Singular, Direct
Amagansett
July 21, 2025
To the Editor,
I am grateful for the sentiments in Bess Rattray's remembrance of Randy Hoffman in last week’s “Shipwreck Rose” column.
I was acquainted with Randy over the years, as our children attended school together. He was a singularly direct person. This was refreshing, and at times, as Ms. Rattray notes, off-putting at times for some folks.
However, “Dr. Randy,” as he became known around our house, was a decent man in our experience. He was willing to share his knowledge, expertise or just talk about what was up in the world. If I saw his truck parked in town, with its “INTUB8U” license plate, I knew he was around, maybe grabbing coffee at Mary?s Marvelous in the village, and if I saw him, I always took the opportunity to catch up with him regarding his current work, my work, motorcycle racing and restoration, our kids, and, of course, life around East Hampton.
Our condolences to Randy’s family, children, and to those that kept him in their hearts and minds. He’ll be missed.
MATTHEW WARD
Special Thanks
Montauk
July 15, 2025
To the Editor,
Would like to thank all the volunteers and police officers and other persons who tried to help me after a pickup truck hit a deer, which ended up knocking me off my bike and causing injuries. Special thanks to Elizabeth Forsberg, a Montauk Fire Department emergency medical technician, for helping me out. I was taken to Southampton hospital, where I had five-star treatment.
One thing I would like to say: Maybe the state could lower the speed limit on West Lake Drive. It has the highest speed limit of any road going south to north in Montauk.
Thank you,
TINA OBERG
Waiting to Happen
East Hampton
July 20, 2025
Dear David,
About one month ago, I wrote to this newspaper warning of what I believed — and still do believe — is a conflagration waiting to happen. Since then, has anyone seen any evidence of a clearing effort in the shrublands adjacent to Route 27 from the Pine Barrens to Montauk Point? I have not, and now the spring rains are over, and it is getting dryer.
On Wednesday, a brief account appeared in this paper and others around the area of a “brush fire burn[ing] through [a] field along Montauk Highway on Napeague.” This time we were lucky. The fire only burned an area the size of a football field and was quickly extinguished. But it could easily have spread and gotten out of control and burned an area the size of the fire that consumed 13,250 acres in southern New Jersey this past April.
The cause of the New Jersey fire was reported to be a 19-year-old who was burning pallets despite near-drought conditions. Who’s to say a carelessly thrown cigarette butt could not do the same here on the East End?
Once again, I appeal to the town boards of East Hampton and Southampton — led by this newspaper and others like it in the area — to join forces and come up with an active plan to clear out the massive amounts of dead wood that are ready to ignite at a moment’s notice. It’s time to stop being like ostriches who put their heads in the ground when confronted by danger. As a great pundit once said, the trouble with tomorrow is that it usually arrives before one is ready for it.
Sincerely,
JAMES WELDON
A Serious Racket
East Hampton Village
July 17, 2025
Dear East Hampton Star,
Those who have read my letters in the past will be well aware that I’ve supported the ordinances aimed at noise reduction. So when I saw the editorial in The Star titled, “On Noise, Homeowners Should Be on The Hook, Too” I had to put my two cents in. I’ve been a year-round resident of East Hampton Village since the 1990s and watched, or listened, as the noise level has grown over the years. In the old days, people were content to have landscapers with regular 9-to-5 hours, the classic workday. These days, though, bosses often expect their underlings to work much longer hours and this is not a good thing for either the workers or those who may be subject to collateral effects of their work, in this case, noise.
I’ve always felt that it should be incumbent on homeowners to make anyone working for them aware of certain local ordinances. After all, contractors are required to know about zoning and construction regulations, so why isn’t noise part of that? For a long time I’ve asked my lawn care service to come after 9 a.m. and finish no later than 4. This is not only because I like to swim at that time but also because I think it’s the neighborly thing to do. And since they can finish my property in under an hour, usually much less, this is not a problem.
