Letters

Half of Bill Manger’s first term as Southampton Village mayor has passed. So I would like to provide a recap for my faithful letter readers.

Manger has had the luxury of a 5-0 supermajority. Instead of leveraging this for the public good, his term has been notable for instability and turnover. He has seen three different village attorneys, turnover on the Zoning Board of Appeals, three resignations and two attorneys on the Planning Board, and three attorneys on the Ethics Board. His treasurer resigned, and his assistant quit after a few months.

He campaigned on “good management,” but his record shows quite the contrary.

He severely failed on the roll-out of Pond Lake Park. According to The Southampton Press, this potentially world-class park is “dying on the vine … with blame squarely on Village Hall.” Manger inherited over 12 acres of preserved land but, rather than lead and build consensus, he kicked the can down the road, giving conflicting messages about closing the road, depending on who he speaks with.

His budget is one of the most bloated in Southampton Village history, with a spending increase of over $2.1 million, a tax increase of $1.1 million, and using nearly $492,000 of village reserves. This budget includes a $215,000 village administrator with reduced budget and financial responsibilities, while the mayor spent village resources to allow the administrator to collect a government $120,000 pension on top of his high salary. The mayor is also $25,000 over budget for attorneys fees six weeks into the fiscal year.

On traffic, he has failed. Traffic on Hill Street and throughout the village has worsened. His approach of blaming other municipalities and failing to act has epitomized his handling of traffic issues.

His environmental handling has been disastrous. This summer, he released polluted water into the ocean, drawing ire from groups like Surfrider and Peconic Baykeeper. His lone environmental “achievement” was hiring Johnson Controls for energy efficiency, a move initiated by his predecessor. Instead of obtaining grants, he took the easy way out and borrowed nearly $6 million without voter input.

He has completely ignored the assessed value issue. He refuses to tell residents how assessed values are actually determined. He continues the lie on real estate tax invoices where the purported “full market value” is actually a backed-into number based on a predetermined assessed value. But, most importantly, he refuses to address a system that discriminates against residents of lower-valued properties.

Lastly, his tinkering with the zoning code imposes unfair burdens on homeowners with small lots.

Manger’s tenure has been marked by a lack of listening, increased spending, high turnover, and a failure to achieve anything significant.

Village residents deserve better.

David Rung

Southampton Village