The Snow
East Hampton
December 14, 2025
To the Editor,
From some deep intuition, in autumn my wife, Ingrid, created a mint-parsley pesto and froze it. We’ll have it today with spaghetti and one of the last salads from Balsam.
The snow silent high in the branches, the snow crunching under my boots as I walk the backyard, the snow accepting all praise on this most beautiful of all days in East Hampton.
TOM MACKEY
Springs General
Springs
December 11, 2025
To the Editor,
Most mornings, I’d hop on my bike (a used bike bought at the Amagansett Bike Store) and pedal to the Springs General Store. Always a cheery, “Good morning, Pete,” from Kristi, maybe one of Jenny’s corn muffins, a black coffee, and join the porch crowd — no religion and (almost) no politics talk. Chat with George, a former basketball phenom, 50 years too late for that mega million dollar contract; Lee, a retired architect and Springs Fire Department member; Pam, an artist, and her cute dog; Tim on one of his motorcycles; Rob on his newest find, maybe a rare 18th-century coin, and, of course, the “car guys,” with spectacular Porsches and Ferraris. And the kayak ladies outfitting the adventurers.
One day, Kristi says, the store’s been sold, building to be renovated. Exhausted, she’s off to the city, and the store closed for months, maybe longer.
Some of us still come by, the rickety chairs still on the porch. Daniel Bennett, the new owner, comes by from time to time for updates.
The architectural review board is debating the shade of blue to use on the trim, the zoning board, the Building Department permit tsars. A fence is up, the restoration about to begin, will take at least a year, probably more, already been closed for a few years.
The demise of Springs General Store was like losing a friend, now only sweet memories. Life goes on. Seasons pass. Down the long road, a ribbon cutting for the new Springs General Store. Hopefully we’ll all still be earthbound. We wipe away the tears and hope it will bring the same pleasure to the next generation of Springs General Store habitues.
PETER GOODMAN
Not Just a Building
Montauk
December 14, 2025
To the Editor:
To the Montauk community on behalf of the Montauk School District and Board of Education, I want to express my deepest appreciation for your support in approving the school bond referendum. This outcome is a testament to the strength, unity, and enduring values of our community. Your willingness to come together around our students once again shows what makes Montauk such a remarkable place to live, learn, and grow.
This vote reflects a shared belief that our school is not just a building, but the heart of our community. A place where lifelong friendships form, traditions continue, and the next generation discovers who they are and who they can become.
We know that decisions like this are never taken lightly. Your engagement, your questions, and your thoughtful participation in this process have helped shape a plan that truly reflects the values of Montauk. Now, with your support, we can move forward with confidence and care. As we begin planning the next steps, we will keep the community informed and uphold the trust you have placed in us.
Thank you for investing in our children, our school, and the future of Montauk. We are profoundly grateful for your partnership and inspired by the commitment you continue to show.
JOSHUA ODOM
Superintendent and Principal
Restoring Balance
Montauk
December 14, 2025
Dear David,
I was reading “Guestwords” in this week’s Star (Dec. 11) about Greta Thunberg and skimmed ahead to the end, where there was a plea to protect large trees. I am also interested in tree conservation, and I was surprised to see that the article was written by Bill Crain. Although I do not know Mr. Crain personally, I am aware that he is a longstanding animal activist who opposes, among other things, the hunting or culling of our severely overabundant deer population.
What struck me is the contrast in his call to preserve trees and his simultaneous advocacy for maintaining deer populations at their current levels. After decades of walking our East End woodlands as a botanist, I have observed the deer-ravaged understories and the striking absence of regenerating hardwood trees, largely the result of chronic deer browsing on seedling and sapling trees. Ecologists have a term for this phenomenon: retrogressive succession.
Unlike herbaceous plants, which can recover from some periodic grazing, woody trees usually cannot. When the mature, “old” trees Mr. Crain refers to naturally age and die, there are few — if any — younger native trees continuing to grow in the understory to replace them. In their absence, less-palatable species, many of them invasive or exotic, are often the plants remaining to persist.
Mr. Crain suggests that reducing or eliminating the purchase of beef is a way to protect trees. However, reducing beef consumption will not address the ecological damage occurring here at home. If Mr. Crain — and we as a community — want to protect our carbon-storing forest trees, we must begin by actively reducing the deer pressure on our woodlands. Addressing our East End deer overpopulation problem is essential to restoring forest balance and ensuring that future generations of trees can regenerate and mature.
