“I’m retiring because it’s been a good run and 30 years is enough. I’m not retiring to run for office,” Larry Cantwell, the East Hampton Village administrator, said Tuesday, when asked if his retirement announcement last week signaled a possible return to East Hampton Town politics.

    “Almost every election over the past 30 years I’ve been asked and certainly it’s been suggested recently and that gives me pause to consider it,” Mr. Cantwell said of talk that he might consider a 2013 run for supervisor on the Democratic ticket.

    “Part of me is interested, because I have a lifetime of experience in East Hampton and 37 years of public service.” On the other hand, he said, “To leave on a high note from the village is a wonderful thing. I question whether I want to subject myself to the nastiness that politics has become in East Hampton.”

    Mr. Cantwell served on the East Hampton Town Board for five and a half years, from 1977 to 1982, and made an unsuccessful bid for supervisor against the Republican incumbent, Mary Fallon, in 1981. He has since served on the town planning board and the East Hampton Housing Authority. But he first entered town politics in 1975, when at age 25 he was elected bay constable, becoming the town’s youngest elected official and “the first Democrat elected to that position in 42 years,” he said.

    His final year on the town board was a fractious one. Just after the 1981 election, he said, Republicans announced plans to abolish the Planning Department and hire a consultant instead. At the time, there was still a Democratic majority on the board, which opposed the move. “We were able to pass a local law before the end of the year that said prior to abolishment of any department, the town is required to pass a local law and have a public hearing,” he said. “We were able to get the public involved.” In the end, the Planning Department was dissolved and a consultant was hired. Mr. Cantwell resigned as councilman the following year to become East Hampton Village’s clerk-treasurer. (After five years on the job, his duties were expanded and he became the village administrator.)

    Still, Mr. Cantwell remembers Town Hall then as a more civil place than it seems to be today. “We had our moments and sometimes there were disagreements and sometimes they were sharp, but afterwards, we could go to lunch together,” Mr. Cantwell said. “There was a civility between the board members and between the board members and the public.”

    “I’ve been fortunate to have a successful career with the village where politics is left outside the front door,” he said Tuesday.

    His position with the village is an appointed one, with a term that runs concurrent with that of the mayor, but in his 30 years on the job, the village has had only three mayors.

    Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. has worked with Mr. Cantwell throughout his 20-year tenure. When the village administrator told the board last week of his plans to retire in June or July of 2013, “you could hear a pin drop,” Mayor Rickenbach said at Friday’s village board meeting. “You’re a legend, and you will be noticed and recognized for your contribution to our community,” the mayor said to Mr. Cantwell, adding that it had been an “esteemed honor” to work with him.

    Only one village board member, Elbert Edwards, has held his post longer than Mr. Cantwell.

    Barbara Borsack, the deputy mayor, said Mr. Cantwell’s departure would be “a sad day . . . I’m sorry to see it coming.” And Richard Lawler, a board member who serves as village police commissioner, praised Mr. Cantwell for his dedication and professionalism.

    Mr. Cantwell thanked the village board on Friday for “instilling me with the confidence it takes to do my job.” He also praised the village employees, “from the beach personnel to the firemen — they are the real heroes.”

    “There is a unique relationship between village government and village residents,” Mr. Cantwell said Tuesday. In East Hampton Village, he said, “there is an unusual sense of trust that exists between residents and the government. It makes it a lot easier to do the job.”

    The village has started taking applications to replace Mr. Cantwell, who will, Ms. Borsack said, leave big shoes to fill. Résumés are to be sent to Village Hall, attention Larry Cantwell.

    He hopes that with a nine-month lead, he will be able to help make the transition to a new village administrator as smooth as possible.

    As for a possible run for supervisor, he said, “I’m balancing my desire to continue to serve the community I love and . . . the personal sacrifices you have to make to be an elected official in the Town of East Hampton.”

    Zachary Cohen, who lost to Supervisor Bill Wilkinson by just 15 votes in 2011, has been presumed to be the Democrats’ choice for the top of the ticket in 2013. He had only good things to say about Mr. Cantwell. “Larry would be an ideal candidate for any elected office since he is highly qualified, has already sat on the town board, is a proven manager, is well known and well liked, and will beat any Republican or Independence Party candidate he runs against,” he wrote in an e-mail. “He would also be ideal as the first-ever town administrator.”

    In recent local election years, many have suggested that East Hampton Town needs a professional town manager similar to a village administrator. Mr. Cantwell thinks there’s “merit” to this, especially because it would help provide continuity from supervisor to supervisor.

    Mr. Wilkinson, a Republican, has not indicated whether he plans to run again in 2013, but County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, a former supervisor who ran on the Republican ticket but has since become an Independence Party member, has said he wants to try again for his old job.

