Southampton Village Board Members Say They Weren't Invited To Attend Live Meeting

A hybrid meeting of the Southampton Village Board on October 8 drew criticism from board members Andrew Pilaro and Mark Parash. The pair questioned Mayor Jesse Warren and Board Members Gina Arresta and Joseph McLoughlin for failing to live up to campaign and inaugural promises of transparency and unity. Questioned, the trio seemed surprised by their colleagues’ reaction, and insisted their goal is to work together amicably.

The three met in village hall, but never invited Mr. Parash or Mr. Pilaro to join the in-person gathering, the pair claimed. It’s easier for him to work in Village Hall than from home, Mr. McLoughlin said, explaining his decision to attend the meeting in person. Mr. Parash and Mr. Pilaro are “always welcome” to come to Village Hall, the mayor said.

Additionally, as the meeting progressed both on Zoom and streaming live on YouTube, Mr. Pilaro said he could see the three discussing agenda items on the dais while muting themselves, so no one else could hear. “I could see them talking,” he said, calling the move “most atrocious.”

The mayor refuted the contention and insisted no discussion took place beyond public earshot at the meeting. “That’s not true,” Ms. Arresta said. Mr. McLoughlin explained they had to keep their audio muted to avoid feedback. “They’re all welcome to utilize Village Hall like we do,” he said, adding it would be great if they could all convene socially distanced.

“I appreciate how Andrew likes to micromanage and nitpick a little bit, it makes us a better village,” Mr. Warren said. “What he’s suggesting, I don’t follow.” He noted that “with all technology, you’re occasionally going to have a hiccup.”

Mr. Parash wasn’t even invited to the online meeting, he said. “I didn’t get invited to the meeting, period,” he said. Earlier in the day he’d alerted officials that he might be late due to a family emergency, but never received the invitation required to access the Zoom gathering. “He could have easily texted or called any one of us on the team,” the mayor said. “He told us he was not available to attend the meeting. But if he was available, he could have easily attended the meeting.”

“We’re seeing a pattern again,” Mr. Parash said, making reference to the split in the prior administration that pitted him, former Board Member Kimberly Allan and Mr. Pilaro against Mayor Warren. “What we’re seeing is a continuation,” he said. Rather than being given adequate time to review meeting agendas, he said “Things are just being thrown out there … there’s a lot of quick-handed things happening. That’s the opposite of transparency.”

Once the meeting began, a resolution seeking to adopt a mission statement for the budget and finance committee drew questions from Mr. Pilaro. As written, the statement authorized the committee to assist in preparing budgets and reviewing audits, as well as meeting with employees, attorneys, outside auditors and others. It notes at least four members must be residents of the village, and take an oath of confidentiality. The mission statement prohibited members of the public from attending committee meetings without express written consent of the majority of its members.

Mr. Pilaro asked the mayor to table the measure for legal review. The mayor said Village Attorney Brian Egan had reviewed the agenda and there were no legal questions.

Mr. Pilaro said he’d just received the agenda an hour and five minutes before the meeting began and needed time to digest it. He noted that Mr. Parash wasn’t in attendance due to a family emergency, but also had questions.

Mr. Pilaro persisted, asserting, “It looks like the work for them to do, is work for elected officials. I don’t want to agree with a mission statement that could put us at loggerheads.”

He questioned a provision that only four members of the committee should be residents of the village. It conflicts with previous village code provisions calling for all members of any advisory committee to reside in the village. Again, he asked to table the measure. “I want a review so we don’t jump the gun.” The mayor noted committee member Len Zinnanti, who has an extensive financial background, came up with the mission statement.

Mr. Pilaro asked whether Sean Hattrick was advised that he was taken off the committee. The mayor said he’d rather have him on the Business Advisory Committee and they discussed that. However, an October 9 email from Mr. Hattrick shared with The Press states, “In watching the replay of last night’s board meeting, I learned that I have been removed from the committee.”

Mr. Pilaro took exception to the oath of confidentiality preventing the committee from sharing their findings with the public as well as closing committee meetings to the public. He asked the village attorney if that was proper adherence to Open Meeting laws. “No,” Mr. Egan said. The closed door meeting provision would have to be stricken from the statement.

“I cannot vote for what’s in front of me,” Mr. Pilaro said. While he appreciates committee volunteers’ hard work and dedication to the village, he asserted, “I also have a fiduciary responsibility to this village, as do all of us , by our oath that we swore.”

Stating he appreciated his colleague’s point of view, the mayor called for the vote. Without comment, board members McLoughlin and Arresta voted in favor of the statement with the closed door bullet point stricken, and it passed. Committee members appointed that night are Mr. Zinnanti, Dane Neller, William Wright and Rosemarie Dios.

Reached for comment after the meeting on Friday, Mr. Parash said he’d emailed the mayor asking him to table the adoption of the mission statement, offering many of the same concerns as Mr. Pilaro. “In some ways, I think this is overreaching,” he said, offering that when it comes to overseeing fiscal matters, “that is our role.”

“We were all ready to go, we didn’t want to slow down the wheels of government any further than they already are,” Mr. Warren said Tuesday, explaining the push for a vote. Refuting the contention that board members didn’t have enough time to review the mission statement, he reiterated a willingness to accommodate Mr. Pilaro. “We’ll do whatever we can to make him as happy as possible,” he said.

Mr. Pilaro raised a similar objection to the next resolution, calling for the adoption of an employee internet policy. Once again, he made note of the brief time frame — just an hour and five minutes — he’d been given to read and digest agenda items. Mr. Egan pointed out that members had asked for an agenda policy that would have meeting agendas available 48 hours before they convene. The mayor agreed to table the measure, with Ms. Arresta dissenting. “Andrew had ample time to review that, just like he dissected the mission statement … It’s a standard policy and was approved by our labor council,” she said Tuesday.

Still another measure drew discussion. The mayor called for votes on appointments to the Planning Board, and Mr. Pilaro, again, brought up that he was unable to interview one potential appointee, Lisa Cowell. He noted that during the board’s previous meeting, Mr. Warren invited him to join interviews with specific candidates. He wasn’t alerted to the interview, and said that while he supports the appointment, would abstain because he hadn’t met her. Mr. Warren said that he learned from former Deputy Mayor Rich Yastrzemski that trustees don’t usually sit in on such interviews. Mr. McLoughlin offered that he had not yet met the candidate, either, but “I do trust the mayor’s call.” Mr. Pilaro abstained on appointments to the Board of Architectural Review for the same reasons.

“I’m okay with the micromanaging and the nitpicking,” the mayor said Tuesday. “We’ll work harder to accommodate Andrew with all of his requests.”