Letters

I read your editorial on 27east [“No Easy Answers,” January 8]. Although my tenure at the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce was short lived, one thing became incredibly clear to me: It is a tribal echo chamber in East Hampton.

Over the course of the last 20 years, and at an accelerated rate since COVID, the landscape both socially and physically has changed drastically. But this change is not reflected at all in the local organizations and government, or in the general mentality.

The chamber is a great example — the bylaws are written so that, every year, the members elect a new board from their membership. This is a wonderful concept in that it gives a fresh view and perspective to the organization. Yet this practice is disregarded, and instead you have the same board for almost the last 10 years that keeps running the same playbook — and look at how swimmingly that is going.

Look at the newly appointed committees in East Hampton: It’s all the same players playing musical chairs. The only new faces you see echo, verbatim, the positions of the existing players. One bright spot is David Filer, a fresh voice for town justice.

The village is a bit of a unique situation, in that Mayor Jerry Larsen and the trustees are trying new things and open to new voices. Yet it should be noted that a vocal few are still trying to hamper any changes with claims of use of public space as illegal, restrictions on inns, and God forbid any changes to Herrick Park.

If there is to be any impactful movement out here in regards to housing, employment and all the other ills, our local organizations and government need to open up and realize that letting new voices in and maybe stepping back is actually the best thing they can do.

The shuffling of stale ideas and unwillingness to let go of the dated sense of ownership is a huge part of what is hindering any forward movement out here. Let some other people into the tent, or, for God’s sake, take the tent down and allow real community engagement.

Mary Waserstein

East Hampton

Waserstein is the former executive director of the Greater East Hampton Chamber of Commerce — Ed.