With Reporting by Larry LaVigne II

     A woman's body washed ashore at Georgica Beach in East Hampton Village Tuesday morning, according to Village Police Chief Jerry Larsen. Chief Larsen said a passerby noticed the body, that of a woman between the ages of 45 and 50, at 7:30 a.m. and notified police.

     The body has been sent to medical examiners for further identification.

     It seemed clear the woman was a victim of Hurricane Sandy’s dangerous surf, but no further details were available Tuesday afternoon. Chief Larsen said town police are investigating the possible link between the woman found on Georgica and a woman reported missing from Montauk on Monday night after she failed to return home from a walk on the beach with her dog.

"Yesterday was insane," Theo Foscolo, the assistant general manger at Rowdy Hall, a restaurant on Main Street, East Hampton, said of the over 350 people served at lunch and dinner Monday. "Everybody just wanted to get out of the house."

Mr. Foscolo attributed much of the increased traffic to Rowdy Hall's being one of the only restaurants open in the village; on Newtown Lane, Cittanuova was closed, as was Sam's Restaurant, he said. Mr. Foscolo said Rowdy Hall never lost power.

The Optical Shop of Aspen on Main Street, East Hampton, reopened Tuesday. Metah Valdez, a style consultant at the store, said business has been very slow. "A couple of repairmen and some trick-or-treaters have come in," she said yesterday. "The storm definitely put a damper on sales."

Elsewhere in the village, Babette's restaurant, BookHampton, Starbucks, and the Golden Pear café are open and were doing brisk business.

Many village businesses have had their electricity restored, despite warnings from Long Island Power Authority and public officials to residents that it could take 7 to 10 days, or more.

Al Fierro, a bartender at Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett, said Wednesday business was better than usual. The restaurant reopened its doors for lunch on Tuesday, after the restaurant and bar was put back on the grid Tuesday night.

As of yesterday, the Meeting House, a restaurant in Amagansett Square, still had plywood on its doors and windows.

Walbaums, IGA, and Citarella are open in East Hampton, and there are reports that the gas is pumping at the Hess Station on Montauk Highway in Wainscott.

In Sag Harbor, where severe flooding and widespread loss of power occurred, the Golden Pear, Corner Bar, and 7-Eleven were reportedly open, as was Schiavoni's IGA Market.

The Amagansett IGA was open by Tuesday and had a good supply of most essentials.

Most of the stores in downtown Montauk were able to get their doors open by Wednesday.

    East Hampton Village plans to install or retrofit drains to stem the introduction of contaminated stormwater runoff into Georgica Pond following a declaration by the State Department of Environmental Conservation that the pond is a “pathogen impaired water body.”

    Stormwater from 27 acres of public and private property as well as roads drain into the pond, but, according to Drew Bennett of the firm Engineering Consultants, only about 10 percent of the runoff comes from property in the village’s jurisdiction. The plan does not cover remediation of drains that are the responsibility of New York State, Suffolk County, or East Hampton Town.  

    The D.E.C. is calling for a 93-percent reduction in pathogens, a level called “unfeasible” in a village remediation report from Michael Bouker, the deputy superintendent of public works. The report blames coliform bacteria from waterfowl and wildlife for the pathogens, stormwater runoff from roads, as well as some contribution from old septic systems on waterfront properties. “These are beyond the control of the Village of East Hampton,” Mr. Bouker’s report states.

    As the agency that administers the Environmental Protection Agency’s pollutant discharge elimination System stormwater program, the D.E.C. has tested Georgica Pond and used topographical maps to identify non-point sources of pollution within what are known as the Cove Hollow and Georgica Close watersheds.

    The Cove Hollow watershed is the larger of the two, with contaminated stormwater entering the Georgica Cove section of the pond primarily through a concrete drain pipe that is part of a system constructed by the state. It carries stormwater from fields north of the village and adjacent to Route 114.

    A section of the pipe runs through the village, roughly paralleling Cove Hollow Road, however, which has seven outlets, or vents, that allow stormwater from heavy rains to spill into low-lying areas north of Georgica Cove. Stormwater also enters the pond from two catch basins at the north end of Cove Hollow and Georgica Roads. The contribution from the smaller Georgica Close watershed comes primarily from private property and paved roads, the report states.

    The village intends to install inserts to the vents along Cove Hollow Road to reduce pathogens, and put in four leaching pools along Georgica Road to catch rainwater.

    In addition, “vegetative swales and riparian buffers will be constructed along portions of Georgica Road’s south side to capture and treat stormwater,” the report states, along with a pipe at the road-end near Georgica Cove. The area is also to be policed for litter and refuse.

