Not Much Left Springs September 1, 2014 Dear David, We read every day about war. War can be defined as an invasion by one group assaulting another group. Isn’t that what has been happening in East Hampton? A war upon the town? Are we not struggling to maintain who and what we are? Last week’s Star editorial called it right when the editor described our decline, a slow but steady sinking into just another beach town, maybe just a bit less honky-tonk right now, but on its way to the bottom of the barrel. Not much left of who we were or are, even for me, a relative newcomer, not to notice. The relative abuses that East Hampton has endured are cumulative, happening over the years when developers ran rampant over the town, gobbling up land and building house after house. The people in power, Republicans and Democrats alike, turned their heads, tacitly giving their quiet okay. Slowly this town began to change, not so noticeable at first, and then the creeping changes in the last few years became rampant; exploding during the last administration. The present administration came into being some eight months ago and has been faced with one issue after another, diligently tackling one problem after another, the festering underbelly of the rotting away of East Hampton. These people, not the second-home owners but the good-time-Charlie group, who litter our beaches, crowding our roads and streets, and those who seek to make money off the short-stay people, who have no understanding that they are pissing on the very thing that attracted them to East Hampton in the first place. Some “person” even had the audacity to write a letter to The Star last week complaining about not being able to park. They are here for a short time, do not pay the taxes residents pay to maintain the infrastructure of the town, but they want to whine. Oh, poor babies! Everywhere you look, there is one battle after another. The town board members can hardly catch their breath; 555 morphs into Memory Motel and the harebrained desire to make a private club on Ditch Plain. The supervisor and board members go from PSEG (Cuomo’s personal assault on Long Island), a filled-to-capacity meeting, to the airport gathering of 395 residents from both forks. Everyone is always coming up with one more scheme to rape our town. This victimization must stop. Start with enforcing the laws on the books, from parking to abusive rentals. The town is beginning to act on this. And also create laws that give dignity to the town. Do I sound angry? You bet I am. Mad as hell! I am not lucky enough to be a Bonacker, but I love every inch of this town with the same passion as someone who is. Tim Bishop, our representative to Congress, a Southampton native, has always said it better than I can. “The economy is the environment and the environment is the economy. There must always be a balance between the two. No one will want to come here without pristine beaches, clean water, and open vistas to look out over.” And all those who want to despoil this place in order to make a quick buck will end up with so much less. Do they ever stop to realize that, as they slither in their own dirt? Sincerely, PHYLLIS ITALIANO Ugly Attack Ads East Hampton August 29, 2014 To the Editor: I have spent time in East Hampton since the early 1980s. I have lived here and paid property taxes here since 2000. It is my home, where I come in the midst of working to ensure that all Americans — particularly our children — have access to the American dream, which includes great neighborhood public schools, reliable public services, and high-quality health care. So imagine my surprise when, this August, while flipping through this paper and listening to our local FM radio station, I discover ugly ads tarnishing my life’s work. The ads in question were paid for by right-wing hit man Richard Berman (who refuses to disclose his donors) and blame me for all the problems in public education. If only I had the power Berman says I have, I would use that magic wand to ensure all public schools were places parents want to send their kids, educators want to work, and students are engaged. I would make sure no child came to school hungry or tired or cold, and every child had a home to go to at the end of the day. I would end this fixation on testing and get the focus back on teaching and learning, with a fixation instead on relationship-building, critical thinking, persistence, and joy. I would ensure every worker was treated fairly and had a living wage. I would see that teachers were accorded the respect they deserve and were paid commensurately — so perhaps teachers would be paid like Wall Streeters, and Wall Streeters would be paid like teachers. I would clone great public schools, and make every school a community school, complete with health and social services. I would import policies from countries like Finland that prepare and train teachers as they do doctors. I would make sure that great teachers were recruited, retained, and supported in every school, especially high-poverty schools. I would guarantee that due process — which is so important in ensuring teachers can stand up for kids — and evaluation systems were aligned, so due process could never be used as an excuse not to manage or as a cloak of incompetency. No one wants teachers in classrooms who can’t do their jobs. So I think about these ads, and how they intend to divide our community, as an opportunity. Our union is trying to do all of this, but we have no magic wands and we can’t do it alone. And with the achievement gap owing more to family income, poverty, and social immobility than anything else, we certainly can’t do it if teachers in New York and across the country continue to be the target of senseless attacks like Berman’s. I hope that my neighbors here in the Hamptons will tune out Berman and tune into the growing movement of parents, students, and educators who are working to reclaim the promise of public education. RANDI WEINGARTEN President American Federation of Teachers A Wainscott Dumpling Wainscott August 31, 2014 To the Editor: The passing of Barbara Osborn Meyer this week leaves a profound impact on Wainscott. When a long-lived Wainscott dumpling passes away a library closes. She was The East Hampton Star’s Wainscott correspondent 70 years ago. My wife was named after her. Wainscott is the