Letters

Sit At The TableThere are many reasons to say yes to incorporation.

Here are just a few. We have done two years of research to back up our position. We have spoken with mayors and comptrollers in many villages. We created a budget, and we are confident that incorporating will stabilize taxes now and into the future.

There is empirical evidence throughout Southampton Town in all the successful villages. Unlike our opposition, we did not guess at this. They have done zero research, and have made uneducated statements with no factual backup.

Taking control of our land use will give us the tools to guide the Village of East Quogue into the future.

Oddly enough, if we had incorporated years ago, the golf course could have been prevented by a Village Board using those very rules with some simple additions.

Incorporation can prevent unwanted development in the future. I personally don’t want the type of development like Sandy Hollow Road in Tuckahoe, 28 units on 2 acres or 37 apartments at the Speonk Commons in Speonk. These types of developments are on the rise, and being proposed all over town. They are decidedly not East Quogue and would devastate the school.

However, I would like to see something like the Gleason Drive workforce housing subdivision, but only if we balance with common sense development to offset the costs.

If we incorporate, we decide! If we don’t, others will decide for you!

While there are too many to list in this letter, the benefits are many. The two listed here are the best of them and represent the ideas we are fighting for.

I have lived here my entire life, and intend on staying here. I don’t want to leave our future up to those who have not protected us in the past! Just saying “no” all the time doesn’t mean it’s the right position. We have to sit at the table like adults and figure out the best path forward. We need to elect a representative board and move out those who assumed they spoke for East Quogue.

David CeliEast QuogueMr. Celi is a member of the East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee—Ed.