    In the Georgica Close watershed, buffers and vegetation will be installed along both Georgica and Georgica Close Roads. Without mentioning the costs involved, the report states that “these measures will be taken “without placing an undue burden on the taxpaying community.” 

    “We’re saying we will retrofit within the village jurisdiction, but our observations are that a much larger area of contribution” should be the responsibility of the State D.O.T. [Department of Transportation], and town,” Larry Cantwell, the village administrator, said on Tuesday.

    East Hampton Town has also developed and submitted to the D.E.C. a remediation plan for the larger Georgica Pond watershed. The deadline for both plans was Sept. 30.

    Mark Abramson, a senior environmental analyst for the town, said yesterday that contamination carried by stormwater is non-point-source pollution. Although antiquated septic systems might play a role in overall levels of contamination in Georgica Pond, he said, they were not identified in the remediation study. 

    “This is not new. Recognition of it is new,” said Diane McNally, clerk of the East Hampton Town Trustees. The nine-member panel owns and manages Georgica Pond on behalf of the public. Ms. McNally said the trustees had been aware of the problem for years, but had been told routinely that the systems contributing to the pollution were beyond their jurisdiction. “But, it impacts our waterway,” she said.

    Ms. McNally said the trustees were well aware of runoff into Georgica Cove. The trustees had voiced their concern, she said, even though shellfish, which accumulate pathogens, are not usually taken from Georgica Pond. Crabbing is popular there, but crabs are not considered shellfish.

    “We’ve been in touch with the shellfish bureau of the D.E.C. It’s upland runoff. Now they’re more aware of it,” she said. 

    “There’s a swamping spot on the north side of Route 27 where Stephen Hand’s Path enters, and a huge pond on Daniel’s Hole Road when it rains,” she said, referring to the trustees’ concerns. She went on to note that the trustees had worked with the town’s now-retired director of natural resources, Larry Penny, on the possibility of a “water garden,” or system of cascades, to slow the water flow between Hook Pond and North Main Street.    

    Elected officials representing the towns, villages, and districts of the East End have once again asked the Federal Aviation Administration to add a southern route for helicopter traffic along the Atlantic coastline to the recently enacted northern route, a mile off the north shore.

    A letter to Michael P. Huerta, the acting administrator of the F.A.A., repeated a recommendation submitted in 2010 that there be two mandatory helicopter routes to and from the East End airports, both northerly and southerly, “to equitably distribute the volume of helicopter traffic.”

    “Despite significant efforts to mitigate helicopter noise,” says the most recent letter, dated Oct. 12, “helicopter noise on the East End remains a major, unresolved ‘quality of life’ issue for our region, which also adversely impacts a regional economy dependent on tourism and the second-home industry.”

    The letter references an increase in helicopter traffic this summer over Bridgehampton, North Sea, and Sag Harbor, after air traffic controllers at the East Hampton Airport began sending the craft over those areas to access the northern route.

    “The focus of community complaints has centered on helicopter traffic utilizing East Hampton Town airport,” the letter says. “Federal intervention must be part of the solution.”

    “We do not need to wait for the end of a two-year test period for the North Shore Route to know that we also need a South Shore Route to mitigate East End noise.”

    “The establishment of the mandatory North Shore Route mitigated the impacts of helicopter noise in Nassau County and Western Suffolk by keeping helicopters one mile offshore in the Long Island Sound, but did nothing to alleviate the problem on the East End,” the letter asserts. “This goal can only be accomplished by the establishment of both an Atlantic Route and a North Shore Route.”

    The concept was endorsed this week by the East Hampton Aviation Association, which said the southern route “is a good plan to reduce helicopter noise in our neighborhoods.”

    “As small plane owners at the airport, we have no safety problem flying near Islip or Kennedy airport after filing a plan to do so,” Gerard Boleis, a board member of the Aviation Association, said in a press release.

    Among the 19 elected officials who signed the letter were Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, and Representative Tim Bishop, who led the effort, along with Assemblyman Dan Losquadro.

    East Hampton Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione, the liaison to the airport, signed for East Hampton. Other signers included the supervisors of the other four East End towns and the mayors of East End villages.

    At a town board work session on Tuesday, Mr. Stanzione found himself under fire for signing the letter without vetting it with the rest of the board. Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said Mr. Thiele had asked him to sign it but he had refused to do so, because, he said, he believed that as written all traffic on the southern route to the airport would be directed over Wainscott. He said he also told Mr. Thiele that he would first have to discuss the letter with the full town board.

    On Monday, he said, he received a copy of the letter containing his suggested revision, but that it had already been sent out, with Mr. Stanzione’s signature.

