Letters

Ann Thomas, a recent Republican and Conservative candidate for Southampton Town Council, wrote a Letter to the Editor this month [“Great Strides,” Letters, December 9] “to connect with the local community,” as she puts it. Ms. Thomas congratulates the winners of the election and, indeed, deserves congratulations herself for her committed participation in our democratic process.

It’s what comes after that which has me puzzled. Ann Thomas admonishes the local winners to adopt policies reflecting “the ‘red wave’ that swept over the voting public.”

What “red wave”? Southampton’s Democrats reelected their county legislator and town supervisor, kept their Town Council majority and returned their Town Trustees to the board. Granted, we lost the highway superintendent’s office (by just 24 votes), and now have only one instead of two out of the four town judgeships — but you can’t win ’em all, nor should you.

Whatever “red wave” there may have been, it doesn’t seem to have had much effect on Southampton’s election results. Consequently, I don’t see why it should dictate town policy, despite what Ann Thomas says.

Next, we are told by Ms. Thomas that “even Jay Schneiderman was vividly surprised at the pushback on his policy.”

“Pushback”? Against what? Against better quality water for us all? Against a 25 percent drop in crime, or holding the line on property taxes, or streamlined processing for permits, or a AAA credit rating, or tighter controls on sand mines, or new sewer systems, or new community centers? These are all real achievements of Jay Schneiderman and the Southampton Democrats — exactly what part of that is the “pushback” against?

Let’s not forget that Jay Scheniderman was unopposed in November. That hardly suggests discontent with his policy.

Ms. Thomas chooses her words heedlessly and without regard for the facts. Maybe I’ve got it wrong, but it all seems like a lot of pontificating by someone who’s not from here, who performed dismally in the campaign debates, and who finished fourth in a field of four Town Council candidates.

Please, give me a break.

George Lynch

Quiogue

Lynch is treasurer of the Southampton Town Democratic Committee. Thomas’s letter appeared online and in some editions in print on December 6 — Ed.