Respectfully,
VICTORIA BUSTAMANTE
Overdue for Safety
Amagansett
November 20, 2025
Dear Sir,
I read the article about the discussion at the Amagansett citizens advisory committee regarding lighting in Amagansett and would like to voice my strong support of upgrading the lighting in Amagansett’s downtown A.S.A.P.
While I am no longer an ACAC member, I care deeply about Amagansett, its quality of life, and the safety of our residents and visitors.
Since I moved to Amagansett 25 years ago, lighting has always been an issue, from Miss Amelia’s Cottage all the way to the train station.
Amagansett desperately needs better lighting in the downtown area for safety, most importantly, but also to improve its appearance. Driving through town at night, regardless of the time of year, is difficult. Between Jack’s Coffee to the other side of il Buco, the two areas with the highest volume of pedestrian traffic, it is very, very, very dark.
Just last week, I drove into town around 7 p.m., and, as I approached Jack’s, someone in dark clothing darted out in front of me in the direction of the Talkhouse. Had I not been paying close attention I would have hit them. In November no less! They came out of nowhere from behind a car. Multiply this by 1,000 in the summer, when there is a steady stream of people crossing the street all night making their way to the Talkhouse, Rowdy, il Buco, etc. never using the crosswalks. Like, never.
As I learned from my goddaughter this past summer, the line to get into the Talkhouse on many weekends can be up to four hours! People mill around waiting on line to get in while their friends run across the street to have a drink at Meeting House and then back to the line where they swap positions with the friend holding their spot and the friend heads across the street. Rinse/Repeat. It’s a recipe for disaster.
The cobra lights that currently exist do not provide nearly enough light due to their height above or in the trees that line the street. Not to mention they are really ugly. This is a safety issue, and we as a town and a hamlet are negligent if we do not improve the lighting in its most-trafficked areas. We must do something about this safety issue before someone is killed or injured.
The second reason I am in favor of upgrading the lighting in Amagansett is optics. The current cobra lights not only do not do the job they are intended to do because they are too tall and buried in the tree canopies. They are also industrial, ugly, and harsh, definitely not in keeping with our historical district designation. While we are doing what we must do for the safety of residents and visitors alike, we should also think about the optics and choose something that also “looks good.”
A great example is the lighting along Main Street in East Hampton or in Amagansett Square, both of which offer enough light to ensure the safety of people walking along the sidewalk or crossing the street while not being too bright or offensive like the cobra lights. These lights are below the tree canopies and thus their light is unobstructed and functions as intended for both pedestrians and drivers. The historical design is in keeping with the town’s heritage, and their warm and soft illumination welcoming.
As one turns left at the pond and heads east toward Amagansett, the illuminated path toward the intersection at Newtown is quite visually pleasing. I imagine this in Amagansett as well and have thought for years that this style and softness in lighting would fit perfectly into our downtown area in a welcoming manner.
The work that the ACAC lighting committee members have done should not go to waste. An improvement in lighting is desperately needed and long overdue for safety, first and foremost! We can’t wait until some college kid crossing Main Street to go to the Talkhouse is hit and killed or badly injured for us to take action. There are so many more people in town than even five years ago and this is a massive safety risk we must address.
Respectfully,
SUSAN BRATTON
Poorly Designed
Springs
December 12, 2025
Dear David,
Your reporter Christopher Walsh accurately represented the presentation I gave to the Amagansett citizens advisory committee about the proposed streetlights, and I am grateful.
Once again, the town board is deferring to out-of-town, overpaid consultants to poorly design town projects, paid for by taxpaying residents.
It amazes me that with all the expertise of the many residents here, and in so many fields, that the town board only wants to rely on people who don’t live here and who do not understand our priorities.
One thing I failed to mention during my talk, and something that could be useful to point out: A qualified “dark sky” colleague of mine designed the lighting at Amagansett Square. Every area that needs to be lit, is lit to professional specifications by fully shielded fixtures.
I am so pleased we have a local paper, The Star, produced, photographed, and written by locals. East Hampton is rich in talent and a desire to protect our way of life. You help keep it that way.
Thank you,
SUSAN HARDER
Dark Sky International
Lights All Night
East Hampton Village
December 13, 2025
Dear East Hampton Star,
I noted the piece about the proposed street lights in Amagansett with interest. Those who know my past letters may remember that I’ve often made a plea for a return to our old, dark skies condition, which, I fully admit, is probably not possible in this age of constant development.