    “Everything you’ve done on the airport, quite frankly, has been not vetted by the town,” Councilwoman Theresa Quigley told Mr. Stanzione.

    Last summer, board members and members of the public asserted that Mr. Stanzione directed the helicopter route change that prompted an outcry from residents of those areas that subsequently saw increased air traffic, though the councilman denied it.

    “So now we get in a position where we require vetting with the board, and you just ignore it,” Mr. Wilkinson said to him.

    “After what happened with the changing of the routes, after the dismay of the public . . . how could we possibly do something about the airport without vetting it publicly?” Ms. Quigley asked.

    Councilman Stanzione was unapologetic.  “I am an elected official in this town,” he said. The letter, he said, reflected “town policy, as was stated in the 2010 letter . . . a clear determination that we supported the Atlantic route.”

    “That policy is clear,” he said. “It doesn’t require additional vetting.” Mr. Stanzione said he “didn’t hesitate when asked to join a coalition of elected officials who supported the town’s position.”

    Ms. Quigley asked John Jilnicki, the town attorney, if any board member should act alone. If the letter asserts that it represents the opinion of the town board, Mr. Jilnicki said, it should have been vetted by the board.

    “I take your point, and I disagree with it, and I don’t apologize for signing that letter,” Mr. Stanzione told them both. “I don’t think I outdistanced this board’s position,” he added later.

    But, Ms. Quigley said, a policy arrived at in 2010 is “subject to being changed or rearticulated.” She became increasingly emotive, citing the stresses of a family situation. She has been caring for her daughter, Doris, who is in rehabilitation following a neck injury in August. “The only reason that keeps me from walking away from this crap — and it is crap,” she said, was to support Mr. Wilkinson.

    Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone last week signed into a law a requirement that all recreational boaters living in Suffolk obtain a state safe-boating certificate. The law was passed unanimously by the County Legislature after a spate of fatal boating accidents in recent years, including the capsizing of an overloaded boat in July that killed three children.

    The law will require that recreational boaters attend safe-boating classes, although the venues for such classes and the curriculum were not spelled out. The current state boating instruction offered by the U.S. Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxiliary is an eight-hour course that covers basic seamanship and rules of the road. Sailors will be exempt from the law.

    On the East End, the job of enforcing the new law will fall to the marine police of the five towns. “It’s long overdue,” Ed Michels, East Hampton’s senior harbormaster, said on Tuesday. “Now if we stop a boat, the first thing we’ll ask for is the certificate. I can’t argue with the safety aspect, but I haven’t seen the specifics of how the courses will be given.”

    As a federal agency, the Coast Guard will not be enforcing the law, according to Senior Chief Petty Officer Jason Walter of the Montauk station.

    County Legislator Jay Schneiderman said the bill had the support of the Legislature, given the recent accidents. “A lot of capable boaters might resent going to any kind of class, but there’s no fee. I’m trying to amend the bill to give more power to the bay constables so they can certify people they know are seasoned boaters through personal experience,” Mr. Schneiderman said.

    “I think we’re on the right track, but I don’t want to punish people who are experienced boaters. There are national standards for boating safety. Implementation is the hard part,” Mr. Schneiderman said, an opinion shared by Brian Kemp, New York’s boating law administrator. Mr. Kemp said he had received a number of calls from people wondering if the current eight-hour course was likely to be abbreviated.

    “I’m looking into ways to make the classes accessible,” Mr. Schneiderman said, “maybe it could be done online,” an idea that Mr. Michels did not like.

    “They should go to a class like the Power Squadron gives,” Mr. Michels said.

    The state has offered safe-boating courses and exams for the past 54 years, but they are not required. Other states permit online courses and exams, but in New York, Web sites like Boaterexam.com can be used only as study guides.

    The law would eempt boat renters, who in most instances are required to view a safety video before getting the keys. Henry Uihlein of Uihlein’s Marina and Boat Rental in Montauk said the customers who rent Jet Skis from him must watch a 20-minute video, also available to boat renters. “If people don’t feel comfortable, we provide a captain, an experienced boater, at no cost. Next year I’m going to put GPS equipment on the boats so I can monitor them,” Mr. Uihlein said.

    Since 1998, state law has required that kids ages 10 to 18 have a safe-boating certificate obtained by attending a boating safety course and passing an exam in order to drive a personal watercraft such as a Jet Ski.

    The new law does not pertain to commercial fishermen or other commercial boaters. Nor does it apply to boaters coming from outside Suffolk County, as is the case with the many fishermen who descend on Montauk this time of year for the fall run of striped bass.

    The mandatory education law will go into effect next year — not a lot of time to figure out how and where classes will be held, or whether the current boating courses will be altered, Mr. Michels said.

