Incredible Support
East Hampton
October 1, 2025
Dear Friends and Community:
I am writing this letter with a heart full of gratitude. I’m so thrilled to share that, thanks to your incredible support, I have successfully regained the lease at Main Beach.
This journey would not have been possible without your help. The responses I received from this community have been absolutely incredible.
To every single person who took the time to write a note or email or call, thank you. You helped me regain the lease and, in doing so, you show the amazing care that exists here. I’m so proud to be part of this community, and I’m thankful for your help.
See you at the beach next summer.
With greatest appreciation,
SUSAN SEEKAMP
Up to His Knees
East Hampton
October 1, 2025
To the Editor,
I want to send a big thank-you to the young couple who were in the right place at the right time at the Nature Trail on Sunday. That bit of rain we had overnight made it really muddy in the back area, and my grandson sank almost up to his knees in mud while feeding birds, and when I went to grab him out, I slipped and couldn’t get up. Next thing I know, strong arms wrapped around me and got me up and my grandson out! Thank you both for helping us without a second thought. The highlight after was when my grandson looked down on the trail and found a tiny baby box turtle the size of a 50-cent piece. We carefully put him back off the trail. All in all, a good day.
Sincerely and thankfully,
KERRY S. BAKER
Changed so Much
East Hampton Village
October 4, 2025
Dear East Hampton Star,
I just read the news that our beloved Sam’s Bar and Restaurant could be gone in the next few years. The place is special to anyone who grew up out here. I have fond memories of evenings shared with family and friends in the cozy dining room smelling of garlic and sauce. Sam’s pizza is famous, and it was the second place I ever had thin crust, the first being the long-gone Ma Bergman’s. My own favorite thing they serve apart from the pizza is the baked mussels.
Several health problems have put me on a strict diet which, though it allows for occasional food like Sam’s, makes it incumbent that I make my visits few and far between these days. This breaks my heart, as pre-Covid I tried to have their food at least once a month.
Even if Sam’s remains but gets renovated, that would probably include the removal of the paneling in the corner booth where people have scratched their names and initials. Mine are there from a time when I was young and foolish. It would be sad to think that this was gone — that bit of paneling has a history!
East Hampton has changed so much since my childhood in the 1970s. With Ronald Reagan ending rent caps, the wonderful mom-and-pop stores which made our village so much fun began to vanish, unable to pay the exorbitant rent hikes asked by the landlords. Our village used to be a lot more like Sag Harbor in that it had character and was its own entity. Now it looks like a transplant from Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. If Sam’s goes away, it will leave only two businesses which have survived from my childhood: Village Hardware and BookHampton.
It’s not only that I have nostalgia for my childhood, but I think our village was a better and more friendly place, where both visitors and locals could mingle and shop. I keep asking myself why we have a Prada and a Tiffany & Co.? What was wrong with Rose Jewelers? Why don’t we have an appliance store or affordable furniture store like the old Diamond’s? Sam’s has always been part of the friendly.
Let’s hope that Sam’s will remain an institution and not be pushed out by progress. We’ve had enough of that in this village. At least, I have. Here’s hoping Sam’s can be saved.
As always, thanks for reading.
P.S.: I don’t know how I’m going to break this news to my 93-year-old mother. She’s going to be devastated.
SHELDON HARNICK
Pending Sale
Wainscott
October 5, 2025
Dear David;
The pending sale of the building that is home to Sam’s Bar and Restaurant has people speculating. Dining there is a gem. Graham Quinn, the owner, greets you with a nod. The staff is attentive, warm, and friendly and the food is delicious. You don’t need to rob a bank to pay the bill.
I am a Caesar salad fanatic, and his large salad is an almost complete meal. I have never had one that is this good, even in Manhattan’s best. Licking the bowl in public is not allowed.
I would bet that David Portnoy, of Barstool Sports, “one-slice pizza maven,” would move here if he ever took one bite. Thin, crispy crust and a plethora of toppings make it a hard task to choose.
