Community Is Blessed
East Hampton
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
We wanted to express our deepest appreciation to the East Hampton 911 dispatch department, the Bridgehampton paramedics and emergency medical service for their professional help during our mother’s anaphylactic episode that occurred on Friday. Each member (Kevin Brayer, Mark Landis, Robin Saunders, Guy Sparks, and David Goodman) showed incredible knowledge, warmth, and compassion during such a chaotic time. They all went above and beyond in every way, and there are not enough words to convey just how grateful we are for their assistance. Our community is blessed to have such qualified, capable, and caring individuals.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
MICHELLE and DAVID FOERDER
My Favorite Beach
Queens
September 5, 2025
Dear Editor:
Please consider publishing either or both of the following two news items regarding Napeague.
I went to Napeague (the beach by the parking lot at the end of Napeague Lane, near Central Avenue). It is my favorite beach in the world. I put the key to my rented car in my pants pocket with a zipper. I went for a walk on the beach. There was a hole in my pocket, and I lost the key.
I was hysterical and retraced my steps, going back and forth for an hour. I could not find the key in the sand. I called Enterprise and they were going to send a tow truck to take the car and to get me a replacement. I went to the car and the keys were on the top with a note, in a young lady’s lovely handwriting, which said, “Hi, I found your key on the beach. Have a nice day!”
On Napeague Beach, I splashed some ocean water on my face, especially my lips, in my mouth and my chin. Immediately, I felt a film covering me and sharp stinging. My lips became swollen and blistered inside. My chin became red and stinging. That night, I was hot, sweating and could not sleep. My tongue became coated and it was hard to swallow. It became worse over the next few days. It is subsiding about a week later but I still have it. It was a sea bather’s eruption from anemone larvae. Please put up a sign warning people of the anemone larvae in the water now.
Thank you for reading this.
Sincerely,
STEVEN ROSS
Left It Behind
Springs
September 5, 2025
Dear David,
A grateful thank-you to Bruce Buschel who made me laugh out loud — disturbing my neighbors — for his “Guestwords,” “Invalidated.”
As a “senior” who has currently given up sailing, skiing, and had to put my beautiful dog and companion, Joey, to sleep on Election Day, I am trying to make sense of a world that is currently in chaos with humans fighting each other and corporations polluting the planet for profit. I needed a laugh.
I had a senior moment, one of the many of my now 85th year, while visiting CVS in Pantigo Lane, as I waited in line with my two items. I always go to a human cashier, hoping more jobs will not be eliminated. As a born and bred New Yorker originally from Brooklyn and an artist, I am a people watcher. My daughter calls it staring!
Two women were in front of me. One, the usual stereotype, who was showing the woman cashier every inch of her bill, line-by-line, and where was her discount?! This went on for a while as the cashier kept explaining the situation patiently to no avail. This woman obviously thought she was the only one in line.
On the other side was a slender, tall, older woman with many items, including cosmetics, in her basket. She placed her items on the counter, gently said a few words to the young male cashier, and just paid.
I was next and, of course, had to schmooze, a moment: “What school do you attend?” always curious, having been a schoolteacher in New York City for years. I paid with my Amex card and made sure to put it in the back sleeve of my battered cellphone cover while automatically picking up another card without realizing it, remarking to the cashier the craziness of having so many cards. I had misplaced my card at various times around the house and with store owners, so now I was doubly careful.
It was not until I was sitting on my deck eating that I saw something strange amongst my license, Amex card, debit card, health cards, and a few others — a platinum Amex card! The name on it was, of course, not mine: Blythe Danner. I had no clue in that moment who that was but was determined to get the card back to her. She must have left it behind.
At first, I thought it had been left at the counter of Chase Bank, where I had just had papers notarized. I called Amex immediately and, after suffering through their many robot announcements, found out, no they couldn’t call her. Did I want to shut it down?! Me? It wasn’t my card to shut down.
Next, I finally remembered my CVS excursion and called them. After all, they, and everyone else in the world, had our info. They called me many times saying my meds had arrived, or flu shots were available. Why couldn’t they call Blythe, who by this time I had found out was not only a famous actress — I had seen her in the film “Meet the Fockers” — but was also the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow.
No, CVS couldn’t call her, but there was a woman around noon who called about her credit card. As I Googled away, learning more about her involvement in the community and Guild Hall charity events, I decided to leave this problem alone and went to dinner with a friend.
“Let’s find where she lives and just give back her card,” my friend said. I smiled. Someone crazier than me. “Sure,” I said. “Where does she live?” “Bluff Road.” We took off after dinner.
Yes, the estate was on Bluff Road, but you just don’t knock on doors and say, “Hey, I picked up your Amex card by mistake.” The home not only had a huge white gate, but a call box with codes to punch to enter. I spoke to the call box. No answer.
The next day I called Guild Hall. A real, live person answered. Yes, they would take the card and thank you very much. I met Hanna at the box office and gave her the card. For my efforts I was given a photo book of Guild Hall. Well, I would have preferred a membership, but it was fun talking with Hanna, a live person. I hope Blythe stopped her credit card immediately and didn’t have to wait 10 days for a new one. My apologies.
I am 85 years old and slowly forgetting to turn out the lights. I remember vividly what happened 30 years ago and wonder what happened to real people who used to exist when you called a number. Thank you again, Mr. Buschel.
MAXINE DESETA
Who Was This?