When I was a kid in the 1970s, East Hampton had a fantastically clear night sky. I had at least two friends from the city who would beg me to invite them out so they could bring their telescopes and go stargazing in my yard.
Back then it was so clear and there was so little light pollution that the Milky Way was a bright band across the sky, and when the conditions were right, planets like Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter stood out like bright gems in the sky. It was like having the sky show from the Hayden Planetarium in my own backyard. How things have changed.
I’ve watched with great sadness as the stars have seemed to go out in response to more and more and brighter lighting has become the norm at night. Too many people seem to think it’s a good idea to have spotlights pointing up into trees or at the facade of their homes. They light up tennis courts as bright as noon and leave those lights on all night. Now when I look up at the night sky, even on the clearest of nights I can only see a few of the brightest stars, the same sky I can see at night from my mother’s apartment window in Manhattan.
My immediate neighborhood has had the added light pollution from the newly opened emergency room behind the medical complex. I can see the blazing glow from it behind the trees between my property and Pantigo.
It’s sad that it seems we can’t keep even a small bit of the past, even something good like simply being able to lose yourself in the night sky.
Light pollution has other downsides, including not being good for wildlife, especially birds, and unnecessarily taxing the electrical grid, which could lead me into the related topic of the offshore windmill farm project but that’s another can of worms.
I do hope that the Dark Sky Society can at least persuade the town to use street lamps in Amagansett that light the streets without contributing too much to light pollution. And it would be nice if the Town of East Hampton would adopt regulations prohibiting or vastly limiting the installation and use of outdoor lighting. Thanks for reading.
Sincerely
MATT HARNICK
A Full Ban
Wainscott
December 14, 2025
Dear David,
It was commendable when the town board banned gas-powered leaf blowers from May 15 to Sept. 15. It didn’t hurt landscape companies unduly, and it helped their employees who were spared the damage of operating the toxic and painfully loud machines for four months of their work. It also offered a respite for the rest of us. Now it is time to enact a full ban.
Potentially tranquil autumn days are disturbed incessantly by the awfully loud machines. Electric alternatives are far quieter and emit no pollution. Raking or picking up with mowers remains an option, of course. Much of the endless blast-blowing occurs at houses that are empty and don’t even require constant clearing all fall. Many communities have long since banned gas-powered blowers. When East Hampton (a self-proclaimed environmentally friendly town) sensibly picks this low-hanging fruit, it will only improve our quality of life, as well as that of the unprotected workers jeopardizing their own health and hearing.
BARRY RAEBECK
Would Be Cruel
Montauk
December 14, 2025
To the Editor:
In his Nov. 27 letter, Brad Brooks referred to “a local environmental group” that went to court in 2014 and temporarily blocked an East Hampton deer cull. The group was ours, the East Hampton Group for Wildlife.
In the proposed cull, sharpshooters would lure deer into an area and shoot them. When our town officials learned of the court order, they permanently called off the cull. Because our town is likely to consider a deer cull in the coming year, readers might like a more detailed account of the events that led to the cancellation of that one.
Our group was founded in 2004. We wanted to enhance people’s appreciation of wildlife and suggest ways of addressing wildlife-related problems with nonlethal approaches.
At the time, we constantly heard that our town’s deer population was exploding and that additional killing (euphemistically called “taking” or “harvesting”) was necessary. But there was no scientific study of the size of the population.
So in 2006, we commissioned Wildlife Biometrics to conduct a scientific, ground-based deer count. The investigators estimated a total of 3,293 deer. The number was a bit higher than that which wildlife agencies generally considered appropriate for our town’s acreage, but the estimate didn’t indicate a population explosion.
In 2013, the town board hired Vision Air Research to use infra-red technology to survey the deer from an airplane. The survey estimated a total of 877 deer. Most of our local officials believed that this estimate was ridiculously low and planned for a cull. The village initiated the plan, which the town approved.
We testified at public meetings and wrote letters in protest. We argued that a cull would be cruel. And numerous East Hampton residents agreed with us. When, on Jan. 23, 2014, we led a protest march from Hook Mill to Herrick Park, The Star estimated that 250 people joined us.
