Letters

Let me be the first to welcome Zack Epley and Kim Allan to the upcoming race for the Southampton Village Board [“Epley, Allan To Run As A Team For Southampton Village Board,” 27east.com, April 13]. While their pairing up as running mates came as no surprise, they are worthy opponents, which should make for some lively clarification of our positions, and in-depth discussions of the issues impacting the village. It would be great to be able to have an in-person debate, but given what we are living through, we may have to phone it in.

Both Mr. Epley and Ms. Allan stress bringing “vibrancy” to the village as a central concern. We’d all like to see it. How can it be achieved? There are many ideas and proposals.

But, first and foremost for Mr. Epley, and his father before him, it hinges on creating more “wet uses” to encourage business growth. While these wet uses are important, I am also a proponent of enabling business growth and for there to be the end of empty stores. But wet uses are controversial and need to be fully vetted and village-appropriate. There is no single solution to this problem.

Personally, my focus is on attracting businesses that can be sustained and utilized year-round, which will bring the greater Southampton community back to visit and shop locally with us. (This was a pet project and concern of my father’s when he was in office.) While malls go to seed, and brick-and-mortar stores are under attack and struggling to compete with online shopping, I believe COVID-19 has served as a reminder for us what it means to come together as a community and shop locally. We should be thankful.

This election, I am running as an independent candidate. This allows me the freedom to be fully impartial and concentrate on what is not only good but what is right for our village. I plan to do it full time if I am elected. If you agree with me, then cast your vote for me.

During my campaign over the next few weeks and months, I wish I could meet and speak with every voter (wearing mask and gloves, of course). While COVID-19 is impacting door-to-door voter outreach, remember, I am still accessible via email, Instagram, Facebook and phone.

In closing, I want to remind all residents and voters to remember that public service is not about who has the best resume or biggest war chest, but rather about who speaks for the greatest public good, and has made it his job to learn about the issues, and the problems and solutions at hand. For me, it is a full-time job, and I know I can preserve the beauty and historic integrity of Southampton Village while moving it forward

Joseph R. McLoughlin

Southampton Village