I was quite surprised about one item on the September 9 agenda for the Southampton Village Board meeting. The trustees are attempting to change the code with regard to which governing board will hear certain special use exemptions.
When I questioned the trustees at the meeting, I was informed that the changes to the code are only for food pantries and museums. I responded by saying that these changes must pertain to the Heart of the Hamptons moving to Meeting House Lane, and the Pyrrhus Concer homestead project at 51 Pond Lane. The attorney for the village stated that the changes did not have any particular project or address attached to them.
For those who aren’t aware, the village has prematurely signed a lease for the former ambulance location on Meeting House Lane with the intent to move the Heart of the Hamptons to this location. In addition, there also has been an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals for variances at 51 Pond Lane to construct a visitors center, museum and amphitheater on the property, which has recently been pulled by the applicant.
This action by the trustees is a flagrant disregard for the laws that safeguard our community. The purpose of a zoning board is to assess projects that are requesting variances or special use exemptions. To take this power away from them is in opposition to what the board was established for in the first place.
If we allow this to happen, then it’s only a matter of time before the trustees decide to misuse their power on other issues. It is appalling that rather than allowing the process to take place, the village trustees and our mayor are deciding to attempt to change the village code to suit their needs. This is a disgrace.
Regardless of whether you are for or against these projects, the main issue is that we now have an administration in place that will manipulate the laws to fit their agenda. Seeing that these projects were being met with opposition, they have decided to take control away from the ZBA and disregard our village codes to push them through.
Finally, the village is posting the notice of the meeting in Newsday, their second paper of record. It boggles the mind that on an issue of this importance they would decide to publish in Newsday rather than The Southampton Press, when most residents of the village turn to The Press for their local news. It is just another example of how deceptive they have become in order to push their agenda.
I hope that the residents take notice of what is happening at the local government level.
Gregory D’Elia
Southampton Village
Shut Him UpFolks: it is time to take Michael Daly at his word(s), unpleasant as that may be. First: glide by his smarmy greeting card calls for “love.” His own words reveal him, above all, and consistently, a purveyor of hate and...
Suffering in SilenceWhen our world gets out of balance, we lose our comfort and security. Too much or too little of anything spikes our fear, and we lose our sense of peace. Those who have what they want and need are comfortable....
Advocate & Adjudicate?The previous administration of [Supervisor Jay] Schneiderman and current board member Tommy John Schiavoni did not give high priority to monitoring appointed public officials for ethical lapses in their private life activities. This laissez-faire policy towards ethics enforcement appears to...
Soil Is CallingIn a book titled “In Old Southampton,” Abigail Halsey reminds us that in the early days of Southampton, “every man was a farmer and a fisherman.” But those days are long gone and most people, today, have no connection to...
A Web of InterestsKudos to Craig Catalanotto [“What Are We Doing?” Letters, April 18] and Barbara Ring [“Tangled Web” Letters, April 18] for their letters to the editor shining a light on the web of special interests, conflicts of interest and misinformation that...
Dates of InfamySeptember 11 and October 7, similar dates of infamy for strong allies with similarly divergent reactions. Now gathered mobs of protesters are cheering on those who cry “Death to America” and call for the complete annihilation and genocide of the...
Your VoiceOn June 25, registered Democrats will go to the ballot box to determine who will represent their ticket for New York’s 1st Congressional District. Although CD1 has recently been held by Republicans, both parties have assumed leadership over the years....
Master ClassI thank Barbara Ring for aptly proving my point. In response to my letter [“An Alliance,” Letters, April 11], which decried the state of civic public discourse in Hampton Bays as being overtaken by misinformation, fear-mongering and conspiracy peddling, Ring...
