Letters

Michael Daly’s latest Letter to the Editor, “Housing Paralysis” [March 14], makes mention of the opposition to the Liberty Gardens multifamily application on County Road 39. Mr. Daly writes, “But there’s a small group of loud and vocal opponents who just want to win their fight and continue to fearmonger against it.”

I read that line five times with shock and disbelief.

Mr. Daly, who serves on the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals, Community Housing Fund Advisory Board, and heads a lobby for affordable housing, has clearly gotten his wires crossed and is seeing things through a singular lens.

Aside from the aforementioned roles looking like a case study in conflict of interest, the assumption that opposition to this application is based on a need to win and “fearmongering” shows just how far down the rabbit hole Mr. Daly has fallen.

County Road 39, the oftentimes dangerous, unpassable, narrow main artery that is already overwhelmed, is not an ideal location for multifamily housing for any reason, affordable or otherwise. In the event of fire, or a need for medical or police assistance, there are serious concerns about response times to the site. More, the concern about additional traffic and potential for accidents is valid.

Those who lobby for a cause need to understand that your lobby does not come with a rubber stamp. Some things just don’t fit. People have a right to question, challenge and sometimes oppose. That’s the way things work.

Mr. Daly is wearing many hats, and his goal to find affordable solutions is commendable. That said, his combination of official roles is troubling, as are the unfair accusations against those who disagree with him.

In order to solve “housing paralysis,” we should work on creative solutions while engaging each hamlet. Shaming and blaming are literally the opposite of what we should be doing.

Craig Catalanotto

Speonk

Catalanotto is a member of the Southampton Town Planning Board — Ed.