So, to the new building owners, who sound reasonable: Please keep our little gem as it is and remember the old saying in Brooklyn: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’
Respectfully,
ARTHUR FRENCH
Jane Goodall
Montauk
October 5, 2025
To the Editor:
I would like to say a few words about Jane Goodall, who died Oct. 1.
When I taught at the City College of New York, I created a course titled “Animal Behavior and Ethics.” My students and I discussed research on nonhuman animals and ethical issues with respect to our society’s treatment of them. At the center of the course were the life and work of Jane Goodall.
The students, especially the women, were inspired by her courage and initiative. They were amazed that Goodall, a 26-year-old secretary, ventured into an African forest and made important discoveries about wild chimpanzee behavior. The students also were impressed by her exhausting efforts to call attention to our mistreatment of chimpanzees and other animals, and of the Earth itself.
In 2021 I published a book partly as a way of telling people about her. The book is titled “Forever Young: How Six Great Individuals Have Drawn on the Powers of Childhood and How We Can Follow Their Lead.” Goodall is one of the six individuals, and I dedicated my book to her.
In the book, I emphasized how she tried to experience the forest in a childlike manner. For her, as for children, nature was a place of wonder and enchantment. In her autobiography, “Reason for Hope,” she described how she was enthralled by whatever she encountered in the forest — insects, birds, baboons and their playful youngsters, the lovely sounds of the lake. She talked to the wind and a mountain peak, and felt a oneness with the trees and her surroundings.
For Goodall, as for children, there were no firm boundaries separating humans from other living beings. She was open to the possibility that chimpanzees, like humans, have individual personalities, intelligence, and emotions. And she concluded that chimps are indeed like us in these ways. In the process, she contributed a new scientific picture of our close relatives.
The value of childhood modes of experience is rarely appreciated in our society. Our educational system pushes children at the youngest grades to master the kinds of rational thinking that are prized by adults. Education officials seldom consider the need to preserve childhood qualities such as a sense of wonder and oneness with nature. Goodall’s life and work illustrate why this is a big mistake.
BILL CRAIN
Disqualifies Anyone
Amagansett
October 5, 2025
To the Editor:
The complete stagnation of democracy in the Town of East Hampton can be described in a few words. For years I have been unwilling to cast a vote for any town board member, because the Democratic Party here, as I have said in many letters, is a dishonorable and incompetent machine, contemptuous of its voters. Under the circumstances, I eagerly await the opportunity to cast a protest vote for any kind of reasonable insurgent.
I do not know much about J.P. Foster except that he spent decades working in emergency services in the village; for all I know he is the kind of individual I could vote for as an opponent to, a chess move against, the Democratic machine.
But Mr. Foster is running as a member of the Republican Party, which has lost its mind at the national level. While the Democrats here have choked and stultified discourse, the national Republicans step up the game with lies, threats, bullying, the active destruction of American institutions, the evisceration of government resources, as well as active government endorsement of myths and conspiracy theories about health, energy, and a thousand other critical topics. Though I have voted for Republicans in the past, the Republican nomination today disqualifies anyone for my vote.
Where does that leave us in a two-party system? While America has always been one, we sometimes forget that it hasn’t always been the same two parties. Groups past their sell-by date have been replaced by new aspirants. Attempts to do that at the local level in recent years have been premature, or not fierce and professional enough to prevail; I hope for a group of smart people, tough enough to withstand the vituperation, and represented by a first-rate election lawyer. (I can recommend one, and I don’t mean me.)
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
Concerning Conflict
Amagansett
October 5, 2025
Dear David,
As we approach the upcoming election on Nov. 4, I feel compelled to address a concerning conflict of interest involving Ian Calder-Piedmonte, a candidate for the East Hampton Town Board. As a partner in Balsam Farms, Mr. Calder-Piedmonte has a vested interest in the agricultural landscape of our town. This raises significant questions about his role in promoting changes to the zoning code that could directly benefit his business.
