Letters

The Town Board of Southampton has apologized for signing a contract with the planning firm of Nelson Pope Voorhis. The contract contained tyrannical goals to neutralize resident opposition to the town’s proposed Hampton Bays Downtown Overlay District plan [“‘Regrettable’ Contract Passage Seeks To Discredit Opponents Of Hampton Bays Overlay District,” 27east.com, August 24].

However, at this point apologies are not enough. Why now is the town government so contrite? Is it because of its outrageous attempt to deny citizens of their civil rights? Or the fact that they were exposed trying to do it?

Jay Schneiderman’s administration’s past actions speak much louder than his current apology. Mr. Schneiderman purged the Hampton Bays Citizens Advisory Committee of opposition in January 2020 when members of the committee requested a delay in approving the HBDOD. The committee wanted a delay until there was a report issued by the State Department of Environmental Conservation outlining the extent of the contamination from the Hampton Bays Fire Department Superfund site.

In August 2021, Hampton Bays resident Gayle Lombardi prevailed in her lawsuit against the town for filing a deficient New York State Environmental Quality Review Act for the HBDOD project. Supervisor Schneiderman, instead of explaining why the town filed an inadequate SEQRA, launched a personal tirade against Ms. Lombardi, accusing her of being a one-person obstructionist to Hampton Bays progress.

Recently, at the August Hampton Bays CAC meeting — I am a member — I had my microphone shut off and I was ejected from the Zoom meeting. This may have been a gross violation of New York State’s Open Meetings Law. Was this, in view of the NPV contract revelations, an attempt to deny me of my First Amendment rights — my “neutralization”?

Knowing the before-mentioned incidents, it’s difficult to accept the Schneiderman administration excuse that approving and signing this contract was simply an oversight.

Mr. Schneiderman has lost the confidence of the Hampton Bays community. There must be accountability for this outrage. Mr. Schneiderman should withdraw the current HBDOD plan and craft a less ambitious one with real input of the Hampton Bays community. Half-measures are not enough.

There has simply been too much water under the bridge for an apology to suffice.

Ray D’Angelo

Hampton Bays