There has been more movement in the East Hampton Town Building Department in recent weeks, though not in the direction the town had hoped for.
On Jan. 7, Ryan Benitez, a building inspector, submitted a short resignation letter, acquired by The Star with a Freedom of Information Law request, to Richard Normoyle, the town’s principal building inspector.
“I hereby tender my resignation for the position of building inspector from the Town of East Hampton effective immediately Wednesday January 7th 2026,” he wrote. He copied Rebecca Hansen, the town administrator, and Jacob Turner, the town attorney, on the correspondence.
Following Mr. Benitez’s exit, according to multiple sources, another building inspector also left the department, but Patrick Derenze, the town’s public information officer, would not confirm the name of the inspector or his employment status.
Multiple FOIL requests searching out either a resignation letter or confirmation with the Building Department of the inspector’s status were returned with a note that “no such documents exist.”
Neither would Mr. Derenze comment on the status of Evelyn Calderon, still listed on the town website as the principal office assistant in the department. Ms. Calderon was suspended without pay by the town in April (in a resolution identifying her as “employee 1254”) and multiple sources confirmed she has not been at work since.
The town board has failed to pass a resolution either accepting Mr. Benitez’s resignation or anything regarding the other inspector.
Mr. Normoyle referred all questions regarding the Building Department to Mr. Derenze, who said, “We have no comment on personnel matters.”
All of this occurs amid unconfirmed rumors of a Suffolk County District Attorney investigation into the department’s affairs that have loomed over the department since Joseph Palermo, then principal building inspector, took concerns to Councilwoman Cate Rogers, the town board liaison to the department, in the summer of 2024.
Mr. Palermo resigned from his position with the town last spring and took a job as the chief building inspector in East Hampton Village.
The game of musical chairs at the town department, which saw a slew of comings and goings in 2025 amid complaints of long wait times, continues.
The department operated without a head for five months after Mr. Palermo’s departure. During that time, Allison McDougall, an administrative assistant, served as acting principal building inspector.
In August, to quell growing concern over department operations, the town announced four new positions in the department: two building plans examiners, one building inspector, and an account clerk.
However, also in August, Justin Winter, another building inspector, resigned. The town again refused to comment.
There have been several new hires and promotions in recent months, most recently at the Jan. 8 town board meeting, when Jacob Sutherland, who was hired as a plans examiner in October, was promoted to building inspector.
“Strengthening the Building Department has been a clear priority for the town board, and that work is well underway,” Mr. Derenze said in a text. “The town has expanded staffing, added new positions, promoted Dawn Green to senior building inspector and Joseph Berti to building inspector, and hired Aaron Arkinson as building inspector.”
Also at the Jan. 8 meeting, a resolution was passed to “bring back Rich Vacchio to provide continued training support for current and new employees,” Mr. Derenze continued. “These steps allow the department’s new leadership to devote more time and attention to reviewing and processing applications. This month we will be looking to hire a building inspector and two plans examiners.”
“At the same time, the town is actively modernizing its permitting process,” he added. “The OpenGov system has been refined and is being beta tested with a select group of local architects to streamline application review and improve turnaround times. Early feedback has been positive, and the town is positioned to expand these improvements as part of a broader effort to deliver consistent, efficient, and dependable service to residents and the building community.”
With Mr. Sutherland’s promotion, the Building Department has four building inspectors but is back to having zero plans examiners.
It has nine employees, six short of what Mr. Derenze said the town needs to keep the department operating smoothly: five building inspectors, one senior building inspector, two plans examiners, two receptionists, one research assistant, one senior account clerk, one account clerk, and two additional office staff for permit typing and processing.
“We are awaiting guidance from Suffolk County Civil Service regarding the specific titles that can be used for the two additional office staff positions. Those titles will determine how we proceed with hiring for those roles,” he said.
In the meantime, homeowners and especially those in the building industry remain frustrated.
In one email shared with The Star, a builder complained to town staff about a building permit they submitted at the end of July. Six months later, they still do not have the permit. This is a typical complaint.
Meanwhile, town code states that “The building inspector shall examine or cause to be examined all applications for permits and the plans, specifications and documents filed therewith. He shall approve or disapprove the application within a reasonable time, and in all events within 15 days.”
At Tuesday’s town board meeting, Councilman Tom Flight, a liaison to the town’s business committee, said he continues to hear about the department’s shortcomings, especially “permitting and C.O. issues.”
“There are some issues which are for exec [executive session], which we don’t discuss here in public,” he said. “But about the sheer volume of calls that department is screening from people having concerns, I will say this: I understand the frustration many of you are having, but the constant calls to the department are actually slowing down operations. I ask you to be patient. We are working on it.”
“If our legislation is a significant factor impacting operations there, I think it’s something that we’ll need to sit down and discuss about how we can possibly adapt or change that to get us back where we need to be in terms of operations,” he added.
“We have a resolution on today to hire an outside firm to help us, particularly with new building permits,” said Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez.
Indeed, later in the session, the board unanimously accepted a proposal from Spaces Architecture, a Lindenhurst firm, at an hourly rate ranging from $200 to $250, and to not exceed $30,000, “to determine compliance with applicable codes and laws of submitted plans for new construction and additions/alterations of structures.”