    An outpouring of support — and music — filled the Steven Talkhouse in Amagansett Friday night at a benefit for Cheryl Bennett and Michael Mazzaraco, an East Hampton couple who have been besieged by the complications and costs of breast cancer.

    Ms. Bennett, the mother of two young girls, underwent a seven-hour double mastectomy and partial reconstruction surgery on July 3. All the breast tissue and 30 lymph nodes from her right arm were removed, and she has been receiving chemotherapy treatments since August, which will continue for the next two or three months.

    The last thing she expected, she said this week, was a diagnosis of breast cancer in June, eight months after giving birth. “Imagine taking care of a baby and going through breast cancer at the same time,” she said. After the surgery she could neither lift the baby nor drive to her five-days-a-week medical appointments.

    Mr. Mazzaraco, the head sound engineer at the Talkhouse, became the full-time caregiver for Ms. Bennett and her daughters,  which made things financially difficult, she said.  “We are grateful that his boss and the staff were understanding about the time he had to take off,” she said. “They have always treated us like a part of their family.”

    The type of breast cancer Ms. Bennett had is called “estrogen plus.”  Considered “postpartum breast cancer,” it affects women within five years after giving birth due to elevated estrogen levels during pregnancy. She said she was fortunate that it was the “HER2” type which is not aggressive, although it did invade three of the 30 lymph nodes removed.

    Ms. Bennett’s  cousin Jaime Castantine started planning the benefit in July when she saw how intense the surgery and recovery would be. Musicians and business owners came to her aid, with donations of money, food, gift cards for gas, time, and raffle donations.

    “I am thankful for the generosity of this community,” Ms. Bennett said.

    “I was scared out of my mind when I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Ms. Bennett said, “especially being so young and having my girls who are also very young.” The girls are now 1 and 9 years old. Frightened and uncertain, she said she frantically researched breast cancer online, engrossed for hours in other women’s detailed diaries. “As sad as it was,” she said, “it was inspiring to know that other women have gone through this and survived.” She also had encouragement and support of an aunt, Sarah Scainetti of East Hampton, who was treated for a more aggressive form of breast cancer when she was 35 years old, and is alive and well 12 years later.

     Complications that came after surgery included, Ms. Bennett said, “an antibiotic-associated bacteria infection in my intestines.” Apparently caused by the antibiotic Cipro, it took months to eradicate. “It is at bay as of now but can come back at anytime, especially during chemotherapy,” she said, “It is one of my worst fears other than the cancer.”

    “I am also dealing with another infection in my tooth that flared up during chemo,” she said, due to the chemotherapy’s suppression of her immune system.  She saw an oral surgeon which cost over a $1,000 just to have the problem diagnosed, she said.    

    Among the musicians who came out Saturday was Tali Icepack Jackson, who called Mr. Mazzacaro a fine and caring person.  Randolph Hudson,  another performer,  agreed, saying that Mr. Mazzacaro was “one of the most talented musicians and performers in the Hamptons. . . always willing to jump in to help others.”

    Across the street at Crossroads Music, Michael D. Clark, the owner, contributed guitars to be auctioned, which “brought in a couple of thousand dollars,” he said.  He also keeps a container for donations and is selling raffle tickets for an Oct. 31 drawing.

    “It is just unbelievable that musical community, who don’t make a whole lot of money in the first place, always jump up and say ‘I’ll help’ for fellow East Enders.” The help, unfortunately, is “small potatoes compared to what Cheryl and Michael are going through,” he said.

    Ms. Bennett said she appreciated the aid, which will help pay for medical expenses that weren’t covered by her insurance and for traveling expenses. She said the Stony Brook University Medical Center and Southampton Oncologists did not accept her insurance,  so she travels to the North Shore Hematology and Oncology Associates for treatment. Additional reconstruction surgery, possible radiation treatment, various  medications, and hormone therapy to stop her body from producing estrogen are all in her future.

    “I found the Care for Cher benefit to be one of the more electric and joyous nights,” Abigail Levin, a performer and friend,  said in an e-mail. She called the musical community here a “supremely supportive family network.”

    Mick Hargreaves, a musician who was on the receiving end of a benefit himself a little over a year ago, said the event was “quite an emotional experience for me . . . a very powerful reminder of the immense positive power people can have when they gather to help someone is in need.” Glad that he is “still around to play and sing to help in a musical fashion,” he expressed gratitude to those involved and to “the Talkhouse for continuing to be the musical church where we gather.”

