Letters

We are lucky that there are some members of our community with the courage to stand up to bullies [“Southampton Board Member Accuses Former Southampton Village Mayor of Aggressive Confrontation; Ad Hoc Merger Committee Forms,” 27east.com, August 21].

It sounds like Southampton School Board member Germain Smith was just doing his job, and doing it well, when he raised questions about process and engaged in public debate before voting to approve an appointment. The fact that he was physically accosted and berated should offend and alarm anyone who believes in fairness, public service, and the open debate and process that guarantee these things.

Mr. Smith should have received the comfort and support he sought after going public with this ugly episode. He was standing up for all of us when he called out intimidation aimed at quashing debate.

We all stand to lose when we don’t call out acts of intimidation. The fainter hearts among us will shrink from asking questions, or will not seek out public service in the first place. Outcomes will be predetermined; they will serve the few, not the many who elect school officials to represent them and stand up for their kids.

For those following political developments in the village, the changes in process designed to discourage robust public discussion and dissent also should be alarming.

The elimination of independent ethics monitors, the replacement of board law firms and environmental planners, and changes in remote attendance rules as an end run around public hearing recording and posting requirements are all effective means of consolidating power.

In the absence of procedure and open debate, the powerful few can decide alone, and not always in the public interest — and, as we all learned in school, that’s not fair.

Willa Bernstein

Southampton