Letters

I owe a debt of gratitude to Ray D’Angelo, the president of the Hampton Bays Civic Association, for his recent letter [“Advocate & Adjudicate?” Letters, April 25] establishing that he has, as I pointed out almost a month ago, “a profound misunderstanding of how municipal government works” [“An Alliance,” Letters, April 11].

D’Angelo does not understand that the development projects to which he refers do not come before the Town of Southampton Zoning Board of Appeals for review and approval. Changes to the zoning code, like the changes contemplated by the now-defunct Hampton Bays Downtown Overlay District, are reviewed and voted on by the Town Council. Site plan applications for development projects are reviewed and voted on by the Planning Board. The ZBA has no role in zoning code changes and site plan approval.

A prime example is Liberty Gardens. Liberty Gardens, a development project for which Michael Daly has been a vocal advocate, has never come before the ZBA for any reason. Thus, Mr. Daly is well within his rights as a member of our community to express his opinions about that project in the public sphere without being accused of or investigated for unspecified unethical conduct.

Similarly, no development project currently exists regarding Hampton Bays revitalization over which I could even take a position, foreclosing any suggestion that I am somehow “conflicted.”

D’Angelo also fails to understand that ZBA members, like members of other appointed boards, habitually recuse themselves from considering applications where potential or actual conflicts of interest exist. In my time serving on the ZBA, I have twice recused myself from applications filed by former legal clients. Mr. Daly, Helene Burgess and former Chairman Adam Grossman have all done the same for various reasons.

In the event that any aspect of the Liberty Gardens development were to come before the ZBA, I am confident that Mr. Daly would recuse himself, given his public posture on the project. And should any project that I advocate either for or against in public ever come before the ZBA, I would be sure to recuse myself from its consideration as well.

D’Angelo’s ruminations are nothing more than repressive fantasy and cannot be taken seriously. His stated opinion that members of our community who volunteer their time to public service should be investigated and removed from their positions for engaging in public discourse of which he disapproves is preposterous, treacherous and anti-democratic.

He should be far more concerned that his own organization has lost its mission and become a self-appointed watchdog group bent on stifling progress, silencing public opinion with which they disagree, bullying our elected officials, and discrediting opponents through unsubstantiated innuendo of corruption and graft.

John J. Leonard

Hampton Bays