Government

A hearing on the town's proposed acquisition of three adjacent wooded lots on Green Hollow Road in East Hampton, using money from the community preservation fund — and $2.6 million from neighbors — drew almost as many opponents as supporters.

A long-hoped-for project to remove the utility lines crisscrossing what may be one of the best views on Route 27 is finally within reach. State and local officials last week announced plans to remove poles and bury the lines at the western end of downtown Montauk, giving eastbound drivers an unobstructed ocean vista as they approach the heart of the hamlet.

The East End was well represented when New York State Assembly committees considered testimony during a hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on the Open Meetings Law on Monday.

After a contentious debate and many months after the application was submitted, the East Hampton Town Trustees voted 5 to 3 on Monday to approve construction of an 80-foot floating dock on Three Mile Harbor, the first such approval in more than three decades.

There is little daylight between the three candidates for East Hampton Town Board who participated in last Thursday's debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and the North Fork.

Bridget Fleming, a Democratic incumbent Suffolk legislator and former Southampton Town councilwoman, is seeking a fourth term, challenged this year by Robert J. Carpenter, a Republican making his first bid for public office.

The Republican and Conservative Party candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor and two council member posts held a forum for voters on Sunday at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett, where they made a case for their candidacies and leveled a broad critique of the present administration.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, who is seeking a third term in Tuesday's election, has won the endorsement of Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and County Legislator Bridget Fleming, as well as a pledge of support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and a complimentary statement from Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who also spoke highly of Mr. Van Scoyoc's challenger, Councilman Jeff Bragman.

Two of the three candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor sparred anew at last Thursday's virtual debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and North Fork. The incumbent, Peter Van Scoyoc, and his opponent, Jeff Bragman, have sharply criticized each other throughout much of the latter's single, four-year term as a member of the town board.

Retail cannabis dispensaries and lounges will not be popping up soon on Montauk Main Street, in Amagansett Square, or anywhere else in East Hampton Town if the town board follows through on plans to opt out of allowing adult-use retail sales and on-site cannabis consumption spots.

The nine-member East Hampton Town Trustees manage many of the town's beaches, waterways, and bottomlands on behalf of the public.

With the passage of new property maintenance rules on Friday, East Hampton Village landowners will now have to pay extra attention to litter, tree and shrub trimmings, stagnant water, and weeds that extend beyond their property lines.