last tightly knit hamlet on the East End. Barbara knew everyone, introduced everyone, helped everyone. Wainscott has lost a cherished matriarch and mayor. Who can take her place and continue all her good works and take on the role of being the glue that has kept us together as a hamlet? Who among us is worthy? DENNIS D’ANDREA Salt of the Earth Montauk August 27, 2014 Dear Editor, Concerned Citizens of Montauk is sad to learn of the passing of Walter Galcik, who served on our board for many years. Walter, once referred to as “an old salt from Montauk” in a New York Times article (in which he identified ocean debris as ambergris), was indeed the salt of the earth, a quiet and yet passionate champion of the environment. After he retired, Walter volunteered in the Natural Resources Department, working with Larry Penny on projects that required getting down and dirty: flagging wetlands, checking for beach erosion, helping protect piping plovers. Likewise, for C.C.O.M., Walter was ready and willing to do whatever was needed, from hauling garbage for Earth Day cleanups to attending town board hearings. He was a knowledgeable, sensible, and sensitive advocate for preserving what makes Montauk so special. While many of the board members who knew Walter personally are now also gone, the legacy of his extraordinary service will live on. CELINE KEATING New School Year East Hampton August 28, 2014 Dear Editor: During these last days of summer, thoughts of the new school year bring feelings of excitement, hope, nervousness, confidence, promise, and rededication of efforts. I offer my best wishes to all the students, parents and guardians, teachers and other staff, administrators and board members — may you succeed in your endeavors during this new academic year. Most sincerely, PATRICIA HOPE Ms. Hope resigned as president of the East Hampton School Board in late July. Ed. Heart of Springs Springs August 26, 2014 Dear Editor, On behalf of the Springs Historical Society and Springs Library, I want to thank all the sponsors, workers, and ticket buyers who came out on Sunday evening to support our “Heart of Springs” and made the first annual summer gala such a resounding success. Sincerely, HEATHER ANDERSON President A Surf Mecca East Hampton August 25, 2014 Dear David, The proposal by ED40 L.L.C., the new owner of the iconic East Deck Motel, to convert it from a modest 28-room motel into a 179-member private beach club with a proposed septic capacity for 537 persons is a “nonstarter,” according to a recent East Hampton Star editorial. However, to the surfing community and to many concerned community groups, the proposal is a lot worse than a mere nonstarter. The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves, and beaches for all people, through a powerful activist network that includes local chapters worldwide with over 250,000 members. This proposal is anathema to its mission and two of its most important mandates: clean water and beach access. It also fails under Surfrider’s advocated coastal policy, given the property is located in a FEMA flood zone. Surfrider is opposed to increasing development in identified FEMA coastal hazard zones, and advocates retreat for threatened coastal properties. Our Eastern Long Island Chapter of Surfrider Foundation has partnered with Concerned Citizens of Montauk in initiating our Blue Water Task Force to test the water quality at the surf spot known as the Trailer Park, which others may recognize as “Dirt Lot” or “Third Lot,” or perhaps more generally as Ditch Plain. The area consists of several iconic surf spots. Together, they comprise Ditch Plain, the most renowned surf spot in New York State and among the most renowned on the East Coast. For any surfer in New York, surfing Ditch Plain is a pilgrimage. For decades, this pilgrimage has driven the exponentially increased surf-related portion of the economy of Montauk, and, to an extent, the rest of the South Fork. Our water-quality monitoring has produced many readings that are cause for concern at Trailer Park and at Lake Montauk, which lies directly to the north of Ditch Plain. The Town of East Hampton has determined that a meaningful source of this contamination is caused by septic systems in Ditch Plain. All of our readings are available on our chapter website: surfrider.org/blue-water-task-force/chapter/37. The intensification of use encompassed in the ED40 proposal will increase septic discharge. This is likely to produce an increase in contamination to the water in Lake Montauk and the ocean environment where we surf, fish, harvest shellfish, and bathe. Additionally, the survey submitted by ED40 to the East Hampton Town Planning Board locates the oceanside property line to include much of the public beach as ED40 property. Though ED40 has been silent on its intentions with respect to the beach in front of its property, on its face, the ED40 beach membership club proposal will likely include a cabana service on a portion of beach that has, for decades, been used by the public for all sorts of traditional beach activities. This not only places commercial interests on our beach, but also stands to privatize this portion of our beach. This is a serious threat to the public’s access to the portion of beach that links the Dirt Lot to Otis Avenue and to the lifeguarded portion of Ditch Plain. Safety would also be compromised if Marine Patrol and lifeguards are impeded from ready access to all portions of Ditch Plain Beach. Surfrider Foundation’s coastal policy discourages further development in hazardous coastal flood areas. The ED40 property is in an extremely hazardous flood zone that has already experienced tremendous erosion and significant flooding. The meaningful increased investment in this property inherent in the ED40 plan will almost certainly result in a call by ED40 to armor its coastal property boundary subsequent to a major storm as it attempts to preserve its eroding property and protect its substantial investment. Our chapter opposes this proposal, as it conflicts with our commitment to protecting clean water and public beach access. This proposal is also inconsistent with sound coastal policy that should seek to reduce coastal hazards by restricting increased development in coastal flood areas and preventing the use of hard erosion control structures on the beach. We ask all