Springs
September 6, 2025
To the Editor,
Despite what I felt at least were some locally relevant and provocative pitches I submitted for the coveted “Guestwords” column (“GerryOxy: Ancient pill pushers of the Hamptons,” or “The Unwalkables: A thorough history of the dog walking and boarding industry in East Hampton”), I have not had a “Guestwords” piece published in, well, if you pardon the pun, a dog’s age. (Ha.)
I was okay with this for a long spell, as I am usually of a grateful disposition; so thank you, Star, for the exposure and keeping this venue open; I am proud of the humor pieces I have contributed in the past.
But this summer cynicism has crept in and I find myself going directly to the editorial section and from there beelining it to “Guestwords” to see exactly what and who is being published ahead of me.
Each time I have been humble pied; either it’s a well-written, well-thought-out environmental piece regarding the state of our water supply, or the abundance of the once-scarce osprey, or the demise of pine trees, or a more global essay regarding the ongoing Middle East catastrophe by someone with both pedigree (often a Ph.D.) and a formal writing credit that make other less-accomplished writers shake in their boots, giving the article merit, like, “so-and-so’s work has appeared in the Prog Fellows Review, etc.” In my case, it was, “Jeff, who had a letter to the editor published in Teen Beat magazine.”
This did bother me because I fancy myself a humorist (not hilarious but pithy) and these writers were not anecdotal, so not my competition — until this week. Who was this this Frances Sacks? She was clearly trying to be funny with a piece about how Gen Z aren’t calling it “The Hamptons” anymore, opting for “Out East” instead. I began to read it with the tight-lipped expression of a baby being fed castor oil, planning on putting it down with the first weak, flat, or derivative line. Instead, I went on to read the entire piece not once but twice, giggling and smiling the whole time, it was that goddamn good. Well done, Star!
JEFF NICHOLS
Defined by Our Choices
Amagansett
September 2, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
Although I no longer have the privilege of living full time in Amagansett, I grew up here on the East End and still consider this place home. To have grown up here, I often joke, means having no more than three degrees of separation from anyone else in town. It also means running into former classmates and teachers, colleagues, or friends wherever I go. My sense of belonging to this place has anchored me here even when life has led me elsewhere.
And yet, several months ago, I could not make up my mind as to whether or not I ought to come home for the summer. From overseas, the situation in the United States appeared dismal. I might add that I spent much of the past year immersed in the study of totalitarian regimes in Central Europe. To see footage from the U.S. of plainclothes thugs kidnapping students from streets and campuses, young children separated perhaps indefinitely from their parents, intellectuals and activists detained and subject to surveillance, chilled me to the core. I realized that I, too, had bought into the myth of American exceptionalism and was afraid.
The many individual, human stories of suffering, fear, oppression, and violence haunted me. What was impossible for me to appreciate from abroad, however, were the equally numerous acts of bravery, resilience, and peaceful resistance in the face of cruelty and terror, which often happen at a local level and do not receive national or international coverage.
This past month in particular, I have witnessed the strength of our local community firsthand. I saw the Rural Migrant Ministry’s Caravan of Empathy as it set off from St. Luke’s in East Hampton and was touched to hear how much it meant to people in other parts of the state to learn that this journey had started in East Hampton, specifically. I was reminded of the important work of the East Hampton lifeguards and Volunteer Ocean Rescue as everyone worked together to keep our beaches safe during Hurricane Erin. The number of local organizations doing good and important work is humbling. It feels unfair to name only a few.
The highlight of my summer, however, has been time spent with the group East End for Peace, a small but agile local organization committed to advocating peacefully for human rights in Palestine and the end of American complicity in the immeasurable suffering of the people of Gaza.
I was always somewhat skeptical of the impact of small, local demonstrations. Still, when I learned that East End for Peace had been conducting a peaceful vigil every Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Sag Harbor windmill, year round, since October 2023, I felt compelled to check it out. Cities afford relative anonymity and safety in numbers. To stand by the side of the road in a small town is an altogether different experience. To be honest, it felt rather vulnerable. I was heartened to see faces I recognized participating in the vigil, and sad to recognize others, shouting obscenities and gesturing crudely.
We live in a time when it is controversial to advocate for the preservation of human life and the advancement of human dignity and autonomy — a time in which the words “never again” ring hollow. Many are afraid to speak up against what they know to be wrong. I fear that this cognitive dissonance will leave its survivors with deep wounds.
I urge my friends and neighbors to get involved with local actions whenever possible. Our community is small and intricate; it is not an abstract concept but rather a living thing and is defined by our choices, our advocacy, and solidarity.
LILY MONGAN
Long-Range Plan
Amagansett
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
We write to you today to set the record straight on the matter of Devon’s long-range plan. We do so not because we want to air our laundry but because you have chosen to take a private matter public without seeking any comment or clarification from Devon and, in doing so, have potentially endangered our project, as some of your readers sit on the various local committees from which we require approvals in order to proceed.
Devon’s long-range plan began in 2016 when our board undertook a comprehensive assessment of our facilities. Our process included a member-wide survey, engineering studies of our buildings and septic systems, and consultation with a wide array of experts.
Rather than kick the proverbial can down the road and do nothing, Devon’s Board of Governors established a long-range plan committee. The committee comprised members with long histories at Devon and a deep appreciation for our coastal location. Over the proceeding years, the committee, with the help of many local experts, undertook a comprehensive facility site plan redesign that relocates all of our buildings inland to reduce flood risk and environmental impact, reduces overall lot coverage, increases buffer zones, updates our septic systems and stormwater controls, improves handicap accessibility, and achieves a careful restoration of sensitive wetlands.
