Letters

It makes no sense for an East End resident to vote for Nick LaLota for Congress. I have not seen hide nor hair of him since he was elected two years ago. I saw no town hall meetings of his advertised, because if I had, I would have attended.

I still shake my head when I see that he does not live in the 1st Congressional District, something that he promised to change if he was elected. Not straightforward from day one. Putting up a candidate for Congress who does not live in the district for which he is running shows either a lack of qualified candidates or a disregard for the district’s residents. So be it.

The western end of the district and the eastern end are vastly different, the west being more suburbanized, more in line with LaLota — too far gone to care about land preservation, too far gone to talk about water quality, too far gone to relate to the quality-of-life issues that we fight daily to maintain here on the East End. Forget the fact that he is a Donald Trump acolyte — it is unfortunate for him that he can’t have an original thought or idea unless he is in accord with Trump. But that show is about to end.

John Avlon is different. He understands the beauty and the historic nature of our East End towns and hamlets. He understands the workings of government and respects the will of the majority, and the questions posed by the minority. As a journalist, he has witnessed firsthand the results that chaos in government rains down on the people. He is well-educated, fair-minded and has complete knowledge of the issues facing the East End today. Nick LaLota does not — and that is dangerous.

The most effective representation the East End can have is that of a local candidate, someone who understands what we need and what we must do to remain one of the most beautiful and unique places on Earth. The best candidate is one who lives here, on the East End. We have too much to preserve and improve, too many local issues that are different from western Suffolk County whether they be the environment, affordable housing or overdevelopment.

John Avlon understands them and will tackle them. His opponent will not.

William R. Kearns

East Quogue