I have to say that I take issue with the wording in the final paragraph of the editorial that the people making the noise are doing so “unwittingly.” Of course they know they’re making noise. How can they not know that they’re causing a serious racket, especially when they are wearing noise-protective earphones? What they are actually doing unwittingly is breaking the law. Which, according to what I’ve always been told, is not an excuse, though I disagree with this statement strongly.
While I don’t like excessive signage in general (especially the lawn signs which pop up like weeds every election season) I would support the use of signage posting the noise ordinances as being necessary. I still find it hard to believe that landscapers and construction contractors are not aware of our ordinances. Most of the landscapers I see in my neighborhood are locally owned, even if the workers might come from as far away as Brooklyn or Queens. The company should be the party held responsible in these cases, not the workers.
As always, thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
MATT HARNICK
Bait-and-Switch
Amagansett
July 18, 2025
To the Editor:
This week’s hooks are a couple of statements in Christopher Gangemi’s “Turned Off by Electric Vehicle Display in Park.” The village administrator, Marcos Baladron, said that an event he summarily canceled as it was starting was an unacceptable bait-and-switch, an endeavor by “a national auto brand to sell cars in Herrick Park, something we would never allow.” Ha. As I have pointed out in several letters, the commercialization of Herrick Park and the entire village by the First Citizen has gotten so far out of hand that GM might be excused for not knowing where the line was. The village is being converted, not too slowly, into Easthamptonland, a theme park.
The First Citizen himself seemed huffy about the cancellation. “If you don’t take a risk, and you hide under your shell, you’ll never know what can build a community and what won’t.”
It’s always entertaining to hear him talk about community. Last I checked, a community is formed from personal inclination and attachment by people of heart (not to mention honesty and loyalty). This is the guy who used his authority to scream that the ambulance volunteers who inadvertently stood in his way were frauds and criminals. It is impossible to imagine any kind of community forming around the First Citizen.
Another very enjoyable takeaway from the article was Larry Cantwell’s role in calling out the misuse of Herrick Park. Mr. Cantwell has been silent a long time since he ended his last term as town supervisor. He performed that role with charm, intelligence, and an ability to listen — I never even realized the town was run by a political machine until the Van Scoyoc years, because Mr. Cantwell made it seem like a democracy.
In a vibrant democracy, you would want former elected officials to stay visible and to speak out from time to time (Barack Obama performs that role with care and flair). In a political machine, elected officials are mere chess pieces, with no imaginable role once they are off the board. As Omar Khayyam sang: “ ‘Tis all a chequer-board of nights and days/ Where destiny with men for pieces plays/ Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,/ And one by one back in the closet lays.”
For democracy in East Hampton,
JONATHAN WALLACE
Read Twice
East Hampton Village
July 20, 2025
David,
As a Star subscriber and village resident, I was fortunate to read Jerry’s “State of the village” twice through the newspaper insert and first-class mailing (97 cents postage). Jerry’s constituency footprint appears to have expanded to include town residents, amounting to an additional mailing to 20,000 households and $20,000 more in postage, never mind printing costs. All of this under the guise of fire department recruitment. I’m sure Jerry has an excellent explanation. Jerry?
It’s worth noting that in his “State of the Village” treatise, Jerry neglected to mention the tax increase. So far, the reasons I’ve heard were disingenuous.
Speaking of disingenuous, the Village of East Hampton is not “America’s most beautiful village.” Beautiful, yes, but not “most.”
It’s excellent that Main Beach was rated number 5 on the Top Ten Beaches in America, but shouldn’t we give a nod to Southampton’s Cooper Beach, ranked number 1, and its season beach pass at 50 percent less cost? Jerry, remember when East Hampton Village beach permits were sold out in hours!
Moving on to the new village noise ordinance limiting excessive noise. Is there any reason there was no mention of it in the collateral? To better understand the ordinance’s educational outreach, I’ve submitted a freedom of information request for the materials created supporting the village noise law (English, Spanish, and bilingual) and the mailing to the 1,800 contractors.
Finally, Jerry, Marcos is Spanish, not Latino. You may need a bit more cultural sensitivity training.
Perhaps we can have a “show and tell” at the upcoming board meeting?