While some Devon members oppose our plan, the majority are in favor for many of the reasons outlined above.
David, we consider ourselves stewards of the land our club inhabits, and we take our responsibility to the environment, our neighbors, and the town extremely seriously. We believe our plans for Devon are in the best interest of our members, the local environment, and our community.
As you know, Devon represents a bygone time and has for over a hundred years. Our intention in undertaking our long-range plan is not merely to update our club, but to continue to act as stewards of our piece of Amagansett for the next hundred years.
Yours sincerely,
DAVID SULLIVAN, Commodore
PATRICK COLEMAN
JACQUELINE MITCHELL
ANDREW GARVEY
GEOFFREY GRANT
LEAH LEBEC
Devon Yacht Club Executive Committee
Taller, Wider
Amagansett
September 3, 2025
Dear David,
I am writing to express my serious concern about recent comments made by zoning board of appeals Chairman Roy Dalene during the board’s discussion of a pending variance application on Marine Boulevard.
The applicant pressed the board to allow Federal Emergency Management Agency elevation requirements to override zoning height and pyramid limits, permitting the tallest and most intrusive house in the neighborhood. He argued that the Z.B.A. should grant variances without following the standard zoning balancing standards.
Chairman Dalene was the only board member to accept an argument that would have turned the Z.B.A. into a rubber stamp, arguing that the town should change the law to permit houses taller and wider than zoning would allow.
In contrast, the other four members correctly recognized that zoning and FEMA requirements could both be accommodated by design changes that did not require exceeding height and pyramid limits. As residents, we must encourage our local boards to strictly adhere to zoning regulations because they ensure accountability and safeguard our environment and community character. The board decisions made today will influence East Hampton’s future for many years.
Sincerely,
RONA KLOPMAN
All Voices Heard
East Hampton
September 8, 2025
To the Editor,
To my fellow Democrats: As Democrats, we take pride in belonging to a party built on fairness, representation, and the democratic process. That process must always guide us, especially when choosing our candidates for public office.
For that reason, I am deeply concerned by recent comments made by Anna Skrenta, the Democratic committee chairperson, regarding support for candidates in next year’s elections. Such comments give the impression of predetermined support before our established, transparent process has even begun.
Beginning each January of an election year, the full 38-member East Hampton Town Democratic Committee undertakes screening and interviewing of potential candidates, followed by a convention at which members vote. The candidates who earn the most support through this open process become official Democratic nominees. This procedure ensures that all voices are heard and that the candidates truly reflect the will of the party.
Equally troubling are Ms. Skrenta’s remarks suggesting that, even if a candidate were to win a Democratic primary, the committee might feel no obligation to support them in the general election. Such a stance undermines not only the primary voters but the very principles of party unity and respect for a democratic outcome.
For the integrity of our party and to preserve confidence in our nominating process, I respectfully urge Ms. Skrenta to reaffirm her commitment to fair representation, impartial screening, and full support for whichever candidates our members and voters choose. Anything less risks eroding trust in the values we stand for.
If that commitment cannot be upheld, it is only fair to question whether leadership on the Democratic committee is being exercised in the best interests of our members, voters, and the party.
Respectfully,
JERRY LARSEN
East Hampton Village Mayor
Nowhere but Here
Amagansett
September 7, 2025
To the Editor,
It took 2,615 days and finally a homeowner has workers opening “half” of Bay View Avenue not because of enforcement of law or code from the Town of East Hampton or the New York State Department of Conservation. In my opinion, appeasement has taken place.
To the best of our knowledge, it’s only because they sued the town, put up a bond, and the Building Department administrative assistant signed a new “temporary” building permit. That’s somehow legal nowhere I know of but here. Is Allison McDougall doing field visits for sites she is signing off on? We’ve all just had our rights denied by the initial 2018 “temporary” permit for the last 2,615 days. Seven years, one month, 27 days a nuisance was allowed to stay in a road and obstruct access to a beach and town nature preserve.
In other news. I got to ask Wayne Gauger face to face why he left the school board. The response he claims to be telling everyone: “It was taking time away from my family.” Didn’t know that after three years and running again? In my opinion, the statement smells rotten. Again, I was on the ballot. I’ll take the appointment for the vacant seat.
But thank you for the other quote when I asked about a few other occurrences, events, and inaction. Telling me Mike Rodgers “is the C.E.O. of the school.” “It’s Mike and the attorneys.” This has been echoed in other private meetings I and my spouse have had with school officials, staff, and teachers when asking for help. “We can’t do anything, he’s superintendent.” Or, in my opinion, you all seem fearful of the retaliatory nature that was testified to in the Maria Dorr 3020A hearing.
You might want to check out New York State Department of Education Law 23B when you are all verbally told of actions and events at your school by us as parents. I understand, again in my opinion, if you fear, as testified, the retaliation from a particular individual who is now in their power imbalance position.
Still here,
JOE KARPINSKI
Provide an Update
East Hampton
September 5, 2025
David,
Hope all is well. Just renewed another year with you because we enjoy the local news that you provide!
Now that the summer is starting to quiet down some, I wanted to ask if you could provide an update on the status of the town’s fight to close the airport? The local papers have little to nothing on what is happening, and with the busy summer months of planes coming and going, we would appreciate an update if possible.
Also, if possible, do you have arrivals and departure year-to-date on a comparison to prior years? It has been a very bad and noisy summer!