Recently, as a current town board member, Mr. Calder-Piedmonte has supported zoning modifications that affect farmland, where oversight for farmers is minimal and site plan development is not required. Such changes could create an environment ripe for favoritism, where decisions made by a board member with a personal stake in the outcome may not fully reflect the best interests of our community at large.
While I appreciate Mr. Calder-Piedmonte’s dedication to agriculture and affordable housing, we must prioritize transparency and accountability in our local governance. The potential for conflicts of interest undermines public trust and could lead to decisions that favor private business interests over the community’s needs.
As voters, we must carefully consider whether we want a representative who may prioritize their own business interests over fair and equitable governance. It is vital that we elect leaders who can navigate these complexities without compromising their integrity or the well-being of our town.
Let’s ensure that our local government remains accountable and that all voices are heard without bias.
JILL DANIS
Easy Way Out
Amagansett
October 6, 2025
Dear David,
East Hampton Town requires effective leadership rather than philosophical perspectives. As a senior resident who has lived and worked for the Town of East Hampton, it is concerning that Ian Calder-Piedmonte abstained from voting on the senior center, which would have exempted the town board from its own zoning laws. His 12 years of experience on the planning board would have been invaluable in assisting neighboring residents impacted by the destruction and clearing of this property.
Ian should have taken the time to educate himself on the senior center project; instead, he took the easy way out by abstaining. As a town board member, one must make difficult decisions when building a $30 million senior center. As a town board member and one who had been on the planning board for 12 years, Ian should have been able to make an educated decision. That’s what leadership is about.
Sincerely,
GENE SHAW
Take Decisive Action
Amagansett
October 4, 2025
Dear David,
As the election approaches, the candidacy of Ian Calder-Piedmonte for the East Hampton Town Board raises important questions about the qualities we seek in our leaders. While Mr. Calder-Piedmonte brings a background in philosophy, farming, and a reputation for fairness and open-mindedness, we must consider whether these traits are enough for the many challenges facing our community.
Having served on the planning board for 12 years during discussions about the now-stalled senior citizens center, Mr. Calder-Piedmonte refrained from voicing his concerns when he joined the town board. He chose to recuse himself from any discussion. This raises a critical question: Do we need a philosopher or a nice guy or do we require someone who will make tough decisions and stand firm on issues that matter to our residents?
His commitment to affordable housing and community engagement is admirable, but we need leaders who are willing to take decisive action and advocate for the best interests of all demographics, especially the dwindling middle class. While Mr. Calder-Piedmonte emphasizes listening and compromise, we must ask ourselves if this approach is sufficient to navigate the urgent issues our town faces.
As we head to the polls on Nov. 4, let us consider what kind of leadership we truly need for East Hampton — one that balances thoughtful dialogue with the courage to make difficult choices for our community’s future.
RONA KLOPMAN
Right to Know
Wainscott
October 6, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
My name is Michael Hansen and I am running for East Hampton Town clerk.
The first sentence of Section 30 of the Laws of New York pertaining to the powers and duties of the town clerk is, “The town clerk of each town shall have the custody of all the records, books and papers of the town.”
Thus the clerk is the custodian of the records who protects the public’s right to know, as mandated, for example, by New York’s Freedom of Information Law. The clerk is responsible for the safe and secure storage of these records. I will build on the progress made by Carole Brennan, the current East Hampton Town clerk, who has done an exceptional job.
As clerk, I will continue to guarantee the public’s right to know, while making it more convenient to safely access those records. Digitization and updating the town’s payment and record-keeping systems are two ways for the town clerk to help modernize our town government.
I look forward to collaborating with the town board on its capital budget planning to finance and expedite document digitization, technology upgrades, and, possibly, spatial expansion for the clerk’s office to better secure records.
I will continue to support and provide a welcoming environment at the town clerk’s office to all the residents of East Hampton at one of the busiest offices in Town Hall.
