Letters

Thank you, Joe Shaw, and The Express, for producing and moderating another most thoughtful and informative debate with our candidates running for Village of North Haven trustee [“Watch: North Haven Village Board Candidates Debate,” 27east.com, June 5]. It surely highlighted for me that Terie Diat is unquestionably the most qualified and experienced person running for North Haven trustee. As a 40-year resident of North Haven, I strongly support Terie’s reelection to our board of trustees.

As someone who regularly attends North Haven trustee meetings, I have witnessed how thoughtfully prepared she is for every meeting and the relevant points and questions she raises. She has done an excellent job as trustee, authoring code that better protects our shoreline and wetlands, launching our “ticks out of North Haven” program, initiating our North Haven newsletter, installing a state-of-the-art septic system at Village Hall, and championing sensible improvements to our code.

As someone who lives on one of our glorious North Haven creeks, I am particularly grateful for her work in obtaining $300,000 of grants for water quality improvement projects in North Haven. These are stellar accomplishments.

As someone who served over 10 years on the Suffolk County Planning Commission, I have hundreds of hours of training and observing best practices in zoning and land use law and policy. A central premise of land use law is that property rights can only be taken away from an owner if the action is backed by a Comprehensive Plan. Terie is correct that if we want to reduce the trend of oversized homes in North Haven, we must look at our code comprehensively. Passing code piecemeal leads to unfairness and unintended consequences and in the end does little to change what is built.

I strongly urge my fellow North Haven residents to vote for Terie Diat on Tuesday and reelect her as North Haven Village trustee. We must give her the opportunity to continue her great service to our community.

Barbara Roberts

North Haven