Thanks in advance and look forward to reading it next Thursday.
Stay well, safe, and enjoy!
BILL HARRON
Start Over
Springs
September 6, 2025
To the Editor,
I read with interest the coverage of the current lawsuit between the architectural firms involved with the long-delayed senior center project. As a critic of this project for almost three years now, this latest development isn’t surprising and should actually be looked upon as a good opportunity to start over.
It was strange that the town chose not one, but two different architectural firms to supposedly work together on this project after it deemed a perfectly fine building proposal paid for with state funds eight years ago as inadequate. Bizarrely, one of these new firms was from as far away as Chicago — so much for keeping things local. More absurdly, these supposedly “green” architects wanted 20-to-25-foot ceilings originally throughout the facility and when questioned about this at a town board meeting as being energy inefficient, one responded that it wouldn’t be a problem as they would only have to heat the bottom eight feet. Another sad example of incompetence was the original suggestion of building solar carports in the parking area — that is about 40 percent more expensive than incorporating it into the roof, which should have been easy for new construction. I guess stainless-steel shingles should also go into the category of overly expensive design choices proposed in the past. If this firm was really so talented, why did so many basic changes have to be made?
This begs the question: Were these really the best architects the town could choose after a supposed public vetting process? Apparently not. As your article points out, this team has never built anything together in the last 10 years of their partnership. Given the dueling lawsuits, I doubt they will in the future either.
It always seemed the choice of these architects was politically motivated and just another example of a wasteful political patronage system. The reporting, though, about the fees involved for these architects is likely too low. The $1.3 million paid toward the total of apparently $1.8 million is likely only for the flawed design. In their letter to the town several years ago, they made it clear they expected to be paid 10 percent of the total construction cost to supervise its building; that likely would have been at least another $2 million, if not more, so their total fees were probably in the $4 million range! Why was the town not more forthcoming about this cost? I’ve asked for greater transparency in this area from the start and the town should finally explain why in their estimates it should cost $9 million just for “site prep.” For perspective, that is more than the original budget for this project a decade ago.
More important, why has the cost of this project roughly quadrupled in the last decade? For starters, the town decided it was necessary to double its size from 11,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet. This never made any sense given it planned to reduce services for things like adult day care, which are badly needed and will likely grow in the future.
In the end, the town has been given a chance to start fresh and get a local architect to design and build a more appropriately sized facility and one that shouldn’t cost more than $20 million — a savings of $10 million from current projections and those savings will double when one considers the interest costs saved given the town will build this mostly borrowed money.
A good place to start would be to revisit the donated architectural plans that were given to the town several years ago by a high-end, award-winning local firm. Also, this facility should be built on the current site as originally proposed and combined with the small half-acre park that sits adjacent to it that is run down and rarely used. If this were done, the large seven-acre site that was recently cleared could then be sold to the new community housing fund to build affordable housing; there are over 2,000 people on this list locally. Not only would this land be better used for housing, but the funds raised from its sale could go toward lowering the cost of a new senior center that has needlessly and excessively ballooned over the years.
BRAD BROOKS
A Sign From Above
Amagansett
September 6, 2025
To the Editor:
Does anyone else consider it a sign from above that the architects who designed the much-maligned senior center (excuse me, Center for Modern Aging) are suing each other, causing further delays and cost increases? I say shut this stupid project down and use the $30 million for something that town residents — of any age — really need. Affordable housing, anyone? The land (ahem) is already cleared.
ALICE HENRY WHITMORE
Now a Pawn
Wainscott
September 8, 2025
Dear David:
It seems that the senior center is now little more than a pawn in a lawsuit (“Architects Lawsuits Delay Senior Center,” Sept. 4).
While the town’s architects may disagree about any number of issues, your article and the court filings indicate that the litigants do agree about two things: First, that articles of organization for R2 Architecture P.L.L.C. were filed with the New York secretary of state in December 2015. Second, that, other than a job described by the parties as a “task contract” or a “term contract” apparently involving a library in Brooklyn, the only project ever secured by the recently created architectural firm was the senior center. Yet, incredibly, the town’s press release claims that “R2 was chosen based on its qualifications [and] experience with public buildings.”
The supervisor’s observation that “the internal dispute between the two firms is disappointing and has placed the town in a difficult position” does little to assuage what should be serious taxpayer concerns.
The town chose to entrust a $30 million project to an out-of-town, recently created architecture firm that had virtually no other work, whose fate will now be determined in a Manhattan courtroom, in which the plaintiff seeks not only to dissolve the firm but also asks for the “appointment of a receiver pursuant to Limited Liability Company Law S703, as well as the appointment of a temporary receiver under CPLR S6401 pending the outcome of the trial. . . . ”
It would appear, then, that the town is in more than merely “a difficult position,” as the supervisor benignly characterizes it.
On the other hand, the delays attendant on the architects’ litigation now present the town with an opportunity to reconsider the senior center entirely.
Sincerely,
SAMUEL KRAMER
Out to Bid
Lazy Point
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
Back in June of 2024, I wrote a letter asking if anyone was taking bets on which project will be completed first — the new senior center or the Cranberry Hole Road bridge.
When the land clearing for the senior center began with no update on the Cranberry Hole Road bridge, the senior center appeared in the lead, but after reading about the R2 lawsuit and recent news of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency putting the bridge project out to bid I think the bridge has taken the lead!