DAVID GANZ
Listen, Learn
East Hampton
July 20, 2025
Dear David,
As a lifelong resident, it is with deep respect and a strong sense of purpose that I announce my candidacy for East Hampton Town Board this November.
Over the past three decades, I have proudly dedicated myself to public service in our community — serving as the head of our town and village 911 communications system, on the East Hampton Town Planning Board, and, for the past 12 years, as a member of the East Hampton School Board, including the last 11 years as president. I have also been honored to serve on the board of directors of LTV, supporting local transparency and public access.
These roles have allowed me to listen, learn, and lead with the best interests of our residents at heart. Whether it’s advocating for public safety, protecting our environment, or supporting our schools and first responders, I have always strived to bring people together and focus on solutions that benefit everyone in our town — from Montauk to Wainscott, Springs to Amagansett, and all the neighborhoods in between.
East Hampton is a special place — not only for its natural beauty but because of the people who live here. We are a diverse and passionate community, and I believe our local government should reflect those values: respectful dialogue, balanced decision making, and a commitment to serving every resident with fairness and transparency.
As a candidate for town board, I am eager to continue listening to the concerns of our community and working collaboratively to address them. I believe that together, we can protect what makes East Hampton unique while preparing thoughtfully for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
I look forward to earning your trust and your vote this November.
With gratitude,
J.P. FOSTER
Babesiosis
Springs
July 21, 2025
To the Editor,
It’s not the bouillabaisse special at Nick and Toni’s; it’s a tick-borne illness that, unlike Lyme disease, can kill you.
Though less common than Lyme, babesiosis cases are rising at about 9 percent per year. Here’s the danger: It won’t show up on a Lyme test, and if you’re treated pre-emptively with doxycycline (which works for Lyme), it will do nothing for babesiosis — giving a false sense of security.
Babesiosis is a malaria-like parasite that attacks your red blood cells and can even be transmitted, in rare cases, from mother to child through breast milk. Left untreated, it can be life threatening.
I nearly died from babesiosis two summers ago. It damaged my red blood cells and likely caused several T.I.A.s (mini-strokes).
This June, after another tick bite, I went to the new Southampton emergency room in East Hampton and asked for a babesiosis test. The doctor said it would take a few extra days, which sounded like a brush-off. But after I explained my prior experience, she agreed to run the test (which must be done under a microscope).
Bottom line: Babesiosis is not just a threat to the elderly or immune-compromised. If you get a tick bite, ask, no, demand, a babesiosis test. It could save your life.
Warmly,
KEVIN REYNOLDS
An ‘Epidemic’
Springs
July 18, 2025
To the Editor,
After going to the town board meetings twice now in the last three years to ask for it to address the growing problem of tick-borne diseases, I thought I would write a letter about this important issue that several leading doctors in our area call an “epidemic” and what our local State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni has recently deemed a health crisis.
Tick-borne diseases often go undetected or misdiagnosed, but the Centers for Disease Control has had to admit in the last several years that they have underestimated this problem that has grown exponentially. Suffolk County unfortunately leads the nation in both Lyme and alpha gal cases — two of the 20 different types of tick-related diseases.
Part of the problem is climate change is making winters shorter, warmer, and less impactful to reduce ticks, but the other reason is our town has an incredibly high-density deer population (How many towns in the country have 500 to 600 deer collisions annually?), given there are no natural predators and development makes hunting difficult.
While some say there is little that can be done, your paper has written several good articles in the past about the effective use of four-poster tick machines — for anyone interested they should check out your excellent piece from 2022 titled “Targeting Ticks by Killing Them on Their Hosts.”
Four-poster tick machines were invented by the United States Department of Agriculture several decades ago, and a handful of different studies show they can reduce tick populations by 80 to 90 percent in the areas they are used. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has made it more difficult to site these stations, unfortunately, but forward-looking local governments in our area, like North Haven, have actually increased their usage through an aggressive grassroots program.