The next week, we went before the State Supreme Court in Riverhead. Our petition pointed to the lack of scientific evidence justifying a cull, and the judge issued the temporary restraining order. Then the village and town canceled the cull. The village mayor said it seemed futile to pursue the plan because there hadn’t been much public support in the first place. When I heard the news, I felt a rush of pure joy. I felt like walking into the woods and shouting, “Deer, you are safe for now.” But my joy was short-lived. The town soon expanded hunting.
This year, several town officials will probably recommend a cull and/or additional hunting to address tick prevalence and the deer impact on forest understory. We believe that if scientific research shows that an overabundance of deer is causing the problems, the town should turn to nonlethal methods such as contraception. Such methods are far more humane.
BILL CRAIN
President
East Hampton Group for Wildlife
Warehouse Housing
East Hampton
December 14, 2025
Dear Editor,
I am writing in regard to the application by Kirby Marcantonio and Chris Kelley to develop 350 Pantigo Road under the guise of affordable housing. The project raises numerous red flags.
Regardless of the name Whalebone Workforce Housing, which implies a relationship with Whalebone Woods, Kirby is a fully for-profit developer looking to build and sell free market condos to any business. These businesses will have full discretion over the units and will be able to trade them for whatever fair market value is. This is not affordable housing no matter what Kirby says.
Potentially 40 different businesses could own condos, with an ever revolving door of employees. Many of the businesses that are interested are seasonal, creating a revolving-door, motel-style housing situation. This type of housing will hold no appeal to families or local professionals. These condos are not community building in any way and have the potential to introduce a large transient population with no community ties.
The model of business-owned employee housing has a long history in our country of creating potential abuse by employers. When someone’s home is contingent on their employer they are substantially less likely to report workplace infractions and abuses.
Kirby has absolutely no experience in a project of this scale. Until recently he was selling ad space and now is pitching hundreds of millions of dollars on real estate development from East Hampton to Southampton. Who are his investors and why are they unwilling to come forward if they are so proud of what they are doing?
There is absolutely no oversight over potential overcrowding of apartments or accountability for noise and quality of life complaints by the surrounding residents.
There is also the potential for serious uptick in landlord-tenant issues which would fall within the jurisdiction of our town courts, which are already overburdened.
The town’s rules about short-term rentals would be impossible to enforce on a project of this scale given it could involve hundreds of tenants constantly cycling through.
At the end of the day, allowing an untested, for-profit developer, who is unwilling to disclose his investors, to create what could potentially cause a giant disaster in the middle of our town is concerning.
What we need is affordable homes, not warehouse-style housing and this is that — warehouse-style living.
Kirby has stated that Southampton Hospital has committed to buying 20 of the units. In regard to Southampton Hospital’s desperate need for housing for staff, perhaps this would be the appropriate site for it to build staff housing. It would be one owner that would have real oversight.
If this disaster is built there will be no undoing the damage.
Best,
MARY WASERSTEIN
Helped Employees
East Hampton
December 15, 2025
Dear David,
In 2021, the East Hampton Town Board banned gas-powered leaf blowers from May 15 to Sept. 15. Bravo to Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and the board’s energy committee liaison, Sylvia Overby (sadly no longer with us). It didn’t hurt landscape companies unduly; it helped their employees who were spared the damage of operating the toxic and painfully loud machines for four months. It offered a respite for the rest of us. It was good for our creatures and our soil, not to mention our health, as the pollution was removed from the air, the dripping gasoline was removed from our aquifer — and therefore our drinking and bathing water — and the greenhouse gases ceased to feed global warming.
Emissions from gas leaf blowers create high levels of formaldehyde, benzene, fine particulate matter, and smog-forming chemicals, which are known to cause dizziness, headaches, asthma attacks, heart and lung disease, cancer and/or dementia, as well as effects on prenatal development.
The following emissions from gas leaf blowers are toxic: carbon monoxide, CO2, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, or V.O.C.s. Gas blowers disrupt habitats for our pollinators and small mammals and spell trouble for those creatures who rely on sound to communicate.
Electric leaf blowers now match gas blowers in performance and duration. They are quieter, create no air or water pollution, and have lower maintenance costs. Many communities have long since banned gas-powered blowers — Southampton Village has a year-round ban.
Southampton Town and East Hampton Village both have seasonal bans. New York State has pending bills to ban gas-powered lawn care devices by 2027. California and Washington, D.C., have already implemented bans.
