Letters

In his letter to The Express News Group [“An Introduction,” Letters, September 4], Town Board Democratic candidate Tom Neely reviewed his qualifications and experiences pertinent to his candidacy and potential future role in local government. Tom conveyed that he would be a good leader for this moment. I think he would be a terrific leader.

Recall that after the attack on New York City on September 11, 2001, the Port Authority closed all bridges and tunnels; the Metropolitan Transportation Authority closed its crossings into Manhattan for at least a day; the U.S. Coast Guard closed New York Harbor; the entire commercial aviation system was shut down; and subway and PATH trains, as well as buses, were suspended.

But brave volunteers began procedures to help with evacuations.

A documentary narrated by Tom Hanks, “Boatlift — An Untold Story of 9/11 Resilience,” highlighted the actions of hundreds of boat owners who, casting fear aside, rescued thousands of stranded New Yorkers.

Farther east, Tom Neely, the Hampton Jitney’s vice president, hearing of the terrorist attack on New York City and the closing of all modes of transportation, reacted in the same way that the boat owners did — patriotic responses were required, and he knew he had to help.

With thousands of frightened, dust-covered and anxious Long Island commuters desperate for a way to leave danger and uncertainty for safer ground, and to get to the arms of their loved ones, Tom, then vice president of the Jitney, repurposed his buses in the same way the “Boatlift” heroes repurposed their boat. Soon, the Jitney became a means of escape from terrorism. Staging areas identified, routes reconfigured, imagination and purpose linked together — Tom and the Jitney delivered people from the maelstrom to safety.

Twenty-four years later, Tom is ready to improve the lives of people in Southampton Town. The same personal qualities, determination and tactical thinking that guided Tom’s actions on 9/11 are still part of him and available to us today.

Tom knows transportation, he knows where the transportation levers of money and power reside in New York State and Suffolk County, and with that knowledge Tom can influence our quality of life as it pertains to the awful morning and afternoon commutes. Tom was a planner, analyzer, consultant — now he can be in a kinetic position of doer.

I can tell by the many letters to The Southampton Press that people are at their wits’ end when it comes to the nightmare of local traffic.

Tom Neely is the right person in the right place — again.

Vote for Tom on November 4.

Mike Anthony

Westhampton

Anthony is a former chair of the Southampton Democratic Committee — Ed.