Letters

Labor Day has passed and the 2021 campaign season is now underway in earnest.

In my humble opinion, things are going very well here in the Town of Southampton with Democrats holding a super-majority.

We have a very strong slate of candidates all across the board. Several of our candidates are very well known and they are running for reelection. Given their strong records and accomplishments, they deserve another term, and I expect them to win.

I will devote this letter to a Democratic candidate who is running for public office for the very first time. As she is a fresh new face on the scene, many voters may not be familiar with her. Today, I will tell you a little bit about her and why I am supporting her.

I would like to introduce you to Martha Reichert, who is running for Town Trustee.

The shdems.org website has this synopsis:

Attorney Martha Reichert served as counsel to the Southampton Town Trustees. She is a Hampton Bays resident who has spent much of her life on or in the water. She grew up in Montauk as part of a boat-building and marina-owning family, where she gained valuable knowledge of the needs of a waterfront community.

An ardent environmentalist since her youth, Martha is deeply committed to the development of sustainable practices and policies for the Trustees that will balance the needs of our local maritime traditions with countering the effects of sea-level rise, climate change, and other interconnected threats to water quality.

You can find her in her free time with her family, hiking, fishing, clamming, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and generally exploring the natural beauty of the Town of Southampton. She is also fluent in Spanish.

As an attorney, she has spent the last 11 years working in both the private and public sector. She is a former Town of Southampton assistant town attorney and was given the great honor of serving as counsel to the Southampton Town Trustees, the very board for which she is now a candidate. Martha has experience with the challenges and issues that the Trustees currently face, in addition to her familiarity with their history, rules, regulations and procedures.

Martha was involved with the town’s efforts to reduce single-use plastics and helped craft legislation restricting the use of plastic straws, polystyrene and balloons in the town. In addition to improving and protecting water quality, Martha is also committed to protecting and expanding beach and water access and would like to implement public outreach and educational programs that will prepare the next generation of coastal stewards.

Martha is exceptionally articulate and her intelligence just shines through. In my opinion, Martha will be a great Trustee.

Dick Sheehan

Westhampton Beach

Mr. Sheehan is secretary of the Southampton Town Democratic Committee — Ed.