    Another event for a community member in need will take place on Wednesday at Ashawagh Hall, where art and other items will be sold to raise funds for Tim Lee, a Springs resident, photographer, lighting designer, and antiques dealer, who  was diagnosed in December with stage 4 esophageal cancer. After three months of chemotherapy, followed by another two months of radiation and chemotherapy, he has been unable to work, and his health insurance was canceled midway through his treatment. The food, drinks, and music by Nancy Atlas and Friends will serve as a celebration, he said, as he looks forward to regaining his health again.

    “The situation Cheryl and Mazz are in is all too common unfortunately,” said Mr. Hudson. “It is fortunate that we have a strong and supportive musical community willing to help each other . . . as the Beatles sang, ‘The love you take is equal to the love you make.’ ”

    Anyone who has spent time in East Hampton Village during working hours has probably run across Barry Gilliam, the affable FedEx guy who goes about his duties with a smile on his face and an attention to service that his customers say is all too rare.

    So when a different FedEx contractor showed up instead on Mr. Gilliam’s route Friday and customers learned that Mr. Gilliam’s contract with the company had ended, they were “flabbergasted,” said Mary Croghan of the East Hampton Business Service, an authorized FedEx shipper.

    By Saturday evening, Joi Jackson Perle of Wainscott had started a Facebook page, We Want Barry Gilliam Reinstated at FedEx Ground. It had 500 members by midday Sunday and nearly 1,300 by yesterday morning. On Monday, Ms. Croghan put together a petition urging FedEx Ground to reconsider the termination of Mr. Gilliam’s contract. Customers have been flooding FedEx’s Holbrook office with complaints, which are now being routed to a FedEx office outside Pittsburgh, and members of the Facebook page have been calling for a local boycott of the company.

    “This was a fellow that was a sterling representative of that mark,” Ms. Croghan said Tuesday. His work, she said, was “superlative.”

    FedEx drivers on the South Fork are independent contractors who own their routes and own or lease their own trucks and vans. Mr. Gilliam has two trucks and worked with another driver to cover East Hampton Village, Wainscott, and a few stops in Bridgehampton. An East Hampton native who now lives in Calverton, he has been working a South Fork route for FedEx for 11 years.

    This summer, he learned that his corporation, Barry Gilliam Inc., was out of compliance with FedEx’s requirements for independent contractors. His station manager in Holbrook gave him “a certain amount of time to try to get the corp. into compliance,” Mr. Gilliam said Monday, but he couldn’t look into the issues “given it was the busiest time of year.” He did not describe the issues, but said he was told by a third party that he probably wouldn’t have enough time to work them out before the deadline. He requested an extension, but the manager in Holbrook “couldn’t do it,” Mr. Gilliam said.

    Other reports on the termination of his contract attribute it to a question of which type of corporation Barry Gilliam Inc. was registered as — a C corporation or an S corporation, which is exempt from some New York State corporate taxes.

    “FedEx Ground values and appreciates the customer relationships built, and service provided by, Barry Gilliam and his company,” Erin Truxal, a FedEx representative, wrote in a statement to the press. “Customer feedback and superior service is an essential part of our business. Independent contractors agree to provide more than that level of service. Independent contractors must be incorporated and remain in good standing in the state where they do business.”

    “The issue here was not whether Barry Gilliam Inc. was registered as an S corporation or a C corporation,” the statement said. “Either are acceptable. Out of respect for Barry Gilliam, we are not sharing all of the details of the situation; however, there were a number of issues that have not been shared regarding Barry Gilliam Inc. and the reason FedEx Ground stopped doing business with the company.”

    Ms. Truxal wrote that Mr. Gilliam had “many chances and months to correct the problems” and “ample opportunity” to sell the business before his contract was terminated.

    If he could resolve the problems, he would “in a heartbeat,” Mr. Gilliam said. “This is what I do.” Despite the overwhelming support from his customers and their efforts on his behalf, Mr. Gilliam seems resigned to his fate. His manager “did the right thing on his end,” he said Monday, but added, “In my defense, this was like the busiest time of year for me, and my first priority is trying to take care of my customers. I’m contracted . . . to get packages where they have to get. I did that.”

    “He did it really, really well, diligently and efficiently, and he was so generous in terms of his service,” Ms. Croghan said. Before he took over the route, her business sent everything but overnight packages by UPS. “He’s the guy who really developed the trade here,” she said. He is a hard worker from a blue-collar background who put his customers first, she said, and “it’s easy to understand why he failed at the administrative aspect.”

    But to his supporters, who relied on his efficiency and were buoyed by his good humor, the corporate matters carry little water. They have left hundreds of comments on the We Want Barry Gilliam Reinstated Facebook page extolling his virtues and lamenting his absence.

    “I am appalled that FedEx would treat such a wonderful man like this,” wrote Julie Reidel Kelley, the pharmaceutical buyer for the Veterinary Clinic of East Hampton, who said the entire clinic is registering a complaint with FedEx.