Given the huge problem in East Hampton, it is finally time to at least start testing these types of machines. When I went to the Land Management Department to suggest their use over three years ago, I was told they were “too expensive.” That is ironic coming from a town administration that recently spent nearly $2 million for a traffic roundabout where two new stop signs would have solved the problem.
Another, more disturbing, example of fiscal waste since then is the fact that the budget for a new senior center has quadrupled from its original budget, and tens of millions will likely be overspent when one considers most of the money for this project will be borrowed.
For comparison, how much would it cost to install a four-poster? — $10,000 per unit annually if this were outsourced. If the town just bought its own machines and had town employees service them weekly, the cost would probably be less than half that. North Haven, a village with 5 percent of our population, thinks it is important enough to spend $200,000 annually on their program.
Some areas of East Hampton clearly have a larger problem with ticks than others, so the town should focus on more rural and wooded areas of the town — a prime location that I have suggested many times is the 170-acre Girl Scout Camp at the edge of Springs. Its management would gladly sign off on their usage and the town considered doing this six years ago — just one unit there would not only help campers, but potentially up to 1,000 nearby residences, too.
Given the serious problem posed by ticks, the town administration needs to start a test program that eventually leads to allocating $100,000 a year from its over-$100 million budget to help protect the health of residents and visitors.
BRAD BROOKS
Still Waiting
Amagansett
July 21, 2025
To the Editor,
It was great to see Bay View Avenue highlighted the other week in the paper. A great letter to the editor by my friend Jonathan Wallace, as well. Yes, we are in our eighth summer that access, including public access, is blocked, more money to attorneys, and town code violated. Bonds were always available, only now stronger. Ann Glennon didn’t ask for one for a permit she gave for a structure prohibited in this area. Glad to see Ann is back at the town. What more damage can she do? Time will tell.
Again, our court date was pushed and continued May 27. The next day, revised plans were submitted to the Department of Environmental Conservation to obtain a permit.
So the claim of waiting three years for something doesn’t pass the smell test. You see, the state knows, like you all should, the town can be stricter with its laws. Never less, but always more.
The D.E.C. has now dropped it in the town’s lap, essentially making them aware. This is your issue, fix it. Do the right thing or, from the article, the town is doing our biggest fear: appeasement, not following town code or the law, helping the 1 percent over the rights of each and every one of us.
In other news, Cranberry Hole Road Bridge was just stated (again, after some time), it was determined to be owned by the M.T.A. Did someone miss the memos? The documents? The website? Time to keep adding extra miles to our vehicles.
No wonder when someone says, “Protect our aquifers” everyone remains silent as Napeague State Park burned, albeit extinguished quickly. Where is the governess? Still waiting, I suppose, until 2026 for that controlled burn. The state is as slow as the town. Remember, the town was adding “sale” of nature preserves in Town Code 182. The town still hasn’t enforced that code on Bay View Avenue or Town Code 91-4 letter G and H. That’s for blocking access. Remember, day 2,568, Bay View Avenue remains blocked. Still waiting for the enforcement agencies to show up.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Seems We Agree
Montauk
July 13, 2025
Dear David,
I want to personally thank Carol Dray for her informative information concerning Trump’s campaign promises, plus his fulfillment of his promises.
I would also like to take a minute to thank Ms. Dray for her letter in which she let the public know how she feels about my letters to the editor. It seems we agree on many subjects.
I’ve always read her letters and enjoyed her reasoning. She writes with complete, honest information and true knowledge.
Thank you for taking the time to let John Q. Public hear us out.
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO
Second-Term Disgrace
Plainview
July 19, 2025
To the Editor,
Remember how the actual Watergate break-in during June 1972 originally didn’t seem to have the slightest connection to about-to-be-re-elected-to-a-second-term President Richard Nixon, but how it ultimately led to that second-term president resigning in disgrace?
Well, wouldn’t it be a fascinating case of political déjà vu if Donald Trump’s 2003 pubic hair-drawing signature of “Donald” plus his “wonderful secret” note in Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday leather-bound gift album ultimately results in this second president’s second-term resignation in disgrace?
I mean, I’m just sayin’.
RICHARD SIEGELMAN