DAN'S PAPERS, September 18, 2009 Page 54 www.danshamptons.com
Letters PARTY TIME Dear Susan I enjoyed your article “Rhyme Nor Reason: Obama Spurs Mixed Messages—from Parents.” Has Newt really endorsed President Obama’s position on something? And I thought partisan politics was here to stay. Now here’s something humorous and equally useless to ponder: How bent out of shape do you think Newt gets not being able to find anything objectionable about President Obama’s speech? If partisan politics were a commodity on the NYSE, now would be a good time to buy. Timothy Bissell Director of Sales and Marketing BDK Promotional Products Via e-mail The school principal has given his permission for you to read this letter. -DR NO BIGOTRY Dear Dan, I read with interest your September 11 article entitled “Bigotry Has No Place On the East End.” I’m a member of the Unity Coalition ... which I assume you’re aware is a State-led but grassroots association that came into existence after Marcelo Lucero’s death in November 2008 – and President of Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja, a Central Islip/Brentwood-based not-for-profit organization that employs the arts to achieve constructive social change. Therefore it goes without saying – though I’ll say it anyway – that I applaud media efforts to combat bigotry. One observation, though, relating to your mention of Patchogue and the role of political leaders in achieving social justice: The Mayor of the Village of Patchogue, Paul Pontieri has, since Mr. Lucero’s death, been in the forefront of efforts to understand the root cause and magnitude of the area’s acts of bias against Latino immigrants and others. He and members of his staff have been active members of the aforementioned Unity Coalition, listening to Latino community leaders and victims and participating in various Latinofocused events, including this past weekend’s “Long Island Somos Conference” where Mayor Pontieri participated in workshops and where the respect accorded him by the Latino community was very evident. My hope, of course, is that his community will sup-
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port Mayor Pontieri’s heartfelt leadership, and that the list of political and other community leaders who take such a vigorous stance against bigotry will continue to grow. Steve Bard Hauppauge Via e-mail The Mayor is part of the solution, the County is part of the problem. -DR STEADFASTNESS Dear Dan, Your homage to Main Street in Sag Harbor and to the steadfastness of its citizens who have successfully fended off gentrification was most appreciated. You marveled at the community’s ability to deny “cutsie and glitzy” from mixing with mom & pop, and wondered how this had been done. Had you walked down Main Street a little later that morning, you might have had a partial answer to this question. For there on the sidewalk in front of Schiavoni’s Market you would have seen a small table with one of the truly heartfelt signs you celebrated in your article: “SAVE SAG HARBOR.” There, two enthusiastic and tireless women were spreading the word and seeking donations for the town’s efforts to maintain the fight to keep big box stores, shopping malls and chain stores away. Volunteers are on Main Street virtually every weekend during the season, selling t-shirts and hats and talking up Sag Harbor. They and the organization they represent are a big reason why Sag Harbor has remained as it is today. Walter Staab Sag Harbor Via e-mail That’s what I was talking about. -DR EMBLEM CHANGE Dear Dan, I am 54 years old and have been coming out to the Hamptons since I was a child. I truly love it out here and look forward to moving out permanently. I have been an avid reader of your magazine for the past 25 years. There is a problem concerning the Town that has been irking me for some time. I am not sure if anyone has addressed this, so here goes. The Southampton emblem on all their signs always depicted the Native American and Pilgrim greeting each other. This historical symbol of peace and welcome defined Southampton. I noticed recently that
only the Pilgrim is now shown on all the signs. I thought perhaps that there might be an emblem that “they” forgot to change, but no such luck. Don’t we as taxpayers have a voice in history...does anyone know who eliminated the Native American and why? For almost 400 years, generations of families have enjoyed the beauty of the Hamptons. Let us not forget the Native American settlers were the first that founded the beautiful land we call home. The removal of the Native American is a sad reflection of a closeted bigotry, and this injustice needs to be brought to light. Susan Downs East Quogue Via e-mail Fifteen years ago the bigoted Native Americans complained so the Town “fixed” it. –DR WHERE ARE THE ISSUES? Dear Dan, Over the past several weeks, you’ve raised a few important issues regarding ordinance enforcement that I believe are worth repeating. In my opinion, while ordinances are necessary, they should be enforced with consideration of mitigating circumstances and cost. For example, neither homeowners nor businesses should be required to pay for fire protection. However, if the fire department is required to respond to the same location multiple times every weekend, then the expense of providing excessive protection could be mitigated by the property owner. On the other hand unmitigated ordinance enforcement is extremely costly. If what I’ve read is true, it costs about $5,000 to process a violation which appears about right when one factors in law enforcement salaries, vehicles emblazoned with Town seals, gas, paperwork, legal review, etc. So every time someone gets handed a violation, that’s $5,000 not being spent for community-minded events. It seems to me that elected officials should worry more about balancing their budgets and less about someone who has a hot dog balloon in his front yard, and I’ve offered my own experience as a Southampton homeowner who, as a reward for trying to renovate an old farm house, has received a violation for not painting...enough? Susan Cerwinski Via e-mail I do believe we are over-ordinanced. -DR
Police Blotter Patriots Throughout the Hamptons a number of men were reported to be crying like babies outside of bars and on barstools. Police investigated the incidents and found that the 30 or so instances of crying like a bunch of babies came from a group of New England Patriots fans, who instantly began sobbing, moaning and whining for their mommies after the New York Jets kicked the crap out of them last Sunday during week two. Statue? Bernie Madoff’s former Montauk home that was just sold above market value was the location of a statue theft last week. The lifted statue was a 4foot steel sculpture with an Aztec design, valued to be worth approximately $900. Best of luck to the thief who committed this crime, because it’s not just the East Hampton Police Department that is on your case now, but the FBI and the U.S. Marshals will be looking into it as well.
Yikes Who says pot makes you stupid? A man in East Hampton was charged with possession of marijuana after he was pulled over and the officer who approached the vehicle found the man with a pile of marijuana sitting in plain sight on his lap. He then told the officer that he had more in his pocket and that “it is just marijuana.” Ewwww I hope this guy gets put away for a long time. A man in Westhampton Beach was arrested after he exposed himself to two 11-year-old girls in the parking lot of a grocery store. The two girls told their mother that the man exposed themselves to them when she left them in her car while she went shopping. The mother then wrote down the license plate number of the man’s car and gave it to police officers. Crab Pots A man in East Quogue reported that his crab pots
had been deliberately damaged beyond repair. The man, was very upset that he no longer had crabs. Intense This news item had a few people concerned. At the East Hampton Airport, somebody posted a hand written message that read, “Your planes are flying too low, I would love to shoot your f—king crap out of the air.” Police are looking into the message and viewing it as a threat. The writer of the message may be unstable, and also may be an idiot, since it is clear he doesn’t realize that planes are supposed to fly low, even land, at airports. Suspiciously Securing A man in East Hampton called police after he saw a suspicious man on his property through a security camera that he installed there for just this very reason. When police investigated the incident, they learned that the person seen through the camera was the security camera repair man. - David Lion Rattiner