Letters

I like Kim Allan. I’ve known her for nearly two decades and found her to be hardworking. Now if only her personal career goals lined up with the interests of our village residents, I would vote for her [“Epley, Allan To Run As A Team For Southampton Village Board,” 27east.com, April 13].

But when have they ever been in sync, her ambitions and our residents’ needs?

When Mike Irving was mayor, Kim got evidence showing that the huge houses built in the Rosko Place subdivision had been granted permits in violation of several New York State laws. Did Kim do anything about it? Hell no. Too much money involved, she said.

Wayne Bruyn, Southampton Village lawyer, told Nancy McGann that a local village law can trump New York State law, a total absurdity. But Bruyn’s purpose was to give cover to Elbert W. Robinson’s efforts to drive out year-round residents and let spec builders put those enormous, bulky, tacky McMansions in place of the more modest three- and four-bedroom homes of our village middle class. Did Kim Allan, who knew better, say anything?

Nonsense. She fought hard to keep Wayne Bruyn on as Rick DePetris’s replacement.

Now she’s running for trustee in combination with Zach Epley. I understand that Zach is a bright guy. Well, if he is bright, can you imagine him voting against the interests of his grandfather, George Benedict, who has built all those McMansions in marginal parts of the village, and now has permission to build far, far too dense condos right next to beautiful, spacious White Field, right on Hill Street, despite numerous objections from White Field and from concerned village residents?

Is Zach Epley likely to contradict the 12 years when his dad, Mark, was mayor, and engineered all those give-aways to spec builders (developers?), which drove out our year-round village residents, now replaced by SUV-racing, giant house-owning and village groceries-hoarding second-home owners?

Mark Parash, the owner of our favorite luncheonette, Sip n’ Soda, who is my neighbor in the Rosko Place subdivision, and has the same deed as I do, which forbids any structures other than garages to ensure spacious backyards on our shy half-acres, and his deed, like mine, states, “no pool houses.” Well, Mark really likes Zach Epley. They are friends. And Mark says, “I’d rather have a smaller slice of a bigger pie,” but does he realize that if Zach Epley continues to give away our village to spec builders, there won’t be any pie left.

Hey, you’ve got every right to like Kim Allan. I do. But would you ever vote for her again? I won’t.

Evelyn Konrad

Attorney at law

Southampton Village