MICHAEL HANSEN
Technology-Driven
East Hampton
October 7, 2025
To the Editor:
East Hampton town clerk — this title is misleading. It sounds like a clerk in a retail department store who shows you items in the showcase and then takes your payment.
The town clerk’s office is data-driven. It is responsible for collecting and organizing a significant amount of information about the town’s current activities and is also responsible for issuing a variety of licenses and permits.
Many businesses made the switch years ago from paper records to digital records. East Hampton needs to institute digital records in the future but it also needs to digitize the many years of records since the town was founded in 1648. This is a very big and complicated issue.
The digitization process is technology-driven, and mistakes can be very costly. The East Hampton town clerk must be familiar with data management and be a sophisticated, experienced, and knowledgeable computer-literate person who is an active participant in today’s technology-driven world. The title for the job should probably be chief information officer.
There is only one candidate who meets all those requirements and his name is Michael Hansen.
JEREMIAH T. MULLIGAN
—
The majority of the town’s earliest existing records have been scanned and are available from the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection at digitallongisland.org. Ed.
Unreported?
Amagansett
October 6, 2025
To the Editor,
Dawn Mata will be terminated from the Amagansett School because of “misconduct,” according to a school board resolution. Misconduct is often categorized as a moral character issue. What could it have been?
Speaking of the school, its calendar just came home. This year is the first time I can remember the part about reporting all accidents and incidents to the school nurse hasn’t appeared. I wonder why? Was that not followed previously? How about a specific, random date? Anything go unreported on April 12, 2024?
As former Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli would say in the glimpse of an unfathomable winless season: “That even when things are dark, one must continue to dig and push through with unwavering conviction, even when there’s no light to be seen.” When the light shines brightest it will touch us all. There is no escaping it.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Rumor Has It
Montauk
October 5, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
Talk about a breath of fresh air, 13 million acres of our national lands have just been opened up to coal mining. Isn’t it wonderful? What a great gift to our children and our children’s children, and the children of the world. Even the ones in those “shit-hole countries.” Don’t despair, you can rest assured that our very own former congressman and Environmental Protection Agency chief, Lee Zeldin, said it’s A-okay. Like his boss said, climate change is a “hoax,” just “a con job.”
Rumor has it that coming soon is the coal-burning car. I heard the first two models will be called the Trump Black Lung and the Trump Black Lung Canary (it’s in homage to our supreme leader’s hair). Please don’t say president anymore. He much prefers the 1930s Germanic, der Fuhrer. Did I hear your heels click?
You and your readers should get in on the ground floor. It’ll be listed as “TBLACK,” on the New York Stock Exchange. You can’t miss. The First Family will license them. Just like they did with the Trump God Bless America Bible. You know, the one where no matter which way you hold it it’s always upside down — the one printed in China for $3 with genuine fake leather. What a godsend. I paid only $59.95. Sorry for digressing. I learned how to do that at Trump University. (Felons got free tuition. I only had a few misdemeanors so I had to pay. But I have an official Trump B.S. diploma.)
Both the Trump Black Lung and the Trump Black Lung Canary will come in hard-top or convertible. Camouflage paint, gun racks, and four dual exhausts, two low and two up high, come standard. That’s because you just can’t breathe in enough of that black carbon. I just love that smell, don’t you? It’s R.F.K. Jr.-approved!
The coal-burning car will be made right here in the good, old United States of America. And there’s a special collector’s edition with a Jeffrey Epstein jump seat. It’s ergonomically designed for under-age girls only, each one hand signed, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — may every day be another wonderful secret.”
And every Trump Black Lung has the biggest, most huggable American flag you’ve ever seen. It’s machine washable. These colors don’t run. But wait! That’s not all!
Each one comes with a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s good, even if you attack the Capitol, guaranteed by the full faith of the United States Supreme Court.
Thirteen million acres of national lands opened up for big, beautiful, dirty coal. Now, that’s Making America Grate Again.
