Letters

This November marks 10 years since I moved to Southampton. As a relatively new resident on the East End, I have noticed a marked disregard for our environment and serious reduction in our abundance of trees, clean water and general “Hamptons beauty” in this short time. I can only imagine what folks who have lived here for decades think of the changes.

Essentially, we have forfeited our protections for the environment to the real estate developers and an expanded tax base. As citizens, voters and residents of this patch of paradise, we need to protect the beauty of our land and waters.

We can do that by voting in elected officials at every level — local, state and federal — who believe in science, who accept that climate change is with us, who represent the “everyman” in each community (and not the wealthy and the real estate developers), whose policies on the environment will protect our waters and thus support local businesses and fisherman by ensuring that the East End returns to that pristine state that attracted all of us to move here.

East Enders must vote, and we must choose the candidates who will improve all of our lives, not just those who are at the top of the economic ladder. Listen to the candidates. Find the ones who unequivocally support our scientists and our environmentalists. Choose those who commit to less drilling for oil, more green energy, expanded federal land protections, financial aid to all states, red and blue, to help them protect their environments.

It’s our future lives and livelihood we are voting for.

David Glazer

Southampton