Surfrider members to oppose this project. We ask that the East Hampton Town Planning Board take note of our concerns regarding this project and reject the special permit application for a change of use from a modest 28-room motel to a membership club that would encompass greater intensification of use, meaningfully higher septic outflow, commercialization of a surf mecca, and the disregard of sound coastal policy. Clean water and a healthy coastal environment is dependent on smart planning to ensure that our entire community continues to enjoy this special place we call Ditch Plain. JULIANA DURYEA Co-Chair Do the Right Thing Montauk September 2, 2014 To the Editor: We who are members of the Ditch Plains Association and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk hope to persuade the new owners of East Deck Motel, ED40, to do the right thing. We are against any exploitation of the beach and surf, which would happen if the use of this property increases from 125 people to over 535 as proposed. This fragile site is already environmentally compromised. We are against the proposal to pump 5,000 gallons of septic effluent every day into the ocean or a low water table. Our residential community is strongly opposed to the plan for a 35-foot-high building with a restaurant, bar, “event space,” etc., in our quiet community. This proposal is unconscionable. To allow it is even worse. LOUIS and GRACE MOSCONI Impact of a Rock Wall East Hampton August 30, 2014 Dear David, I applaud your editorial in the Aug. 28 edition of the Star commending the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals for requiring a full environmental impact study to evaluate the impacts of a rock wall to protect a bluff-top house in Montauk overlooking the Atlantic. A similar application is being made by a group of bluff-top property owners overlooking Gardiner’s Bay on Louse Point in Springs. The tension between the interests of private property owners and those of the public is always present. Here an environmental impact study may very well show that in each case the plans to protect the bluff houses from erosion would result in the loss of beaches in those areas. If that is the case then the property owners’ plans are not acceptable and should be prevented. You stated it well when you said that the protection of private property comes at too high a price if the result is the loss of the public’s access to beaches. East Hampton has a local waterfront revitalization plan that was adopted in 2005 after 10 years of study. As a result of those studies the town board barred hard structures to stem erosion. The studies showed that rock walls change the flow of bay and ocean waters and result in the loss of beaches on either or both sides of such walls. Preventing property owners from attempting to preserve their land and homes may seem hardhearted; however, such prevention must be seen in the context of its impact on the public at large. Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) applies here. Those who own waterfront property know the risks attendant to such ownership, and unfortunately they must bear those risks if eliminating them comes at the expense of the public at large. DAVID J. WEINSTEIN Why the Silence? Wainscott August 30, 2014 Dear Editor: In view of last week’s overwhelming outcry for sanity at the East Hampton Airport it seems there are now only a couple of entities yet to make their opinions known and offer up a position. Group for the East End, Nature Conservancy: Your silence on the environmental assault above our aquifer, our nature preserves, our harbors, and our homes is deafening. You’ve quietly ducked this issue far too long, and now it’s time to come out. Better late than never. Why the silence to date? Well, that part is easy. One needs only to connect the dots: board members . . . donors . . . airport propagandists and users. This is not to suggest that all donors to these two organizations support the continued assault on the environment that our airport has become. Rather, this is a call to the membership of these two historically fine organizations to insist they join the voices of local governments all across the East End in demanding closer environmental review of the ever-growing environmental nightmare that our airport has become. Nature Conservancy, Group for the East End: Why the silence? Yours truly, TOM MacNIVEN Take Back Our Airport East Hampton September 1, 2014 Dear David, Last night’s turnout at LTV Studios for the benefit of East End residents to address the East Hampton Town Board regarding East Hampton Airport and the horrific noise pollution experienced was a stellar success. The studio was filled with residents from the North and South Forks as well as Shelter Island and even a few from Port Jefferson. There was standing or sitting room only when the meeting commenced. At last, homeowners from the East End of Long Island were able to voice their concerns and be heard by the one town that has a choice to create change this coming year: East Hampton. Many residents arrived in car pools and some even rented a bus to transport them across the waters. Everyone who wanted to address the town board had the opportunity to speak. All comments had these common threads: Stop the loud noise. Ban the helicopters. We’ve had enough. Take back our airport. No F.A.A. funding. All who attended signed a petition created by Ken Lipper and Peter M. Wolf, both of whom attended the meeting and spoke. It requests that the town board “return our airport to local control as of Dec. 31, 2014, rather than continue under the control of the F.A.A.” In addition, the petition calls for “regulation of hours of operation, permitted aircraft types, and limits on the volume of traffic per house.” I believe there were well over 300 signatures on the postcard petitions, all of which will be sent to the town board as evidence of the outcry for local town control so that we may once again enjoy our homes, and neighboring communities will no longer be under siege without benefit. This tremendous event could not have happened without our wonderful and attentive town board members. I would like to thank Supervisor Larry Cantwell for calling this meeting and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the liaison to the airport, for her dedication to resolve a very severe