RAV FREIDEL
Second Civil War
East Hampton
October 6, 2025
To the Editor,
Now that our second civil war has begun, with our martial president invading blue states and ingeniously using troops from red states, I think that a lot of good can come of this.
Think what it will do for our economy if each state needs to arm. Along with the bustling business of building Immigration and Customs Enforcement concentration camps, we’ll be building missiles and anti-missile systems. Manufacturing will be back. You are a genius, Mr. President!
TOM MACKEY
His Worst Nightmare
East Hampton
October 2, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
Thomas Jefferson was deeply concerned about a president who would govern as a monarch and go beyond the powers granted under the Constitution. Jefferson expressed this concern about both of his presidential predecessors — George Washington and John Adams. Little did Jefferson imagine that America one day would have a president that would have been his worst nightmare: Trump.
Among his many actions not granted under the Constitution are his firing of over a dozen Senate-confirmed inspectors general responsible for safeguarding the integrity and accountability of government programs; targeting perceived adversaries including individuals, universities, law firms, and the media; dismantling or attempting to destroy federal agencies that were created and funded by Congress, including U.S.A.I.D. and the Department of Education; and deploying the National Guard to states where only the governors have the authority to do so. The list could go on.
Trump has said, “A lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator.” Perhaps Trump even dreams of being an emperor. If so, then I would suggest an appropriate title for him — Felonius I.
SALVATORE TOCCI
Law and Order
Montauk
September 30, 2025
To the Editor:
Dear President Trump: I humbly request that you deploy a regiment of United States Marines to the Village of East Hampton from Oct. 3 to 13. These are the dates for the Hamptons International Film Festival that features films of national and international interest that are shown in several local village venues.
During this time, thousands of people visit the village to view the films. Although most of the visitors are respectful of local traditions and norms, the village is inundated with hundreds of radical, leftie socialists and commies from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey (the worst are the ones from Brooklyn!).
In the past, these lefties have looted corporate chic stores like Prada, Shan, and Ralph Lauren. They even looted a local jewelry store and stole hundreds of Rolex and Tudor watches! They have frequently vandalized luxury automobiles in local parking lots before escaping in Chevy Silverados and Ford F-150s. They have also caused much local angst by refusing to honor reservations at restaurants and demanding immediate service. Their favorite venue appears to be Smoky Buns, where a smash cheeseburger is available for $9 and fries for $5.
The village police are wonderful but they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of these paid radical agitators, who are often armed with razor-sharp credit cards, Swiss Army knives, and steel-toe jackboots.
There are many great campsites out here where the Marines could pitch their tents. Please help us restore law and order!
Respectfully,
BRIAN POPE
Far Beyond Appalled
Sagaponack
October 2, 2025
To the Editor,
Apropos letter “Demand an End” Oct. 2: I am far beyond appalled that this paper could possibly not edit nor even refuse to publish the most ignorant, uneducated, twisted, distorted, prejudiced, lying, antisemitic letter I have ever seen, the first paragraph of which comes from the sickest mind ever after 75 years of wars, attacks, rockets, bombs for at least seven countries, and attempts to fulfill their charters requiring the deaths of all Jews and the destruction of Israel, and then the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, killing over 1,200, and doing to them and the living worse things than anything even by the Nazis, that this totally distorted, sick mind could write that paragraph.
Israel has maybe killed 50,000 Hamas terrorist attackers and, accidentally while trying to avoid it, killed maybe 10,000 non-terrorists.
Israel, finally has said enough! And has to punish, if not destroy, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houtis, and all others financed and supported by Iran, whose charter also calls for the death of all Jews, and it can!
LOUIS MEISEL
Symptom of Our Times
East Hampton
October 6, 2025
Dear David,
Oct. 1 and 2 was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. The central theme is always atonement — a time for deep introspection, reflecting on personal actions that caused pain to oneself and others — saying you’re sorry and making amends.