Two years ago, the energy sustainability committee recommended that the town legislate an amendment extending the existing ban to a year-around ban; update the town’s existing educational brochure with wide distribution; continue to require annual registrations for professional landscapers, and consider incentives for the purchase of electric equipment. It is time for the town to act. Imagine how grateful we would all be.
LENA TABORI
It’s Time
Springs
December 15, 2025
Dear David,
East Hampton prides itself on protecting what makes this place special: clean air, quiet neighborhoods, healthy landscapes, and a deep connection to the natural world. Yet one of the most persistent assaults on those values continues daily across our town: the unchecked use of gas-powered leaf blowers. It’s time for East Hampton to enact a total ban on these machines.
Gas-powered leaf blowers are not benign yard tools. They are among the most-polluting pieces of equipment in common use. A single hour of operation can emit as much smog-forming pollution as driving a modern car hundreds of miles. These emissions include fine particulate matter and toxic compounds that contribute to asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory illnesses — risks that fall especially hard on children, seniors, outdoor workers, and anyone with compromised health.
The noise impact is equally damaging. Gas leaf blowers routinely exceed safe decibel levels, disrupting sleep, learning, conversation, and the very sense of peace that defines East Hampton. Chronic noise pollution has been linked to stress-related illnesses, cognitive impairment, and diminished quality of life. Quiet should not be a luxury reserved for a few hours a week.
Environmentally, these machines do real harm. Leaf blowers strip away leaf litter that protects soil, insects, and ground-nesting pollinators, while blasting dust, pesticides, mold spores, and animal waste into the air we breathe. What’s marketed as “cleaning” is often ecological destruction masquerading as convenience.
From a climate perspective, continuing to allow gas-powered leaf blowers directly contradicts East Hampton’s stated sustainability and climate goals. These machines run on fossil fuels, produce disproportionate emissions, and lock us into outdated practices when cleaner, quieter electric alternatives — and simple rakes — are readily available.
Many communities across New York State and the country have already enacted full bans, recognizing that partial restrictions and limited-hour rules do not adequately protect public health or the environment. East Hampton can — and should — join them.
A total ban is not radical. It is a practical, forward-looking policy that aligns with our values, protects workers and residents, supports biodiversity, and reduces unnecessary emissions. It sends a clear message that convenience does not outweigh health, safety, and environmental responsibility.
East Hampton has long been a leader. Now is the moment to lead again by choosing clean air, quiet neighborhoods, and a healthier future for everyone who lives and works here.
Respectfully,
FRANCESCA RHEANNON
Vibrant Village
East Hampton Village
December 14, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
I’m pleased to share that I will be running for re-election as East Hampton Village trustee this June. Serving our historic village for the past three and a half years has been both an honor and a joy, and the time has passed remarkably quickly.
From the start, my focus has been singular: protecting and enhancing the quality of life that makes East Hampton Village so special. Whether it’s addressing traffic calming, repairing potholes, or replacing fallen trees, I’ve valued every opportunity to help residents with concerns — large and small. What may seem like a minor issue often has a major impact on those affected, and I take my responsibility to represent villagers very seriously.
Some accomplishments from my tenure that I’m especially proud of include:
Strengthening noise regulations for landscaping and construction during the high season;
preventing nightclubs from entering residential neighborhoods;
reviving the dormant chamber of commerce as co-chair of the business committee and launching initiatives to support year-round commerce;
dentifying and recommending strong candidates who were confirmed for the zoning board of appeals, planning board, and design review board;
delivering traffic-calming solutions, such as speed humps on LaForest Lane, reducing speeds by an average of 8 miles per hour;
co-founding in 2023 and chairing Hamptons Whodunit, our annual mystery and crime festival, which provides educational programming for the public and more than 200 East Hampton High School students — while delivering a 50 percent boost in business for local inns and restaurants that weekend; helping launch SantaFest in 2023 and 2024, now a beloved annual community event.
I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve all of the residents of East Hampton Village, whether year round or seasonal. I do feel that there is so much more to accomplish especially in our efforts to preserve the quietude of East Hampton. It is possible to have a vibrant village but one that benefits the residents as well as our visitors, without compromising what makes us such a sought-after destination. Thank you so much for your continued trust and engagement.
Sincerely,
CARRIE DOYLE
Proud to Own It
Amagansett
December 12, 2025
To the Editor:
I agreed with Jeffrey Plitt’s letter to The Star last week about the now-canceled employer-owned housing project. Bragging alert: I wrote to The Star a while back, opposing the plan for many of the same reasons Jeffrey does.