RICH MOREY
Remained Mum
East Hampton
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
The lawsuit detailing the dispute between the architects hired on the massive senior center project indeed tells a sorry tale. The allegations also suggest that town officials have long known about the dispute but remained mum.
Only when the architects’ lawsuit recently became public, did the town’s public relations officer supply a smooth-tongued statement that the hiring selection had been transparent and was based on architects’ qualifications and experience with public building projects. The facts suggest otherwise.
Town documents confirm the board’s hire of R2, a limited liability company listing just two individual architect members.
Significantly, the Chicago architect’s firm was not a member of the L.L.C., nor did the architects ever agree to a joint venture document which included the Chicago company and defined work responsibilities.
R2’s entire capital was just $3,000. Only $3,000 contributed by the individual members. Its lack of assets suggests that R2 had no skin in the game, as its resources were vastly inadequate to ensure performance. Did the town review the L.L.C. documents before entering the wildly expensive $30 million contract?
Further, it seems unlikely that the town ever examined the issue of the joint venture agreement. Had it done so, it would have been apparent no agreement was reached. Indeed, it appears that the architects were squabbling over their respective duties both before and at the time they were hired.
The town review appears to have showcased projects completed by the Chicago architect’s firm despite the fact that it was not a member of the L.L.C., nor a party to any mutually accepted agreement.
R2’s track record was scanty. They had bid on 22 projects, landing only two. One, a limited contract with the New York Department of Design and Construction, was terminated while the architects argued about fees and compliance with client design requests. The second project was the East Hampton $30 million senior center. Certainly, the lack of project history should have been a glaring concern.
The Chicago architect appears to have been the primary design partner, with the New York architect, a sole proprietor, considered to be an associate architect. Alleged breaches on both sides include missing deadlines, refusing to cooperate on design decisions, ignoring client design directives, and more.
While the architects dispute the fee-split, both concede that the completed work represents either 30 or 50 percent of the contracted work — yet the town has paid more than 80 percent of the tentative $1.6 million fees. Since no finalized project budget has been prepared, fees could balloon.
The massive senior center is clearly the supervisor’s pet project. Facilitated by a narrowly compliant board, she has driven a cursory review of a project of breathtaking scale and cost. The process was propelled by the board’s ill-advised decision to exempt itself from a comprehensive planning review. The hurried decision to clear-cut seven acres of endangered species habitat showed that even a serious environmental concern would be dismissed.
What is required now is a full transparent and independent audit by a firm not routinely employed by the board. Any autocratic policy permitting the town board to pick and choose projects too important for comprehensive planning review must be discarded, leading as this one did to a failure to protect the town and properly serve our seniors.
JEFF BRAGMAN
In Total Violation
Amagansett
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
We, the people of the Town of East Hampton, don’t want the proposed senior center. A Democratic town board has never acted in this environmentally and financially destructive way before. We have a senior center already. We don’t want a $30 million building, which we the taxpayers will be on the hook for years if not decades. The avowed cost ($30 million) will soon be $40 million, given the cost overruns typical of East End projects. That will double the town’s debt (at present approx. $40 million). That is insane, as we are getting closer to the recession our country has managed to avoid since our last one in 2008. Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez has just destroyed one of the last known homes of an endangered species, the long-eared brown bat, by leveling seven acres of forest along Abraham’s Path and the railroad tracks. No Democrat has ever done this. The Democrats used to be the party of the environment. No longer. They destroyed the Signature Tree and now the great Baker Kettlehole in the Stony Hill Woods, and now they have allowed the development of five key lots, totaling 40 acres in the Stony Hill Woods, in total violation of the town comprehensive plan.
Why is this important? Because the Stony Hill Woods are the only protection for the Stony Hill aquifer, which provides nearly every drop of water to every well in Springs, Amagansett, northern East Hampton, Napeague, and almost all of the public water in Springs and Montauk through the Suffolk County Water Authority’s giant well on Red Dirt Road. The brilliant geohydrologist and emeritus professor Steven Englebright has stated that the Stony Hill aquifer is at a tipping point. We, the people of the Town of East Hampton, want our water safe and clean. We don’t want public water poisoned by chlorine and fluoride, which they add in abundance. We want clean, beautiful well water from Mother Earth.
The town has carelessly allowed the western aquifer of our town to be poisoned. We want the town board to keep this eastern aquifer clean. The lying Democrats state they are for clean water but they only act on this if you are one of their rich patrons around Georgica Pond, where, along with the Peconic Land Trust, they just spent $55 million to buy five acres next to completely polluted Georgica Pond. But they refused to buy these five key lots totaling 40 acres for a fraction of that to protect our clean drinking water. Every resident of Springs, where Ms. Burke-Gonzalez and David Lys live, should be outraged. Mr. Lys continues his utterly ignorant rants about “We’ve preserved enough up there,” as he votes to pollute his own daughters’ future.
The town comprehensive plan mandates the town to “establish a Multi Hamlet Priority Drinking Water Protection Area in Stony Hill, and recommend that all the land within this area be included for acquisition on the Community Preservation Fund list. The Stony Hill region is of critical importance due to its central location to the town’s large population areas, including the hamlet of Springs. The highest level of protection — acquisition — is recommended for all the parcels within this area to protect high quality drinking water supplies for a large number of people in East Hampton.”
If the town board continues to violate the town comprehensive plan and poison our water, it is time for them to go.