Since our recent banishment from the Jewish Center of the Hamptons (a few days before Rosh Hashanah) by Rabbi Franklin, its executive director, David Waserstein, and their board led by its chairman, Harry Katz, my wife and I took bets as to whether we would get a call from Rabbi Franklin or whether the Jewish Center would respond with a letter of their own during this holy time, requesting that we get together to talk things over and start the process of healing and transformation — tikkun olam.
I was somewhat optimistic; my wife wasn’t. Friends and a number of congregants reached out to us and all agreed that the synagogue would not respond. They thought the board and rabbi would hope that the letter I wrote to The Star (Sept. 22), critical of the J.C.O.H.’s inability to offer a forum for diverse ideas and speakers, would just go away — people would be too busy to pay attention and be concerned enough to take action. They were right. I was wrong. No letter or call came.
But they’re wrong in thinking that it will just go away; it won’t. Their actions raised deep moral issues going to the foundation of what Judaism is all about. There are legal questions and civil liberty rights that have been trampled on, including First Amendment free speech rights.
It’s almost unheard of to banish someone from a synagogue just for what they wrote in a local paper. As some of the congregants said to us, they were “speechless,” they “never heard of such a thing”: “What kind of people and Jewish spiritual leaders are they?”
They’re wrong in thinking that their congregants are fools and will not care enough. They’re wrong in thinking that people of good will of whatever faith traditions or none at all, will not care enough to get involved and take action — especially in today’s politically intolerant atmosphere that’s destroying our democracy. What happened at the J.C.O.H. is a symptom of our times.
In Rabbi Franklin’s letter (Sept. 2), he argues that each summer, “we bring in speakers representing a broad spectrum of Jewish life and thought, including on issues relating to Israel.” To support his case, Rabbi Franklin cites a Palestinian from Gaza who shared her personal story and Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan, now chief executive officer of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
What he conveniently fails to mention is that the Gazan woman — Majd Mashharawi — and her talk at the Jewish center in 2023, “Turning Ash to Brick,” was about her development of construction material in order to rebuild damaged buildings and infrastructure in Gaza. Certainly a worthy undertaking by this talented and creative individual, but it had absolutely nothing to do with having a true dialogue concerning the ongoing war in Gaza. General Padan is introduced as heading an organization that provides for the well-being of Israeli soldiers and their families. Again, a worthy cause. What is also conveniently not mentioned by Rabbi Franklin is that Padan was the commander of the 162nd Division during the Gaza invasion of 2014 and is a strong supporter of Netanyahu’s war policies. Is this what Rabbi Franklin means when he says the J.C.O.H. has a “long tradition of hosting programs that invite dialogue and reflection”?
Padan and the policies he has supported has turned Gaza into rubble. Majd should be invited back to the Jewish Center and given the freedom to discuss, in dialogue with Padan, her feelings and ideas of what she thinks has happened in Gaza and the destruction of her work. He in turn would, of course, be able to explain events from his point of view. That would be a real dialogue the J.C.O.H. could be proud of. Majd’s new book might be titled more appropriately, “Turning Brick Back to Ashes.”
My wife and our personal experience with the J.C.O.H. shows a cruelty, insensitivity, unnecessary vengeance and moral bankruptcy by the board and Rabbi Franklin — their acquiescent messenger. My wife was banished because of my letter — guilt by association. To banish us from Shabbat at the Beach services is also silly and illegal on their part. It’s a public beach, and we are residents of East Hampton.
For the board and rabbi to not respond to her request to set up a discretionary mental health fund for those in need at the synagogue in honor of her parents is hurtful, rude, and beyond the pale.
If this is the congregation you choose to join, obviously, it’s your choice. For those who are questioning becoming members or continuing their membership, ask yourselves if this is truly the congregation for your family and children that is practicing the sort of Jewish ethics, values, culture, and spiritual leadership you want them to experience and live by.
If not, speak up and raise your concerns — don’t be intimidated. Bullies don’t win when those they try to intimidate are in solidarity. Remember, you could always be the next one banished.
Sincerely,
JIM VRETTOS