to decide whether to select a tyrant and wannabe dictator or an accomplished black woman who is ready to lead America.
Semper fi,
JOSEPH GIANNINI ESQ.