Letters

It’s been arduous, as well as enlightening, to knock on doors all over Southampton Village, and to walk the village streets, shaded by the beautiful trees and sometimes by the over-zealous supporters of my opponents.

With the election this week, residents opened up about what concerns them. Many are retired and worry about escalating taxes. There is a general unhappiness about overdevelopment and the changing look of the village streets. Tuckahoe residents who also live in the village want the school districts to merge — sooner rather than later. The redevelopment of the hospital property seemed to catch people’s attention, as well as traffic and safety: so many accidents, infrastructure and potholes, concern for the environment.

I listened carefully and I want to roll up my sleeves and get to work on these issues for all the residents of the village.

As a trustee, I have tried to put into practice my belief that compromise and negotiations are the best way to get things accomplished. Maybe the only way.

Most of the problems the village faces are not new. And we must not make the mistake of reaching for quick fixes to long-term problems that will end up coming up short, costing us dearly. I’m for setting reasonable goals that reasonable people can support, doable in a realistic time frame.

My record as trustee shows that I have supported every environmental expenditure, zoning reform regulation, and good-faith preservation initiatives of the village’s land use boards in the hope that these decisions will reflect what the residents want and leave a legacy we can be proud of.

I always have been, and always will be, an independent person. I think that provides me with the best opportunity to evaluate all sides of any issue and to work with everyone regardless of their affiliations.

If you reelect me for a second term, I will double down on your priorities and continue to work for civility, analysis and building a consensus.

You can choose to keep me working for you me on Line C on June 17. Thanks, and remember to vote!

Joseph R. McLoughlin

Trustee

Southampton Village