problem. Additional gratitude is to the town board members Sylvia Overby, Fred Overton, and Peter Van Scoyoc for their support and willingness to listen to the people. I would also like to thank the supervisors, mayors, and officials — local, county, and state — who attended. Their public statements to commit to work with our town board members to fix the problem at East Hampton Airport gave promise and hope to all of us who are besieged by constant aircraft noise. There is unity in strength. A real commitment to fixing the problem must begin with the decision not to take F.A.A. funding. The visiting elected officials of Southold, Shelter Island, and Southampton expressed their hope that East Hampton Town Board members vote no to F.A.A. funding. It is my hope that our town will return the airport to a local airport and return it to recreational aviation use only, as that is what it is suited for. We all hope that we can effect change by working together to resolve an issue that is growing louder day by day. The only way to stop the noise and distress caused by it, is to take back our airport and implement the following: a curfew, limitations on the type of aircraft permitted to use our airport, and to charge competitive rates for fuel, landing, and parking fees. As helicopters are the worst offenders and the noise from them is constant and unrelenting, I would personally like to see all helicopters banned from East Hampton Airport, especially the commuter taxi services that are profiting while East End residents suffer the burden of the noise, not to mention the toxic chemicals from fuel spewing over our beautiful lands, waters, and wildlife. Shelter Island banned all helicopters, with the sole exception of medical emergencies. Thank you, too, to our tireless volunteers who come from all over the East End and who made this meeting possible by calling attention to the severity of the problem and bringing notice to our elected officials, and to the indefatigable team of Quiet Skies Coalition. For the first time in years, I feel there is hope for a peaceful and clean environment in the air above our homes. It’s time to take back our right for peace and quiet on the East End. We’re nearly there! Sincerely, SUSAN McGRAW KEBER A Watershed Moment East Hampton August 28, 2014 Dear David, Last night LTV studios hosted a standing-room-only crowd of over 385 people at the special town board meeting on the impacts of aircraft noise. We applaud East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, airport liaison, for responding to the urgent need for community input on this critical quality-of-life issue. The aircraft noise-affected community turned out in record numbers to show the East Hampton Town Board how essential restoring the rights of East End residents to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes and properties has become with this season’s unprecedented increase in unregulated aircraft noise. Our town board is now positioned to make historic strides to protect the public from unhealthy and unwanted aircraft noise, and by so doing, to reaffirm our identity as leaders in environmental protection efforts, which characterizes the Town of East Hampton. The town board got the demonstration of support it needs to firm its resolve to do what has been asked of them by residents, community groups, and chief elected officials all across the East End of Long Island: eschew further Federal Aviation Administration funding and the shackles they bear, impose reasonable access limits to reduce noise at the earliest possible moment after Jan. 1, 2015, and give regional input to communities suffering from the impacts of our now regional airport. Run a safe, small, quiet airport. This is a watershed moment for the aircraft noise abatement movement. The people have spoken. Sincerely, KATHLEEN CUNNINGHAM Quiet Skies Coalition Friends Are Enemies Wainscott September 1, 2014 Dear David: Prior to last week’s airport hearing, the front man for the E.R.H.C. (Ecologically Rapacious Heli-Creeps), Jersey Jeff Smith, encouraged his Friends of East Hampton Airport to come out in force. He said in his newsletter that “we will have robust and aggressive counterarguments and a public relations strategy engaged.” Well, a handful of airporters came out, but once they saw nearly 400 informed, articulate, and furious opponents, supported by our elected officials, they slunk away into the night with nary a peep. Now Jersey Jeff is threatening to sue the Town of East Hampton. On what grounds, pray? Restraint of your pollution of our environment, your destruction of our property values, and your making our lives a living hell? Good luck. You are going to have to pay some judge a lot more than you’ll be paying your lawyers. (By the way, we miserable jealous peons have got some funds and some lawyers of our own, as well as virtually every elected politician and town government on the East End. Or did you miss that part of the meeting? You will be suing all of eastern Long Island for the right to ruin it, bucko. The Friends of East Hampton Airport are enemies of East Hampton.) Your cohort, Diamond Jim Brundige, has, mercifully, announced his retirement as airport manager — just one week after his departure was requested. Thanks, Jim. I hear he is moving to a condominium on I-95, right beside his favorite place, Newark International Airport. Perhaps he has an extra room. Fly away, Jersey Jeff. Fly away. BARRY RAEBECK Take No F.A.A. Money Sag Harbor September 1, 2014 Dear Editor, First, another thank-you to the East Hampton Town Board for making themselves available to hear in one large LTV meeting room (filled and overflowing) so many of the complaints and concerns that the helicopters and jets have caused, and the destruction they continue to cause to our quality of life, our health, the animal and bird life, the air pollution, and the environment. All of the above were carefully researched and eloquently expressed at the meeting on Aug. 27. It was of some surprise to learn from an animal behaviorist that the noise has affected and prohibited animal and bird mating and nesting, as these small creatures think they are under attack. Where I live, there are many fewer birds than there used to be — the ducks, frogs, and turtles are all gone from a nearby pond. It could be just a coincidence. We