    “So he missed a deadline. He didn’t miss promoting your corporation by delivering your packages and pickups on time in a friendly manner that any other corporation would appreciate,” posted James Robert Vece.

    And Mark Smith, an owner of Nick and Toni’s, Rowdy Hall, La Fondita, and Townline BBQ restaurants, wrote, “Barry was their best brand ambassador and a great, pleasant, hard-working person.”

    “He’s such an important person and is so loved and is such a hard worker,” said Donna Hadjipopov, whose company Bulgar manufactures textiles and pottery and has a warehouse in East Hampton. “I’ve hired hundreds of people in my life and he’s a very rare person,” she said. She stuck with FedEx because of Mr. Gilliam, but if he is not reinstated, she will cancel her account, she said. “Out here, you have someone like Barry, who barely has anyplace to park, but he deals with everybody with a smile on his face.”

    “He’s kind of a part of your day, like your favorite coffee shop,” said Ms. Jackson Perle, who grew up with Mr. Gilliam. “Despite having the Hamptons tag, which I hate, we are a small town,” she said, and one that will fight for someone who is such a part of the community.

    Ms. Croghan wants to get the petition to FedEx by today, before the company can consider selling Mr. Gilliam’s route.

    “I can’t even put into words how I feel,” Mr. Gilliam said Monday. “I have a smile on my face and I feel really, really, really good, when I should be feeling depressed. It lifts me to no end.” Mr. Gilliam said he feels as though he disappointed his customers.

    “I love what I do,” he said. Nothing his customers requested was ever a hassle for him, he said. His attitude was always “I’m going to try to do it the best way that I can to please the customer.”

    He knew two weeks ago that his contract was coming to an end last Thursday, but said nothing to his regulars. “I didn’t want to have to go through the hurt and tell them goodbye,” he said.

    He is thinking about selling his two trucks to someone at the terminal in Holbrook, but said, “I hope I’m back in the driver’s seat someday.”

   The lights have gone dark at the Montauk Movie, possibly for good.

    Fox Studios, a large producer of movies worldwide, has alerted all theaters that it will switch to digital films in December, and Dave Rutkowski, the theater’s manager, said he expects the other studios to follow suit. The new digital equipment would cost up to $85,000, an amount he said his family is not willing to spend.

    The big chains, he said, have all the buying power. “And that just hurts the little theaters,” he said.

    He remembers the Friday nights when teenagers would flock to the theater. “Their parents gave them $10 to $20 bucks and they didn’t leave until it was all spent,” he said, smiling at the thought. In the past five years, he said, movie theaters have seen a decrease in customers as people spend more of their viewing time with flat-screen TVs, home computers, and other digital devices.

    But Mr. Rutkowski has fond memories of the films he’s seen on the big screen, especially “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” He was the projectionist and was so spellbound by the movie when he first saw it that he almost forgot to switch reels. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of it,” he said.

    There is something special about being among the first to see a new movie in the theater. In recent years, long lines formed hours before the midnight screenings of films from the Harry Potter and Batman franchises.

    Mr. Rutkowski’s father, John Rut­kowski, has owned the building since 1982, when he bought it from Leon and Carmen Lefkowitz, who also own the Pathfinder Day Camp in Montauk, now managed by their daughter Nancy Burns.

    The building, which is in a central business zone, could be revamped as a restaurant, retail store, or yoga studio, among other things. “There’s a whole list of things you would be able to do here,” the younger Mr. Rutkowski said.

    He’s had several appointments with possible renters and numerous phone calls from local real estate agents. It will be a sad day for the family if the theater does not continue to show movies, he said. “But you can’t keep it open for sentimental reasons.”

    If a potential renter does not step forward, the family might consider reopening for the season next year and showing only the movies that remain on 35mm film reels. And if it rents, he said, he’ll have to find himself a job. “I have plans,” he said. “I’m looking at other businesses.”

   Over 100 people gathered at the East Hampton High School auditorium Monday night to discuss whether a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community center should be established on the South Fork.

    David Kilmnick, the chief executive of Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, who organized and led the forum, said many residents have reached out to him to “get the ball rolling,” and one couple has even offered a $20,000 matching pledge to start a center.

    At the start of his presentation, Mr. Kilmnick projected a photograph of David Hernandez, a 16-year-old junior at East Hampton High School who took his own life on Sept. 29 after he was reportedly bullied because of his sexual orientation.

    “No one should feel so alone and isolated that he has to take his own life,” said Mr. Kilmnick, who operates state-licensed community centers in Bay Shore and Garden City similar to the one he envisions in Southampton or East Hampton Town. “A permanent venue where young people can feel welcomed is long overdue on the East End.”