Sincerely,
ALEXANDER PETERS
President
Amagansett Springs Aquifer Protection
Supported Genocide
Sagaponack
September 9, 2025
Dear David:
According to an article in the medical journal The Lancet, conservative estimates say the true death toll in Gaza could be more than 186,000 people. At least 408 humanitarian workers, including over 280 from the United Nations health and relief organization, have been killed. According to the U.N., “By the end of September, more than 640,000 people will face ‘catastrophic’ levels of food insecurity . . . across the Gaza Strip.” At least 90 percent of Palestinians in Gaza, 1.9 million people, have been displaced. According to satellite imagery, The U.N. identified “70,436 destroyed structures, 18,588 severely damaged structures, 51,962 moderately damaged structures, and 33,500 possibly damaged structures. . . .” As of early May, the number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons exceeded 10,100, including 37 women, over 400 children,” according to the Middle East Monitor. At least 273 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile at home on eastern Long Island there is a campaign to glorify Israel’s siege, to deny the genocide against Palestinian people, and to harass anyone who supports Palestinian rights. I am part of a group, East End for Peace and Justice (initially known as East End for Ceasefire), which has been holding a vigil to demand an end to the U.S.-supported Israeli genocide against Palestinian people, every Sunday at 3 p.m. in front of the windmill in Sag Harbor since mid-October, 2023. We have regularly been met with verbal aggression, harassment, and, at times, violent behavior from passers-by and a group standing some yards from us called East End Jews for Israel.
While there has been a chilling silence from local institutions about the genocide that, as taxpayers, we are financing, there has been plenty of local support for the siege. During the month of August, there were numerous events related to support for Israel. These are just three of them: On Aug. 7, the Lawfare Project (a legal group engaged in a vast number of civil litigations with the purpose of delegitimizing solidarity with Palestine) held a fund-raiser at the Southampton Arts Center. On Aug. 10, there was a private benefit in Sagaponack for solidarity with Israel, honoring the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. On Aug. 31, the Jewish Center of the Hamptons held a brunch with Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, hosting war criminal and chief executive officer of Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan.
On Aug. 31, a group of Jewish community members and allies interrupted the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces event at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, decrying the institution’s celebration of a war criminal. Josh Dubnau spoke on behalf of the group: “As a Jewish Long Islander, and in the name of my ancestors who were murdered by the Nazis, I demand an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Never again is for everyone. I am disgusted to have this war criminal from the I.D.F. in our community.”
Jewish organizers closed the action by announcing at a rally across the street, “We here are embodying Jewish values by resisting genocide. By resisting the killing of children. By saying never again to anyone.”
As a Jewish person from the East End of Long Island, I echo these messages. I am horrified to witness these events celebrating the destruction of an entire population. And I am grateful to those who show up, speak out, interrupt; reflecting an overwhelming consensus worldwide.
Sincerely
ELLA ENGEL-SNOW
Alleviate Suffering
Sagaponack
September 8, 2025
Dear Editor,
What does one do during a genocide — a live-streamed genocide that kills children, old folks, and any living thing in the path of bombs, leaving kids with their limbs blown off, nearly 90 percent of all homes destroyed, no food or medicine available, and a constant threat of annihilation?
One tries to alleviate the suffering of so many in the Gaza Strip. A group of artists donated their work at an event held at Windmill Village to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders.
Thank you, Camille, for organizing the fund-raiser and for everyone who came to raise funds and speak truth to power.
JEREMY GROSVENOR
Dissenting Opinions
East Hampton
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
It was not surprising or shocking to read in last week’s Star (“Activists Disrupt the Weekend,” Sept. 4) of the activities of a group of dissenters that included a verbal confrontation at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons protesting the appearance of a controversial Israeli major general, Nadav Padan, a strong supporter of Netanyahu’s war policies and national director of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the only organization authorized to collect charitable donations on behalf of the soldiers of the I.D.F.
As The Star reported, the incident showed (online) a middle-aged man standing up from the audience and in a heated exchange with the speaker, yelling, “As a Jewish Long Islander, and in the name of my ancestors who were murdered by the Nazis, I demand an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.”
The interviewer can be heard saying, “Please don’t engage with them, everybody,” as other members of the group began to chant, “Stop the genocide, free Palestine.”
In a previous letter to the editor (“Engage With Dissent,” Aug. 4), Rabbi Jan Uhrbach described the excellent reporting by The Star, “understated,” in her opinion, of an event at the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach where behavior directed toward peaceful protesters was even more shameful than described.
In my own letter of Aug. 25 (“Mission Abandoned”), on the recent panel I attended at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons on “Issues Facing the State of Israel,” I commented on the remark by panelist Steve Greenberg, calling mayoral candidate Mamdani an antisemite, and a rude encounter I witnessed after the event, in which a member of the congregation crossed the line and called another panelist — Susie Gelman — someone who was fostering Jew hatred.
And we’re not even touching on the rude and crude abuse and intimidation organized and led by Martin Agoos, David Saxe, and others, regularly directed toward the East End for Cease-Fire group of protesters that holds Sunday weekly vigils in Sag Harbor.
Shouting to disrupt or drown out a speaker in a synagogue, mosque, church, or classroom, etc., has no place in civil discourse in our democracy. Regardless of the cause, it’s simply unacceptable, counterproductive, and it infringes on all our free speech rights.
The response by the interviewer at the Jewish Center to the outbursts at the synagogue — “Please don’t engage with them, everybody,” was also wrong and the exact opposite response than was necessary.