do have helicopters flying overhead 6 a.m. to midnight in the Thursday-through-Tuesday period. The jets and helicopters pollute the air — their air, our air. The noise particularly affects our health, both emotionally and physically from sleep-deprivation issues. The planes disturb and negate the quality of life so many of us treasure and moved here for. They are turning our local skies into local runways. For whom? For how many? It seems that the small group of people who use the East Hampton Airport transporting them to and from New York pay relatively small fees for the privilege. All the rest of us are paying a very large price. It seems very clear from all the people assembled, many of whom were elected officials, board members from other communities, and other groups formed specifically to take action against the noise, that after December, our community should take no Federal Aviation Administration money, regain control of the airport, and begin to devise a civil and reasonable policy as to when and how many aircraft can fly into a very small airport. I join the others urging the East Hampton Town Board to take this action. Sincerely, BEVERLY SCHANZER Following the Money Wainscott August 29, 2014 Dear David, I was fortunate to attend the special meeting held by the East Hampton Town Board on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the LTV Studios. The meeting, in a word, was extraordinary. The town board, both in its conception and its implementation, handled it like a local government body should handle town meetings. It is certainly a far cry from the last 10 years. The audience was civil and attentive. The speakers out of the audience were both articulate and compelling, with one notable exception. State Senator Kenneth LaValle arrived late to the meeting, and therefore did not hear the universal condemnation of penalizing a particular group with the routes for helicopters, seaplanes, and jets; residents have not bought into the aviation industry’s argument that shifting routes will solve the noise problem. Senator LaValle, in an aside, mentioned, in as few words as I take to describe his statement, that Port Jefferson hears the helicopters. He immediately implored the East Hampton Town Board to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to route all helicopters and presumably other noise-making aircraft over the “southerly route,” thereby making life intolerable for Wainscott, East Hampton Village, and Sagaponack. I have no idea what his true motivation is, but I am cynical enough to think immediately of the old saw that following the money will lead to it. It is hard to believe that he would so lightly abandon his constituents for no reason. Very truly yours, DANIEL G. VOORHEES Dismay With Cuomo Amagansett August 31, 2014 Dear David, Tuesday, Sept. 9, is a very important day for all East Hampton registered Democrats: It is the primary election day for governor. This is the election day when we, as members of the governor’s political party, can speak out at the polls to register our disappointment with him. We can do this by casting our votes for his opponent, Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham University professor of law who, The New York Times declares, “brings a refreshing seriousness to the job of cleaning up state government, making a strong case for the urgency of rescuing politics from unchecked corporate power.” In addition, I would recommend, as does The Times, a vote for Ms. Teachout’s running mate, Timothy Wu, a political newcomer with an impressive record in the legal field who is running as an independent-minded Democrat. Here in East Hampton we have an additional reason to express our dismay with Mr. Cuomo; he has not been at all responsive to our town when contacted about PSEG-LI’s arrogant disregard of our codes and safety in pushing through its ill-conceived transmission line project. So, fellow Democrats, please mark your calendars and do exercise your right to choose the Democratic ticket for November’s election. Voting for the two underdogs, Teachout and Wu, will send a strong message that the rank and file wants change. Vote in the primary at your regular polling place on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Sincerely, BETTY MAZUR How Could You Not? Amagansett August 26, 2014 Dear David, I hope that a lot of voters in East Hampton and across the State of New York will vote for Zephyr Teachout in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Firstly, how could you not vote for someone named Zephyr Teachout? Ms. Teachout has been endorsed by the National Organization for Women, the Teachers Union, and the A.F.L.-C.I.O., among others. Secondly, even though Andrew Cuomo’s girlfriend thinks, as I do, that it is perfectly acceptable to bring junk food to the table, it is not enough to elect him to a second term. All good things, DIANA WALKER The State’s Leadership Amagansett August 30, 2014 Dear David, This Tuesday, Sept. 9, some voters in East Hampton frustrated by our governor’s silence on the PSEG issue, his closing down of the Moreland anticorruption commission, or other issues, will have the opportunity to send him a pointed message. An articulate young Fordham University law professor, Zephyr Teachout, is challenging him in a Democratic primary that day, and all the town’s usual polling places will be open for Democrats to vote. Faced with an uphill fight, Ms. Teachout is an attractive candidate. The New York Times praised her for refreshing seriousness about the job of cleaning up state government and cited her expertise on political corruption. The Times complimented her advocacy for the kind of transparency and political reform that Albany needs. Because they thought her not yet broadly experienced enough for the office, they declined to endorse either candidate. I’m glad that many of us in East Hampton have this early opportunity to convey our views on the state’s leadership with the force of the vote. Whether or not Ms. Teachout wins, the vote could influence the conduct of the office. But here’s the thing: we only have that because we are among the 6,000-plus voters in our town who belong to the governor’s political party. Another 4,000-plus “unaffiliated,” many of whom would probably like to communicate their views in this simple direct way, did not register with a