Letters

Running for office for the first time has been an amazing experience. I underestimated the joy I would feel from the support shown by my friends, local acquaintances and total strangers giving their thumbs up and wishing me luck.

By contrast, I have had a front row seat during our debates to listen to our incumbent members of the Southampton Town Board, Planning Board and Highway Department. I have been very disappointed, as a candidate and as a citizen, not to hear new potential ideas about how they would effectively adjust their plans of action to fix the problems at hand and finally move our community forward.

The current plan for this housing is dependent on the acceptance of the referendum for an additional half-percent property tax dedicated to affordable housing on the ballot on November 2. If it passes, it will likely underfund what is necessary to accommodate our housing needed today for our youth, our elderly and our local nurses, teachers, police, firemen, etc.

Bridgehampton, among others, has presented its issues to the town planning committee; however, the member of the Town Planning Board claims not to have knowledge of these complaints. (If I am elected, I will personally sit in on the planning/CAC meetings or create another more productive venue. You deserve to be heard.)

Failed property assessments: This policy was such a failure from inception, it had to be frozen for two years. It was put back on the table this summer. (I’m sure we will not hear more about this until after the election.) It needs to be reviewed and revised. It needs to include a five-to-10-year rolling average for valuation rather than 100 percent of current value. What was unsuccessful two years ago, pre-COVID, will be so much more expensive to our homeowners at 10-year-high property values.

The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and again, expecting a different result. Well, that is where the Township of Southampton is on November 2. We need new people, new ideas, new resources, new collaboration. And … a new conversation at the Southampton Town Board.

I humbly ask for your vote.

Ann Thomas

Southampton

Thomas is a Republican candidate for Southampton Town Board — Ed.