When Kirby Marcantonio first proposed it. I asked, among other questions, what happens when your boss is your landlord, and you get fired? Jeffrey asks, “Employee quits or gets laid off, where does he go?”
But of course, I find an even more interesting subtext in Jeffrey’s letter (and I would not have bothered writing just to say, “I agree”). Somewhat gratuitously, before getting to his main topic, Jeffrey says that he avoided letter-writing over the summer because there were “too many left-wing pinheads in the mix. But now we are back to the few local dregs of the movement.”
That probably means (or includes) me! I am proud to own it if so: I like being the voice that keeps speaking when the others go silent. But that’s not the subtext; this is: Jeffrey’s sally (maybe some other time I will have the chance to write of “Sally’s jeffrey”) rhymes nicely with my comment about Jerry Larsen in my own letter last week, that he instinctively and rather viciously attacks the very people whose support he needs.
Social philosophers from Karl Marx on (Reg, are you reading this?) have noticed that the “common people” are very prone to committing an own-goal by splitting over irrelevant issues or even empty categorizations.
I would have assumed from Jeffrey’s letter, if he hadn’t invoked his own right-wing identity in the second paragraph, that he was a person of the left like me, opposing an effort by capitalist (“Omigosh, he said ‘capitalist’!”) developers to carry out a classic bait and switch. Jeffrey writes that the project seems to him “a scam, to get some kind of approval.”
Speaking as we were of facile categorizations (known to us left-wing pinheads as “egregious ontological errors”), I would have expected a right-wing correspondent to The Star to pour down covering fire for Kirby, not to attack him. Instead, Jeffrey and I, people of the right and the left, are in almost perfect accord here, yet our perceptions of each other might sadly interfere with our making common cause.
Another rather entertaining sidelight is that the lawyer representing Kirby happens to be the guy I refer to as Voldemort in my letters, who, when he is not advancing the interests of businesspeople dealing with the town, somewhat conflictually runs the local Democratic Party. Jeffrey nicely calls him “the heavy” backing up Kirby, the “pitch man.” Voldemort himself, as a Democrat, seems like an egregious ontological error personified.
Anyway, Jeffrey reminded me of my second-favorite Occupy Wall Street sign: “There is a 99 percent chance you should be standing here with us.” (My favorite was, “Another world is possible.”)
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
(PROUD
Deliberately Created
East Hampton Village
December 14, 2025
David,
Jerry Larsen’s offer to “lower the temperature” in the next year’s East Hampton Town supervisor campaign is most welcome.
And to think this controversy would not have occurred if Anna Skrenta, chairwoman of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, had been made aware of his intentions.
Jerry’s offer is the resolution of a problem he deliberately created. The issue did not emerge organically; it was engineered, escalated, and then theatrically “solved” — allowing Jerry to claim credit for restoring the stability he himself disrupted. That is not problem-solving. It is narrative management, and voters deserve to recognize the difference.
While I have Jerry’s attention, I’d love to know how the village will be celebrating Kwanzaa.
Jerry?
DAVID GANZ
Able to Vote
East Hampton
December 13, 2025
To the Editor,
Many East Hampton residents are not affiliated with a political party when it comes to voting, as they value independence and local decision making. However, there is an important reality about how elections work in East Hampton.
Just as in New York City, the candidate who secures the Democratic line almost always wins the general election. East Hampton functions the same way. By November, the choice has effectively already been made. If you are not registered in the Democratic Party, that means you are excluded from the election that determines who governs the town, the election that sets policy on housing, taxes, public safety, infrastructure, and quality of life. Registering in the Democrat party allows you to participate in the election that matters.
The Democratic primary will be held on June 23. This is when East Hampton voters will decide the future direction of our town. You must register by Feb. 14 to be able to vote in the primary. Registering or updating your enrollment is simple and can be done using the official New York State voter registration form: elections.ny.gov/voter-registration-process If you need assistance, please email me at [email protected]
Sincerely
JERRY LARSEN
East Hampton Village Mayor
Wrongly Furious
East Hampton
December 9, 2025
Dear David:
In her recent letter “Rightly Furious,” Bea Derrico lays bare exactly how dangerously uninformed her screeds have become. She is wrongly furious.
Recently, in the aftermath of the attacks by the Trump administration on alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, a raft of legal scholars has deemed those attacks to constitute war crimes or simply murder. If these scholars’ analyses are correct, any order to carry out such attacks would be unlawful and, under the Code of Military Justice, must be disobeyed.
