Letters

I do not have much faith in the group of East Quogue residents and their attempt to incorporate the hamlet. Their initial petition was fraught with inaccuracies, despite legal counsel, and was subsequently denied by Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. A project of this magnitude and consequence should not have 35 dead people still listed as residents of the hamlet—that is way too big a mistake. It shows a “get it done at any cost” attitude and portends similar errors with greater consequences down the road.

As a resident, I am not willing to support something as risky as this.

Since its inception, there has been one public meeting outlining the proposed plan. (Cocktail parties advertising “drinks and fun” do not count as public meetings.) At the presentation, many questions were left unanswered, because the presenters did not know the answers. I was told that the committee was involved in discussions with the supervisor to have one of the ocean beaches turned over to the potential village. Ten minutes later, I was told that, in fact, that was not the case.

This isn’t a game—we are talking serious business that could cost hamlet residents both money and loss of services.

The more I think about this ludicrous endeavor, the more I realize that too many things have not been addressed. If incorporation is the plan, the village green, public marinas, at least one ocean beach open only to East Quogue residents, and any town-owned facilities must be part of the incorporation. Otherwise, hamlet assets will be fractionalized and mismanaged.

The notion that elected officials will work for no compensation might hold true for the first administration, but not for much longer. Costs will escalate and will be passed on to the taxpayers of East Quogue.

At the end of the day, this incorporation plan is nothing more than a half-baked, ego-driven power grab. It is a reaction to the golf course development in the Pine Barrens being defeated.

It is not important to me whether these proponents are in it for personal gain, as I don’t care what their motives are. I only know that their plan is misguided and woefully incomplete. It is too late to remedy the proposal; it is too important an issue to cut-and-paste remedies.

Like the golf course, this plan was dismissed by our elected officials. We do not need another layer of government in East Quogue, or a replacement one. The word “no” in Town Hall has taken on another meaning, as the fear of litigation has turned “no” into “maybe.”

A project of this magnitude should not be driven by a small group with axes to grind. That is all we have here.

William R. KearnsEast Quogue