On May 14, the Sag Harbor Village Board will begin an important and long-overdue conversation with its residents about a subject that affects everyone, resident and visitor alike: parking in... more
The current friction on the Sag Harbor Village Board may provide one small benefit: It’s going to put any idea through a wringer to see if it can hold up to close scrutiny. Take the idea of a roundabout. The Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee is exploring the idea of a roundabout at the busy intersection of Main Street and Jermain Avenue, at the entrance to Mashashimuet Park. It might dovetail into Suffolk County plans to make the north end of the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike more pedestrian-friendly and safer. But Village Board member Aidan Corish raised an excellent point: ...
24 Jul 2024 by Editorial Board
Publishing a list of the top residential water users on the South Fork each summer has become a tradition for The Express News Group. It’s an unenviable list to be on and was given the name “Water Hogs of the Hamptons” with the express purpose of getting under the skin of the homeowners who use as much as 100 times the amount of water as the average household, perhaps influencing them to rein in their water use. Despite the misconception that the Suffolk County Water Authority puts out this list annually, “Water Hogs” is this organization’s initiative, using data obtained ...
by Editorial Board
This is an editorial, but the Editorial Board has given me the chance to write a personal message, one that we all endorse but filtered through my personal experience. You see, Butler, Pennsylvania, is my hometown — near enough, at least, that my high school years were spent in a house just 10 miles from the Big Butler Fairgrounds, where I attended the annual fair there, and the frequent Jaycees’ haunted houses around Halloween, which I once believed were the most terrifying thing that could be experienced on that site. I had a couple of old friends in that crowd ...
17 Jul 2024 by Joseph P. Shaw
DUNCE CAP: To various international media organizations — principally the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom and the New York Post — for the wretched treatment of a young local police officer for having the audacity to do his job. When a certain big-name singer (let’s not use any names for once, since everyone involved has gotten far too much ink already) was arrested a few weeks ago in Sag Harbor on a charge of driving while intoxicated, some media outlets in the feeding frenzy decided to focus sharply on the arresting officer, who may not have recognized the celebrity. ...
10 Jul 2024 by Editorial Board
The deep divide in this country, politically, has at least one positive side: By demonizing the other side as potentially dangerous for the future of America’s democratic system, both parties are summoning a new appreciation for that system, and perhaps a new dedication to protecting it. But, beyond using it as a campaign cudgel, talking about “threats to democracy” can be a difficult conversation — for it to be effective, we all have to examine our own beliefs, not just our opponents’. Among the basic tenets of American democracy is a belief in that system of government, as frustrating as ...
2 Jul 2024 by Editorial Board
It may not feel like it to him right now, but Justin Timberlake is a lucky guy. The pop star, who has been accused of — and it’s important to note that it’s just an accusation at this point — driving drunk after leaving The American Hotel in Sag Harbor last week, has been the target of a worldwide maelstrom of media reports detailing his arrest. National and international media outlets have been camped out in the village, trying to interview everyone and anyone with any knowledge of — or, at this point, even speculation about — the incident. The ...
26 Jun 2024 by Editorial Board
News of a link between a cold case 1993 murder in North Sea to the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer earlier this month left the local community shocked that the heinous killing spree that has made international headlines extended to what was, at the time, a pretty remote corner of Southampton Town. While it doesn’t appear that the murder took place here — prosecutors are speculating that the body of Sandra Costilla was dumped in the woods near Old Fish Cove Road on November 20, 1993, after she was killed elsewhere — the idea that suspected killer Rex Heuermann appears ...
19 Jun 2024 by Editorial Board
If it’s not too late — though it probably is — it might offer some perspective to remember exactly what the Southampton Town Board decision on June 11, involving Liberty Gardens, really was: The board merely declined to change the existing zoning on a property. It was not a monumental decision in that regard, nor does it bear quite the philosophical significance it has been assigned by the disappointed developer, Concern Housing. It was, in fact, a much less dynamic choice than if the board had voted in favor. Yes, the Town Board had seemed to be moving toward allowing ...
by Editorial Board
Sag Harbor Village officials have a conundrum on their hands when it comes to parking — a small village with limited space, and incredible demand in season — but should get full credit for pursuing some creative strategies to find a workable plan. There are two parts of the problem: How do you manage spaces for visitors and shoppers to be accommodated on a rolling basis throughout the day? And what about all the people who work at village businesses, catering to those visitors and shoppers? Paid parking can be used for the first purpose — the trick is finding ...
by Editorial Board
It’s an old adage that when voters — or newspaper editorial boards — are evaluating incumbents and challengers for elected positions, the real decision amounts to a simple question: Should the incumbents be fired? Certainly, there are times when an elected official is doing such a poor job that he or she deserves to lose it. And other times when a challenger is so strong by comparison that it makes sense to unseat the incumbent and give the newcomer a chance. The two competitive village races are perfect examples: Each of the candidates is well-qualified to serve and could well ...
12 Jun 2024 by Editorial Board