It was an incredible opportunity for learning that could have brought people together from both sides of the debate. There were at least a few members in the audience whose ancestors were murdered by the Nazis. Can you imagine if Rabbi Franklin or Major General Pavan opened up the floor to that discussion between those individuals? Instead, security was brought in, and the protesters were escorted out of the synagogue, as was the case with the Westhampton protesters.
There were a number of groups that could have been invited to share the event at the Jewish Center and dialogue with Major General Pavan. Combatants for Peace, a representative from the 22 Arab countries at the United Nations who have called for a demilitarization of Hamas; other peace groups from both sides of the Gaza conflict, including a rapidly growing group of I.D.F. soldiers refusing to serve; Peter Beinart of Jewish Currents, Susannah Heschel, chair of the Department of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth; Zionist Israeli historians like Avi Shilon who are critics of Netanyahu governmental war policies, etc., to name a few.
Clergy, their administrators, and their boards are not following their mission of providing and modeling the skills, setting the tone, and [creating the] opportunities for civil debate to foster better understanding among all members and nonmembers of their congregations.
As much as Harry Katz and Carole Olshan, president and chairwoman respectively of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, would argue differently in their recent email to the J.C.O.H. family, the Jewish Center is not offering a forum for diverse ideas and speakers who offer those dissenting opinions. By their choices of speakers and events, they are not holding fast to their commitment to be a community that brings people together across differences.
When they say that they “remain committed to ensuring that the Jewish Center is a safe and welcoming space,” it would be helpful to add that in the Jewish prophetic tradition, offering a safe and welcoming space to dissenting opinions is encouraged, as well.
That would be the correct and more inclusive way to engage with dissent that would “ensure that all who join can do so with peace of mind.” And safety.
Sincerely,
JIM VRETTOS
Does Not Do Enough
East Hampton
September 7, 2025
Dear David,
Trump’s war on offshore wind has brought his delusional dismissal of climate change into the news yet again. But that isn’t changing reality. As the world grows hotter in the next decades, it will eventually cease to be habitable for humanity. Not good for us, although cockroaches may survive.
Our weapons to take the place of fossil fuels are the energy technologies that can be built the most cheaply and quickly: solar, wind, and batteries. Incredibly, the Trump administration is using every bogus permitting review or cancellation of tax credits to kneecap them. It’s up to the states to take the lead.
In 2022, New York’s Climate Action Council prepared a thoughtful and comprehensive scoping plan that mapped out the paths to achieve New York’s climate mandates. But New York has failed to act on the overwhelming majority of the scoping plan’s recommendations. Now we have the opportunity to reset our compass to cleaner energy and net-zero emissions.
The state’s draft energy plan is currently up for review, setting policy for the next few years, but it jettisons most of the scoping plan’s concrete recommendations in favor of vague and noncommittal suggestions about future planning or action. It does not do nearly enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Governor Hochul must direct the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to get back to the scoping plan and make it happen — now. We have to get to net zero in a timely way, or the cockroaches, not our grandchildren’s grandchildren, will inherit the Earth.
To submit a public comment on the state’s draft energy plan, as I did, send an email to [email protected] and include “comment” in your subject line. We need to make our voices heard!
LENA TABORI
Co-Founder
Climate Change Resources
A World of Crime
Montauk
September 8, 2025
Dear David,
I had a huge chuckle reading Robert Ilhe’s letter. Bea Derrico and Carol Dray running first and second in their letters of honest and sincere truth of today’s political situation — although he didn’t state how reliable we are in stating how much he hates Donald Trump. Being first and second, Mr. Ihle must be dead last, along with all those who suffer from hateful Trump syndrome.
If you and the Democratic governors, mayors, choose to live in a world of crime, can’t live safely to take a walk, fear of bullets coming through your window, bail for criminals not existing, children cannot go outside, but, for that matter, not safe in their home, any minute bullets may come through their windows.
Screaming, “Trump is another Hitler” is more than laughable because he wants to clean up the streets and make them safe.
A few people have approached me asking, “You are going to answer that arrogant fool’s letter?”
Mr. Ihle, what was the reason for that particular letter? Proved nothing except you are not the smartest person in the room, just a fool showing off — for who?
In God and country,
BEA DERRICO
‘True Patriot’
Montauk
September 5, 2025
To the Editor,
The world according to Derrico and Dray!
There is a new definition for the title of “True American Patriot” according to Carol Dray and Bea Derrico. (Surprise, surprise!) According to these two individuals, a patriot must first and foremost misuse government authority to maintain political power and be proven to be the most-corrupt president in American history while spewing constant lies, falsehoods, and conspiracy theories. It also helps if you are convicted 34 times and were facing 91 more criminal charges.
A true patriot must also be impeached twice and found liable in civil court for sexual abuse. It helps if you try desperately to overturn an election and incite a riot because you now believe your own lies.
The border policies can be nothing short of passionate while the patriot separates thousands of children from their parents to prove how strong he actually is.
A true patriot must allegedly have “bone spurs” so you can avoid military service. It also helps if you characterize Jeffery Epstein as a “terrific guy” and have maintained a 15-year relationship with a notable sex trafficker.
These are all stellar attributes of our True American Patriot and I am sure there are many more if we just took the time to read the absolute trash which Carol Dray and Bea Derrico write weekly. One thing we do know for sure is that they both drink the Kool-Aid and are roommates in Disneyland.
ROBERT IHLE
Mickey and Minnie
Montauk
September 5, 2025
Dear David,
If Trump changes the name of the Department of Defense to the War Department, I think it is only fitting that he change the name of the Department of Health and Human Services to the Death Department. Due to the propaganda and leadership of a crazed snake oil salesman, the first to die will be the children who have the misfortune of living in Florida.
