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Editorials

No Contest for Town Board

Kathee Burke-Gonzalez will probably cruise into the supervisor’s office, David Lys will most likely hold onto his spot on the town board, and Tom Flight is the standout among the other candidates. But to provide constructive dissent, the G.O.P. must step up its game.

Nov 2, 2023
For Justice and Trustees

David Filer can help guide Town Justice Court over the next four years as the community continues to change. For town trustee, two new faces in particular, Celia Josephson and Patrice Dalton, deserve election.

Nov 2, 2023
Choices for Suffolk

Ann Welker for County Legislature has been a strong advocate for the environment. For county executive, Ed Romaine should be a steady hand.

Nov 2, 2023
Keep an Eye on County Races

Though county government can seem at a distance from the needs of the South Fork, we depend on it for a range of services, from environmental protection to keeping harbor inlets navigable.

Oct 26, 2023
The World Must Protect Gaza’s Noncombatants

Israel is in an impossible position following the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Oct 26, 2023
Don’t Overlook Boards’ Essential Role

Amid a fuss about whether or not a certain restaurant should be allowed to paint its facade the way it wants, one key idea may be overshadowed: the essential role the members of a community’s appointed boards play in maintaining a sense of place at a time of great development pressure.

Oct 26, 2023
Nicest Guys in the Room Doesn’t Matter

When reviewing requests to bend the rules, the zoning board of appeals and planning board are at a crossroads pitting verbal assurances against long-term effects.

Oct 19, 2023
What’s In and Out for Elders of the Future

Members of the East Hampton Town Board have been doing the right thing by holding discussions about the design of a new senior citizens center. It is important that they are as public as can be about what the center will offer.

Oct 19, 2023
A Seven-Digit Approach to Wastewater Problems

East Hampton can begin to see what the C.P.F. water quality money can go to, and that it could very well make a difference.

Oct 12, 2023
Utmost Urgency: Saving a Sense of Place

There is a sense that a new initiative to reset the scale of building in East Hampton Town is on the right track.

Oct 12, 2023
No Time for Celebration

Amid celebratory statements in East Hampton Town Hall about a plan to put sand on the downtown Montauk beach, a stark reality remained: Nothing other than talk has been done to actually address coastal retreat.

Oct 5, 2023
Stark Warning in Canceled Clam Contest

All is not right. Dredging for bay scallops has mostly become not worth it, oyster populations can’t sustain themselves without human help, and skimmer clams have all but disappeared.

Oct 5, 2023
Time to Close Town Property Loophole

East Hampton Town’s regulatory apparatus is not able to keep up with the staggering pace of development.

Sep 28, 2023
Montauk Alone Cannot Save the Monarchs

Supporters of a controversial plan to clear brush on town-owned land along Old Montauk Highway in Montauk have cited the plight of the monarch butterfly as among the plan's justifications.

Sep 28, 2023
Library Vote About Much More Than Books

The East Hampton Library deserves a vote of confidence on Saturday.

Sep 21, 2023
Cruise Ships Further Threaten Our Waters

The Villages of Sag Harbor and North Haven suffer from terrible traffic, much of it originating near Long Wharf. Adding a hundred or more people stepping off a cruise ship would make the chaos unsustainable.

Sep 21, 2023
A Meaningful Grand Marshal

Considering what the English colonists who founded East Hampton in the mid-1600s did to the land’s original inhabitants, it is a remarkable act of grace that the Montaukett Chief Robert Pharaoh agreed to be the grand marshal for the town’s 375th anniversary parade on Sept. 23.

Sep 14, 2023
To Goat or Not to Goat?

It looks as if the goats will be coming to Montauk. This is despite concerns from neighbors of the semipublic Benson Reserve, among others, about a 10-year land-clearing plan that the East Hampton Town Board appears to support.

Sep 14, 2023
Looking Toward Flu Season

While seasonal flu, as opposed to Covid-19, has yet to make a strong showing this year, now is a good time to make a plan to get the vaccine. The updated and highly advised Covid-19 shot is available, too.

Sep 14, 2023
Traffic: Don’t Make It Worse

The volume of traffic on the East End is a constant topic of conversation, especially if anything can be done to tame our roadways. For starters, we believe the immediate goal is not making the situation worse.

Sep 7, 2023
Hope Anew for Brooks-Park Arts Center

For art historians and preservation-minded residents and friends looking to save at least a portion of the James Brooks and Charlotte Park house and studios in Springs, there is a ray of hope.

Sep 7, 2023
Honoring the Amistad Freedom-Seekers

A new monument honoring the freedom-seekers who landed in search of water in Montauk in 1839 is important in recognizing Long Island’s role in a critical moment in American history.

Aug 31, 2023
Suffolk’s 5.5-Percent Montauk Ripoff

Suffolk’s enforcement of the accommodation tax was overdue. Far too many property owners using Airbnb and its competitors to handle sub-30-day rentals were operating as de facto hotels, but not paying up.

Aug 31, 2023
What a Difference a Degree Makes

Hurricane Idalia’s overnight surge to Category 4 has been attributed to record warmth in the oceans.

Aug 31, 2023
Committee Conflict

Looking through the official East Hampton Village website recently, one of our reporters noticed something strange about a committee created to review a proposed sewage system in the historic district.

Aug 24, 2023
Remember to Breathe

It turns out that not only are our smartphones and computers commanding an increasing portion of our waking hours, but they are distracting us from even breathing.

Aug 24, 2023
Business on the Beach

Enforcement is not East Hampton Town government’s best feature, and a locally run business that has monopolized a portion of a popular ocean beach in Montauk is a prime example.

Aug 24, 2023
LaLota on Climate

Congress does not have that much of an obvious effect here, other than perhaps on marginal tax rates for the very rich, but on global warming policy it is a crucial player.

Aug 17, 2023
Re-Empower the Planners

The Sag Harbor Village Board did the right thing recently when it proposed handing back development oversight in the waterfront zone to the village planning board.

Aug 17, 2023
More Than Furniture

For fans of local history as well as of early American furniture, the opening today of the new Dominy Shops Museum on North Main Street is an exciting moment.

Aug 17, 2023