Following the fierce criticism these attacks received, a handful of Democratic members of Congress aired a video urging members of the armed forces to heed their obligation to defy unlawful orders. Of course, the radical right (Ms. Derrico included) went on the attack, labeling the video “seditious,” with Ms. Derrico accusing the lawmakers of treason.
Had Ms. Derrico done just a bit of homework, she would have learned — from those in the Trump administration no less — that the lawmakers are on the right side of the law.
In 2016, during Mr. Trump’s first campaign he promised to attack and kill the families of Al Qaeda members. Then-Fox commentator, now Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, blasted such a strategy as unlawful, and any such order should not be obeyed. In a Supreme Court brief filed in support of Mr. Trump’s immunity case, Pam Bondi — the attorney general — wrote that “military officers are not required to carry out unlawful orders.” Continuing, she wrote that “the military would not carry out a patently unlawful order to kill nonmilitary targets,” concluding that “it would be a crime to do so.”
Whether the boats being bombed in the Caribbean are legitimate military targets remains to be seen. And Ms. Derrico knows no more than the rest of us. But rhetoric encouraging that unlawful military orders must be complied with sends us down a perniciously dangerous path.
While the president might be immune from prosecution for issuing such an order, those below him are not. However, that immunity coupled with the power to pardon crimes is a recipe for wholesale unlawfulness. Those committing crimes in carrying out an unlawful order need not fear the consequences if the order were coupled with the promise of a pardon.
Sincerely,
BRUCE COLBATH
Trump’s Claims
East Hampton
December 11, 2025
Dear David,
As a kid, my favorite TV show was “Adventures of Superman,” the Man of Steel, who waged an endless war for “Truth, Justice, and the American way.” My father and the fathers of most of my friends had fought the same war in World War II. We imagined ourselves in the same role when our time came.
After Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the polarization of America, who can answer, “What is the American Way?” That said, we all prefer truth to lies. We all see ourselves to be on the side of justice. We just have disparate voices telling us which is which.
The current war on drugs as it relates to Venezuela offers an example. Everybody agrees that peddling illicit drugs is bad. The present administration is embarked on a strategy to blow up boats said to be transporting drugs from Venezuela. No identification of the individuals on the boats or any evidence against them has been revealed to the public. Without knowing even their names, Trump screams that they are narcoterrorists.
None of the destroyed vessels had the range to reach American shores, nor were they headed in our direction.
There is no federal death penalty for drug smuggling, but 87 people have been vaporized in these indiscriminate missile attacks. The legal approach to drug interdiction is arrest, conviction, and imprisonment. Trump claims these deaths (military lawyers are calling them murders) demonstrate that he is the greatest fighter against drug smugglers that has ever been, and he claims the Democrats don’t care about drug deaths.
In subjecting Trump’s claims to scrutiny, one finds that he has pardoned or commuted sentences for more than 100 people convicted of drug crimes, most of them convicted and imprisoned by Democrats. These include a Chicago gang leader, Larry Hoover; a Baltimore drug kingpin, Garnett Gilbert Smith; Juan Orlando Hernandez, convicted in connection with 400 tons (not a misprint) of cocaine transported to America, and Ross Ulbricht, the evil genius behind the Silk Road, a dark-web bazaar for any kind of drug, guns, and contract murder, all transactions in Bitcoin, an untraceable currency favored by criminals and Trump. These are the big guys. Drug enforcement agents point out that the big guys don’t drive small boats. The boatmen might be fishermen pressed into involuntary service under threats against their families.
It is obvious that Trump is wielding missiles of war costing hundreds of thousands of dollars each on small-time mules and pardoning big guys who stashed millions of dollars and can use Bitcoin to make untraceable payments by nefarious means.
Confronted with these incompatible claims, Superman would fly back in time and monitor with his super hearing the previously unmonitored phone calls between Putin and Trump. He’d hear Putin saying, “You’re a chump, Donald, to use your power to defend Ukraine. You have a whole hemisphere just sitting there for the taking, as I am gradually taking back the former satellite states of the U.S.S.R.”
“Support Milei in Argentina. He’s your kind of guy, and he can be a foothold for you as Orban is for me.” (Trump has committed $20 billion of American taxpayer money to prop up Argentina’s currency. He says it will be deployed only if Milei is re-elected. When asked what justifies this expenditure of taxpayer funds, the administration claims it is classified.)