political party and are ineligible to vote in primaries. Only one of the reasons it makes sense in our democracy to join a political party. Sincerely yours, JEANNE FRANKL Z.T. for Governor Montauk September 1, 2014 To the Editor: It is with a heavy heart that I write this, as my friend Carl Darenberg, owner of Montauk Marine Basin, has just passed away. Carl, April Gornik, and I have been working on replacing the traditional shark tournaments in Montauk with the all-release format. Still, life must go on. So the question is, for how long? A friend just returned from Mount Kilimanjaro. Hemingway fans, there’s no snow! The fact is, all the ice on the planet is melting, and it’s melting faster than any of us can imagine. The oceans are rising. The coastlines will be underwater. Plus, the seas are turning acid, killing the coral reefs. As the reefs die, so do the fishes. Burning fossil fuels is the culprit. New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, knows this. Yet he has failed to take a stand against fracking, the Port Ambrose Liberty Natural Gas terminal, or make a dent on New York’s dependence on fossil fuels. He has failed to lead New York toward a renewable energy economy. That’s why, on Sept. 9, I urge East End Democrats to vote for Zephyr Teachout for governor of New York. Z.T. will heed the scientists’ call and move New York full throttle toward green energy. She will veto the Port Ambrose project and outlaw fracking. She will do what Andrew Cuomo has failed to do, break the stranglehold big energy has on our future. The scientists believe there’s still a chance to get it right. That’s why Z.T. is running for governor, and why she’s the only Democratic candidate worthy of being the next governor of New York. I ask you to give your children and your children’s children a fighting chance. Please vote for Z.T. — Zephyr Teachout — on Sept. 9. Sincerely yours, RAV FREIDEL A Rental Registry East Hampton August 28, 2014 To the Editor: Once, the level of noise around the airport was acceptable. Once, incidents of boisterous drunken behavior at town beaches and Montauk night spots were not as egregious. A few greedy landlords could ignore the occupancy and safety codes when renting single-family homes. Once, years ago, these incidents didn’t seem as excessive or disturbing, and received little attention. Things have changed, hence these issues are now overwhelming and unacceptable. It is our town government’s responsibility to act and legislate in a way that is reflective of the times. They seem to be doing just that, despite high levels of resistance and push-back. A rental registry is being proposed — it is sorely needed, and the reasons are obvious. Suffolk County towns that have registries are Huntington, Islip, Southampton, Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Babylon. There is nothing unconstitutional about the rental registry our town attorney has crafted. The New York State Supreme Court has stated clearly, if there is evidence of a health or safety hazard a search warrant can be issued for entry and inspection. Huntington reports that 70 percent of requests for safety inspections are agreed to by tenants. Here are some of the benefits of a rental registry: • Discourage landlord rent-gouging, house-packing, and tenant abuse. • Improve safety for tenants. • Identify problem properties. • Establish a landlord database with contact information. • Improve quality of life for neighbors near these properties. • Raise property values and decrease school taxes by deterring overcrowding. • Provide greater protection of water quality at risk due to overtaxed septic systems. • Deter real estate agent rental abuse. • Require a notarized letter from landlords in which they agree to obey all safety and occupancy laws. • Enhance the enforcement of standards for construction, heating, plumbing, and sanitary equipment. • Protect the character and stability of our residential neighborhoods. As for the costs of administering a rental registry, a revenue stream generated by fees and appropriate fines would more than offset any costs, including additional housing code enforcement personnel. While a rental registry may not be a silver bullet, it would serve as a cornerstone along with other policies (i.e., increasing fines by the court for violations) that will help to resolve the issue. Strategic coordination with the Montauk and Amagansett citizen advisory committees in support of a rental registry would demonstrate to all members of the town board that there is a wide constituency in favor of it. We must be unanimous in our support and realize that we will face the wrath of bully mentalities and loud voices, with significant real estate interests. They must not prevail! Instituting a rental registry is constitutional, not too hard, not too complex, and definitely not unfair. FRED J. WEINBERG Pedestrian Safety East Hampton September 1, 2014 Dear Editor, It almost happened again at the very same spot, the intersection of Gay Lane and Route 27 in East Hampton Village. Over Labor Day weekend, two young women on bicycles (without helmets) were trying to cross Route 27 traffic out of Gay Lane near CVS, to go left toward the center of the village. They were going the wrong way on Gay Lane. They seemed perplexed by the daunting task of crossing Route 27 where no one expected to see a bicyclist. Luckily, a motorist proceeding east from the village saw them and stopped his car. Traffic going west also stopped. An accident was avoided. This winter, the state will repave Route 27 in the vicinity of the post office. It is obvious that a pedestrian and bicyclist crosswalk is needed to allow safe crossing to the post office. Several of us have repeatedly pointed this out to Assemblyman Thiele, Mayor Rickenbach, and Supervisor Cantwell. We have also pointed out that both the town and the village need a bicycle and pedestrian traffic plan, with an expert in design and engineering making recommendations. We even found an expert! The mayor, whose jurisdiction this is, has chosen to ignore the problem. He appears to be taking the same attitude he took when LIPA/PSEG first approached him about putting up those power line poles. He is behaving just like a politician — do as little as you can possibly get away with. Hush-hush and the problem will go away. Unfortunately it