If I had young children, I would take them to California to meet Mickey and Minnie; I would avoid Florida like the plague.
Cheers,
BRIAN POPE
Be a Prophet
East Hampton
September 2, 2025
Dear Mr. Rattray,
In the Hebrew scriptures, Isaiah insists, “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Like Isaiah, the prophets were not seers who predicted the future. They were messengers through whom God spoke about how the poor, sick, lonely, and oppressed should be treated. Nearly 3,000 years after Isaiah conveyed this message, we need prophets today more than ever when you consider how people in need are being treated in America.
For example, as a result of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2034, 7.8 million people will become uninsured due to Medicaid cuts, 4 million people will become uninsured due to marketplace cuts, and an additional 4.2 million people will lose marketplace coverage because the legislation fails to extend the premium tax credit enhancements. In sum, roughly 16 million people by 2034 will lose their Medicaid coverage. It’s worth noting that, while these Medicaid cuts will not go into effect until after the 2026 midterm elections, the tax cuts for the ultrarich under this bill went into effect immediately.
Be a modern-day prophet. Express your worry and concern about what is happening to the marginalized in America by calling Nick LaLota’s office, writing letters to the local papers, or sharing a story about someone you know who is fearful about being one of those 16 million Americans.
SALVATORE TOCCI
Department of War
East Hampton
September 8, 2025
To the Editor,
Regarding our new Department of War, if we had dropped even more bombs on Vietnam, how could we now have had the opportunity to raise tariffs on them, as we have recently done?
They did need to keep their pockets so we could pick them.
TOM MACKEY
Chummy Partnership
North Haven
September 8, 2025
Dear David:
I hope we all saw Vladimir Putin (president of Russia), Kim Jong Un (supreme leader of North Korea), and Narendra Modi (prime minister of India), gathering in China Wednesday with Xi Jinping (president of the People’s Republic of China), to celebrate his massive military parade, said to commemorate the defeat of Japan in World War II. Of course the United States had a lot to do with ending the war, which was overlooked purposely. Obviously this was their “thumb in the eye” of Trump.
Xi was more intent on showing off all his military hardware and his massive troops in perfect jack-booted marching style. It was a clear message to the “free world” that China is now the leader of a very strong, aggressive nation, supported by a new chummy partnership of rogue nuclear nations. Authoritarian rule is obviously their ambition for world domination. The message to all of us in the free world is, “What are you going to do about it?”
What can we do about it? This powerful trio of dictators now has a commanding power to overcome anything our demented, bumbling president dreams he can do to resist them. The recent Alaska fiasco showed the whole world Trump has nothing to confront authoritarian bullies with other than his bluster and naive, shallow charm.
Trump alienates our allies deliberately with outrageous vindictive tariffs. Unfortunately India’s Modi is likely there along for the ride only to save his country’s economy. India’s split from us happened before, during the Reagan administration. President Ronald Reagan had the arrogance to tell India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi she should befriend only the U.S.A. in trade and must not trade with the U.S.S.R. for their survival supplies. That led to that serious split-up with our friendly ally. And here we go again, punishing India with punitive tariffs, showing we haven’t learned anything from history, or mutual respect.
Americans have put up with this incompetent and vindictive behavior so long it has become normalized among us. But, it scares the hell out of the rest of the free world. Our country has lost almost all respect from our allies and enemies alike.
Authoritarian regimes now feel empowered to run roughshod over us with impunity. Taiwan, Europe, and Putin’s unification target Ukraine will become victims as well. Trump’s track record of sucking up to Putin and other dictators is failing miserably. His fear to show real strength and commitment continues his lifelong pattern and legacy. Our once convincingly strong nation has been reduced to a joke, full of empty promises and a great wealth that is free for plundering.
Will we ever stop allowing our Congress to sit on their collective asses, doing nothing but collecting their generous compensation and fringe, while going along with the Project 2025 destructive process imposed by Trump’s legally questionable executive orders? We can vote to remove these elected sycophants, and repair our government starting right now! We must get serious about seeking strong local and national candidates who are willing to honestly fight for us, their constituents. We are so over being polite in the face of ugly ridicule and lies. Now we must fight aggressively with the facts to survive this.
Let’s look at Texas’s James Talarico for example, a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He said that being a progressive Democrat in his very red state of Texas requires more than complaining; it requires the ability to fight hard and skillfully. He does exactly that, with focused intelligence and the energy of his younger age. He is sharp, strong, and not afraid of confronting tyrants and bad governing.
Let’s find some of that strong fighting talent here in our area. Our own so-called representatives fail to represent us. They go along with King Trump — or just play dead. We finally have learned that their obsequious compliance with power, and our “being nice,” doesn’t win. We must really fight hard to effectively save ourselves from this disaster. We’ve got to seriously upgrade our game.
Let’s start right now. Let’s fight not just for ourselves, but for our friends Jean, Joanne, John, and Jane Doe, and all the folks we don’t know who are feeling the pain of government abuse and neglect.
ANTHONY CORON
Trump Himself
Plainview
September 6, 2025
To the Editor,
If Donald Trump is successful at banning transgender people from owning guns on the grounds that they are “mentally defective,” how then will Trump himself ever be able to test his 2016 fantasy that he personally “could shoot somebody in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters”?
RICHARD SIEGELMAN