“Put your people atop all organs of law enforcement, and staff up ICE with your loyalists to control the blue cities. Who will stop you? You and I will split up the resources of Ukraine. They will need hotels and apartments. Send your navy south.” Trump did that.
Superman would then, through his alter ego, Clark Kent, journalist for The Daily Planet, expose the whole sordid strategy, with its reliance on lies and injustice. Alas, nobody reads The Daily Planet anymore. Trump calls it fake news.
DON MATHESON
A Hard Stand?
East Hampton
December 11, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
In October, Trump told the Canadian prime minister, “We’ve taken a very hard stand on drugs, the water drugs, the drugs that come in through water they’re not coming.” Of course, Trump was referring to the strikes carried out on fishing boats in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
No evidence has been released to support the claim that these boats were transporting drugs for the cartels. Trump simply claimed, “And you can see it, the boats get hit, and you see that fentanyl all over the ocean. It’s like floating in bags. It’s all over the place.”
Contrast Trump’s actions against the fishing boats in Venezuela with his recent pardoning of Juan Hernández, the former president of Honduras. In 2024, Hernández was found guilty of having conspired to smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump said that Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly” and deserved to be pardoned. Is this really taking “a very hard stand on drugs”?
SALVATORE TOCCI
He’s the Law
North Haven
December 15, 2025
Dear David:
This holiday season is a good time to reflect upon what we actually believe in. Some of us are guided spiritually, some of us have religious beliefs that guide us, and some are agnostic or atheists. We all have some framework of beliefs to get us through life successfully. We must self-reflect and also ask of our neighbors, including Nick LaLota and those in Trump’s cabinet such as Lee Zeldin and Howard Lutnick to measure themselves against their own core values.
What rarely seems to be of any benefit to society at large are the authoritarian and religious zealots who specialize in foisting their rigid thinking onto others, as well as on the whole world. This only leads to violence and prejudice as we experience today.
Christian nationalism is a corrupt Biblical concept being imposed on our country, sharia law gets imposed on the Muslim community, radical Zionism is being imposed on the Jewish community, and Hindu nationalism is spreading in India.
As for Russia, China, North Korea, and others, religion and spirituality is out; but authoritarianism, fascism, and dictatorship is their style. Putin and Xi Jinping are focused on their own ideals of state supremacy taking over their people and the world.
Slavery was first a system devised by certain ethnic rulers to profit from the spoils of war. Later, with cooperation from other ethnic “entrepreneurs,” slavery evolved into selling humans into bondage for their mutual economic gain.
Today, our government enables unbridled corruption and a concentration of economic power that leads to the massive hoarding of wealth and a modern capitalist form of oligarchy with authoritarianism. This creates a cost of living bondage of our working class, thus, a new economic version of slavery.
Once there were many heroes supporting our democracy, but now we have only homegrown despots wearing the colors of MAGA. Their Bible is “Project 2025.” Their maliciously contrived scriptures are followed by obsequious elected officials, and a motley group of so-called religious experts who have twisted decent behavior into unrecognizable interpretations.
Who, or what, is the actual law of today? He is the law! How else can one describe this president who has been granted total legal immunity from “all official acts,” by the current Supreme Court? Let’s skip the “No Kings” premise — this is hard-core authoritarianism.
What the hell are “official acts” anyway? That answer will require another time-consuming Supreme Court process as it works its way up through the court system. Who can afford this deliberate waste of time and money as our once respected standards and lives are being destroyed?
Apparently Congress enjoys witnessing and enabling this disaster in progress — because they remain fat, dumb, and happy collecting their taxpayer compensation for work not being done. None of this threatening madness would be tolerated by passengers in a commercial aircraft, if it became clear the captain and crew had turned against them and their safety.
Don’t you remember the hijacked Boeing 757 airplane, and the heroic passenger response on United Airlines Flight 93, the day of 9/11 in the year 2001? Where are today’s heroes? Certainly not in Congress!
It’s time to clean the House! That’s the United States House of Representatives — and all the rest of the putrid rot present in today’s various government and commercial positions.
Buckle up, folks, and fight for honest democracy. Campaign and vote to destroy this corrupt and menacing political hijacking of our country.
Our lives and the lives of generations depend on this. Let’s have a safe and happy new year.
ANTHONY CORON