doesn’t. Once the state repaves Route 27, we will be left with whatever they do. If they do not put in a crosswalk, there will be no crosswalk. Just like if you do not tell PSEG that putting high-powered electric lines on enormous power line poles down narrow McGuirk Street is a bad idea, you will get the power lines. There comes a time in the life of a senior citizen when you realize that it is time to retire. The mayor should consider whether he has the energy or the inclination to pursue bicycle and pedestrian safety in the village. The traffic problems in the village get worse every year. Maybe it is time for someone with a younger outlook and fresh blood to carry the burden. Sincerely, PAUL FIONDELLA A Done Deal? East Hampton August 29, 2014 Dear David: This week PSEG-LI presented its Utility 2.0 plan to an overflow crowd of East Hampton residents. Although the utility claimed that the use of renewables would be part of the plan, there was a total lack of specificity. What they did specify is the fact that they are planning to install three new fossil fuel burning power plants — two in Montauk and one on Buell Lane in East Hampton Village. There was no acknowledgement of the East Hampton community’s plea to bury the lines. When the public had the opportunity to speak, one person after another presented good arguments for the need to bury the lines. The money is there — the budget for the 2.0 plan is $294 million, and as Supervisor Cantwell pointed out, just 10 percent of that budget would be sufficient to bury the lines. It’s clear that PSEG’s 2.0 plan is a done deal. The wishes of the community (residents as well as elected officials) are irrelevant. This leaves us in the same vulnerable position when the next big storm hits. I can’t help wonder why, when there is sufficient money available and common sense dictates that buried lines are safer and free of pollution (unlike fossil fuel power plants), the utility insists on doing the wrong thing. We can only speculate that someone, somewhere, is raking in huge profits from this project. SUE AVEDON Burger King Shortfall East Rockaway August 28, 2014 Dear Editor, The latest corporate inversion, a fancy word to avoid corporations’ paying their fair share of U.S. taxes, is now Burger King. It is merging with a Canadian company called Horton’s, and, most important, it will move its corporate headquarters to Canada, thus giving up its U.S. citizenship and becoming Canadian. Voila! Lower corporate taxes and everyone wins, except us. A couple of things one should bear in mind. First, it is my understanding that when the deal is consummated, there are tax consequences for the current shareholders. If U.S. citizens are shareholders, they will be subject to a capital gains tax. If they, or their mutual fund, I.R.A., whatever, purchased Burger King at, say, $10 a share and the deal is closed, at, say, $35, you have a taxable gain of $25 per share. Though not normally stated, it is customary for the corporation to pay the capital gains for the executives. Hey, why should they get hurt? Second, one should give some thought to who is going to make up the Burger King tax shortfall. The money has to come from somewhere, someone. Take a look in the mirror. Last, I suggest one give serious thought when heading east past the Southampton light. Do you want to have your burger at a Canadian or U.S. taxpaying corporation? STEVEN HARWIN Deliberate Ignorance Springs September 1, 2014 Dear Editor, Sitting on your bottom doing nothing about something is a poor characteristic of the president of the U.S.A. Obama cannot make a decision on his own, and he cannot accept advice from anyone, including the dumb, moronic aides he puts on the payroll. He would rather be concerned about his legacy than the security of our country. It’s been months, actually years, since ISIS has been on the move, and he plays golf, he doesn’t find this organization a threat. Really, very hard to understand this White House, and he admits he has no strategy. He is very slow to roll as he would prefer to pass his problems onto someone else. The following is a statement from a retired C.I.A. agent, Chaos, we hate chaos, it’s on the news (but not your local media), it’s in the newspapers. There’s chaos in Obamacare, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria. He doesn’t want to burn an ounce of his political capital on foreign policy when his fundamental transformations are really at home. This is called deliberate ignorance. Every statement Obama made in reference to President George Bush, he is now doing. He has absolutely no idea how to run this country, has had no experience in any kind of work, only a community organizer. Take your magic phone and pen and order drones on ISIS. In God and country, BEA DERRICO A Slippery Slope East Hampton August 28, 2014 To the Editor: When the Supreme Court turned neo-Nazi (anti-Democratic), it was five Catholic male conservatives who did the deed. In 1960, when Kennedy ran for president, we were warned that allowing Catholics into the highest levels of government was unwise. Fifty years later we bear the fruit of Kennedy’s election and the unintended but potential consequences attached to it. It wasn’t the Citizens United decision that unhinged the soul of our so-called democratic process. Corporations as people was such obvious tripe that no one really bought that bullshit. That the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelsons of the world would overwhelm the system and save the Republican Party was little more than a misguided airball that resulted in another round of premature ejaculation. Of course, the Democrats got right behind the process. The real neo-Nazi missive came in the form of the alteration of the Voting Rights Act, specifically section 5. Section 5 identified those states that had a history of denying certain groups of people their right to vote and that were not allowed to change their voting procedures without approval of the government. What the Boys did was to make a determination that these states had made sufficient progress to allow for the removal of this provision from the act, putting the burden of proof of voting rights abuses on the shoulders of the abused individuals. If you believed that closing all the polling places in your community was a hardship, you had the right to bring suit