Constituents Raise Concerns With Lee Zeldin At East Hampton American Legion On Wednesday

U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin treated about 30 constituents in East Hampton Town to an early-morning breakfast of muffins, coffee and an opportunity to speak with him about local issues on Wednesday, May 30.

Mr. Zeldin’s visit to East Hampton American Legion Post 419 in Amagansett started with a public forum called “coffee with your congressman,” which was followed by face-to-face conversations with individuals in keeping with the format of his mobile office hours. One constituent at the first segment was Carole Campolo of Springs, who wanted to know what he could do to address high property taxes in Springs, which she said was one of the least well-off hamlets on the East End as well as a home to many immigrants.

“There are different aspects related to the relationship between taxes and immigration,” Mr. Zeldin replied.

Steve Ringel, executive director of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, asked Mr. Zeldin for input on how to acquire funding for a community-wide science lab with The Ross School in East Hampton focusing on after-school programs for students in middle school and high school. Mr. Zeldin responded by saying that such funding becomes available only “sometimes.”

“The short answer is that we can look into it,” he said.

Kim Garcia of Mahoney Associates landscaping of Southampton told Mr. Zeldin that she objected to the limited number of work visas provided by the H2-B program, which grants temporary visas to foreign workers in the U.S. Having a smaller number of visas for foreign workers limits the number of people the company can hire for the busy season, Ms. Garcia said.

“How do we sell anything to people if we don’t have the right number of workers?” Ms. Garcia said.

Ms. Garcia went on to tell the congressman that her company’s drivers are often pulled over by police to check to see if they and their trucks are properly certified. Her concerns were backed by John Tortorella, owner of the Tortorella Group in Southampton, who added that drivers for his pool company have been pulled over for up to four hours, delaying work.

“I think he was very concerned about the issue and how it affects the island,” Mr. Tortorella said of Mr. Zeldin after the forum.

James Lubetkin, an Amagansett resident and member of the Everit Albert Herter VFW Post 550 in Wainscott, spoke one on one with Mr. Zeldin during his mobile office hours. Mr. Lubetkin asked Mr. Zeldin to be more vocal against “outrageous statements” made by President Donald Trump, specifically citing Mr. Trump’s claim that an informant had infiltrated his presidential campaign—”Spygate,” as the president referred to it on Twitter last month.

“I hope that when things like this come out, I’d love to see you say, ‘This is inappropriate,’” Mr. Lubetkin told Mr. Zeldin. “I believe you know the difference between right and wrong.”

Mr. Lubetkin went on to say that he found the tenor of conversations about national issues to be “shocking.”

“I heard the term ‘tribalism’ for the first time this year, and I don’t like it,” Mr. Lubetkin said.

“There are policies that are debated and implemented that I’m supportive of, but there are also certain world views that I have no problem speaking out for or against,” Mr. Zeldin responded.

After his meeting, Mr. Lubetkin said that he appreciated Mr. Zeldin’s time and the chance to discuss the “lack of civility in the national discourse.”

“Any elected official must listen to his constituents,” Mr. Lubetkin said. “I don’t expect my conversation to have an impact on his thinking, but I hope that any representatives start to implement better thinking.”