It’s the Christmas season, and one of my, and I am sure your, favorite movies is “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Stewart. He plays George Bailey, a man on the verge of suicide who wishes he had never been born. He is a leading citizen of Bedford Falls, and while standing on a bridge about to jump off, he is saved by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows him what the town would have become without George Bailey.
The hypothetical development of the town without a George Bailey is pretty dismal. It is controlled by banker Henry Potter. Real estate development has created slums; greed is his primary motivation, community is forgotten. The name of the town has been changed to Pottersville.
Today in Sag Harbor we have our own Mr. Potter; let’s hope we have enough George Baileys.
Chris Leonard
Sag Harbor
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