Letters

Like many others, I found Mayor Jesse Warren’s vote against the appointment of Police Chief Anthony Carter last December deeply disturbing. Bringing to our village the deputy commissioner of Suffolk County Police would have brought an outside perspective, extensive experience and a passion for public safety to the role.

In one fell swoop, Mayor Warren denied the village a competent, highly qualified police chief and publicly demeaned an honorable man. After professing support for Carter’s appointment, and communicating that to Chief Carter before the swearing-in ceremony, the mayor sandbagged him — live, in front of his children, parents and wife, with the added bonus of a television audience.

Now, egregious to me is the mayor’s revisionist history, aired during last week’s mayoral debate. Mayor Warren made a half-hearted attempt to justify his actions by claiming that he voted against Carter’s appointment because he intended to promote Acting Police Chief Suzanne Hurteau to the position.

Our very respected Suzanne Hurteau had removed herself from seeking the position the previous September. Therefore, she wasn’t a viable candidate by her own choice.

Therefore, our choice is simple. It’s time for a change. This village deserves a mayor who respects our village employees, rather than seeing them as pawns on a political chessboard.

Julia McCormack

Southampton Village

McCormack is a member of the Southampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals — Ed.