    He shared statistics related to anti-gay bullying: “Eighty-five percent of [gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender] youth report hearing anti-gay and homophobic language on a regular basis.” “Hispanic and Latino G.L.B.T. students experience higher levels of verbal and physical harassment and physical assault.” “Four in 10 G.L.B.T. youth say the community they live in is not accepting.”

    Mr. Kilmnick’s organization has been working closely with the East Hampton School District since 1995, he said, and the district is home to the only middle school in Suffolk County with a Gay Straight Alliance, a student club that seeks to improve school environments, regardless of sexual orientation.

    Several district officials were on hand on Monday, as were Bridget Fleming, the Democratic candidate for New York State Senate, and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr.

    In the absence of school funding for such programs, an East End community center would provide youth and family support, as well as programs to improve the school environment for gay youth, H.I.V. and disease-prevention programs, and a social outlet, said Mr. Kilmnick, who said that LIGALY will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. An L.G.B.T. center “would give a visibility and a voice to people who don’t have it here.”

    The $20,000 matching pledge, received on Sunday, came from the filmmaking couple, Jennifer Brooke and Beatrice Alda of Sag Harbor, Mr. Kilmnick said. Near the end of the discussion on Monday, Beverly Dash and Debra Lobel, an East Hampton couple that have been together for 54 years, announced a pledge of $2,500, a moment that sparked some of the night’s most spirited applause.

    The public comment portion of the  evening centered around how to combat bullying, sparked by a question from George Aman, president of the East Hampton School Board.

    “Bullying happened before David [Hernandez] and unfortunately, it will continue to happen,” Mr. Kilmnick said. “We obviously cannot police every kid all the time.” He added, “It begins with changing the community norm.”

    Harriet Hellman, a pediatric nurse practitioner who said she treated David, recommended that the center include programs tailored toward the Hispanic population and other minority groups; she also suggested the center be named after David Hernandez.

    One person challenged the school officials in attendance to address the audience about issues surrounding David’s death, describing the way the district has handled it as a “no-comment stance.”

    “Not everything is black and white,” Mr. Kilmnick said, explaining that certain laws restrict “the district’s ability to share certain information.”

    “It is difficult to describe the sickness and sadness we’ve felt in recent weeks,” said Maria Mondini, the high school’s assistant principal. “We talk openly about gay and even transgender issues.” She added, “It would be difficult not to find someone who wasn’t bullied in high school. As open as our community is, kids still need a space in our community.”

    “We are discovering how to move forward to achieve long-term success,” said Adam Fine, the school principal, who mentioned that the National Center for School Climate and School Culture will assess the school’s environment. “We want to prevent kids from making decisions that hurt one another. . . . It’s about teaching respect and how to react when they see inappropriate behavior.”

    Joel Johnson, who helped form the Gay-Straight Alliance at the middle school, and is now president of the high school’s G.S.A., said his weekly travels — from where he lives in Springs — to the community center in Bay Shore gave him the courage to come out, and “people here also need support, and safety to be who they are.”

    Rhonnie Winokur, a school bus driver who identified herself as an “old, gay woman,” said “bullying sometimes starts at home.” She recounted childhood stories of being abused by her father. “In addition to reaching out to young people who are being bullied, something should be done to engage the bully’s parents,” she said.

    Mr. Kilmnick agreed; he said there is a L.I.G.A.L.Y. program that gives young people who commit a hate crime the option to do community service at his organization. “It’s often the parents who are against their children’s interaction with gay people.”

    Katrina Foster, a married gay woman and pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Amagansett, said young people sometimes learn homophobia from church. She said she had given a sermon on acceptance in response to David Hernandez’s death.

    Mr. Kilmnick referred to a L.I.G.A.L.Y. program called the Aleph Project, which offers “acceptance-based” programs in churches, particularly synagogues. He called the 8-month-old program “very successful,” and said he looks forward to enhancing its offerings on the East End.

    He encouraged people to visit L.I.G.A.L.Y’s Web site to sign up for a new East End G.L.B.T. Advisory Committee, as well as to donate toward the proposed community center.

    “We were very happy with the evening, both in turnout, commitment, and willingness of folks to get actively involved,” Mr. Kilmnick said yesterday. “Although the turnout may not have looked that large in the 900-seat auditorium, we just counted the sign-in sheets of everyone who attended and there were 134 folks who showed up!” He added, “Out of the 134 attendees, 37 signed up to be part of the East End G.L.B.T. Advisory Committee, which is a fantastic number and indicative of the community support that is out there and needed to make The Center a reality.”

    This was the first of a number of meetings planned to discuss a community center.