against the state. And if you were fortunate, the problem would be resolved in a couple of years. Yet in 2006 the entire Voting Rights Act was unanimously extended by Congress and has had the support of every president since Johnson. Democracy is a slippery slope that struggles with the fascism that is inherent in religious and autocratic philosophy. Democracy has to allow for divergent ideas, but loses its soul when the electoral process is subverted. The Republican Party, understanding that blacks and Latinos vote substantially more for Democrats, has taken the political tack to try and prevent them from voting. Rather than convincing blacks and Latinos to vote for their agendas, or altering their agendas to include the needs and desires of these groups, the Republicans went neo-Nazi, with voter suppression as their M.O. We live in the moment and have no future. What can one say about this Supreme Court? With all due respect it’s really just a bag of crap. NEIL HAUSIG The Real Economics East Hampton September 1, 2014 Dear Editor, I guess it is anyone’s personal choice to run off at the mouth or on their computer and try to sound knowledgeable. People can write whatever they want and try to make it look, at first blush, like they know what they are talking about, especially if they cite numbers and percentages. Why I am compelled to continually respond to this false blather I don’t know. It certainly won’t change the views of the blatherer. Let me be specific. In a continued misguided effort to put down the presidency of Barack Obama, one repetitive local letter writer tries to be Paul Krugman and write about the horrible economic news and the deficit in the country since Obama took office. How wrong can one person be? Let’s examine the real economics of the country since Obama took office in the face of the worst economic downturn since the Depression. First let us be aware of the fact that all economic data points to a substantial upward trend in our economy. And the following does not take into account the remarkable upward, record levels of the stock market, where all of our 401Ks and retirement hopes reside. 1. “The United States economy grew faster than first thought last quarter, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, the latest in a series of signals that point to a period of sustainable growth ahead” due to increased demand for goods — New York Times business section. 2. Since the U.S. economy emerged from the recession of five years ago, companies had been reluctant to spend heavily on new capacity, but these figures and other recent data indicate that is finally changing. 3. Unemployment figures from the Labor Department show the eight-week average to be below 300,000 for the first time since April 2006, well before the onset of the recent recession. (N.Y. Times, Wall Street Journal.) 4. Despite the upward trajectory, businesses seem to be benefiting more than individual consumers. Personal income rose 5.8 percent in the second quarter while corporate income rose 8 percent, leading those hereabouts, whose economic wisdom is obviously limited, to spew false and misleading impressions, as we see in the letter to The Star of Aug. 28. 5. Inflation pressure remains muted. 6. By the end of 2014, economists predict that the unemployment rate will drop to under 6 percent. 7. There is an increased demand for U.S. Treasury bonds, indicating a movement to the safe harbor of the rising U.S. economy, while other major economies like France and Germany have lower interest rates. 8. Pending home sales rose 3.3 percent in June, stronger than many economists had expected. 9. Budget deficit is the amount our tax income exceeds or is less than our spending. Obama fares quite well in this comparison: In 2010, the Obama government deficit was $1.294 billion. In 2013, the deficit was $680 billion. Estimated for 2015, $514 billion and falling. (No wars.) In 2005, the Bush government deficit was $318 billion. In 2009, the Bush deficit was $1,413 billion (Iraq, Afghanistan). Rather than use these easy-to-understand numbers, our negative writer refers to the total gross deficit. But even that figure as cited is in error. The gross deficit is $17.8 trillion — not nearly the $20 trillion used by the writer. And that 2013 figure is not astounding since our gross domestic product is up, and the deficit figure grows or reduces depending on the G.D.P., which has grown. So in conclusion, one can understand that numbers can be manipulated and emphasized negatively, but they can be, when clarified, very positive for Barack Obama, in spite of the blathering, and the use of inane, meaningless statistics our letter writer sets forth. RICHARD HIGER It’s Insanity Sag Harbor August 26, 2014 Dear David, How does one live and survive in perpetual war? You don’t. It’s insanity. Perpetual war was not our destiny, but was forced upon us by a handful of powers-that-be, yet over 80 percent of our people are against war. We the people have been left out of the equation and fallen into the hands of greedy capitalism and the 1-percenters. I single them out because white-collar criminals have never been controlled. Money rules. Apparently no one wants the responsibility, and most don’t pay taxes. How can a nation function in those circumstances? It doesn’t. It’s insanity. After 13 years of war we still don’t have an exit strategy. In the words of five-star General Dwight Eisenhower, “The longer you dig in, the longer it will take to get out.” At this moment, the president, the C.I.A., the N.S.A., and the generals can’t agree on what to do next, because it’s insanity. Except for President Obama, none of these characters have been elected. The private, secret government run by the C.I.A. has yet to reveal its worst torture techniques. How ugly can that get? I believe Obama is faced with too many wars no longer under control. It’s insanity. For too long we have been swimming in a sea of lies and complexity. No one is held responsible. However, Obama has hinted we may have to deal with revenge and blowback. Are we there now? Two lingering questions: Are we safer and more secure since we tried to rid the world of terrorists? If our foreign policy has failed, why do we repeat the same mistakes? In peace, LARRY DARCEY
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 09.04.14
September 3, 2014