YOUR IMPORTANT RIGHTS AS FREEHOLDERS ARE AT STAKE!

The audience at the candidate debate that was held in Hampton Bays on October 21 got to see the incumbent Town Supervisor (“ATH”) formally declare war on the elected board of Southampton Town Trustees, as a whole, calling them unprofessional and lacking the expertise to do the jobs they’d been elected to do.

Why did she say that? Perhaps it’s because THE TRUSTEES ARE DOING THE JOB THEY WERE ELECTED TO DO—to manage the natural resources of the Town of Southampton and to protect the beaches and waterways that are an integral part of the Town’s economy. In doing so, our Trustees have apparently stepped on the toes of certain wealthy NYC interests who consider their recreational and status needs to be superior to the rest of us everyday people who live and work here full time in Southampton Township.  

In short, the incumbent Supervisor shares the viewpoints of the same well-heeled big money people who own oceanfront homes who are contributing large donations to her re-election campaign.

It is clear that ATH does not have respect for and does not work cooperatively with the elected Board of Trustees, the oldest governing entity that pre-dates the adoption of the New York State Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  The Dongan Patent provides us, the freeholders of Southampton Town, with important rights of public access, and our elected Board of Trustees are the guardians of those rights and our maritime resources.

By "professionalizing" - ATH wants to take away your RIGHT TO VOTE for elected trustees as stewards of the Town's 26,000 acres of baybottoms, 100 lakes and ponds, and 26 miles of oceanfront beach easement, plus miles and miles of bayfront shoreline.

The Trustees have been around since 1686, and since that time they’ve been tasked with the responsibility of managing the shellfish populations on the bay bottoms they “own” in trust for the taxpayers of the Town.  As a part of that responsibility, the Trustees act as guardians of the water quality in those bays and creeks.  It is a responsibility the Trustees take very seriously.  And, it is critical that we, the people of Southampton Town, continue to support and uphold the Dongan Patent and having an elected Board of Trustees to preserve our maritime heritage and rights of public access. 

The Trustees act as the centuries-old tradition of governmental “checks and balances,” which is critical to protect our environmental and freeholder interests in face of ongoing development pressures in watershed areas and repeated efforts by homeowners to privatize our waterfront, often erecting obstacles impeding public access despite public easements and right-of-ways.

The health of the waterways and beaches of our Town is the cornerstone of our local economy.   Healthy water quality in our bays and ensuring the protection of our sensitive coastal areas is critical.  We need to support the families of baymen who harvest the bounty of the seas.  We need to support the recreational interests for scores of residents who enjoy digging clams or setting out crab pots in the summer.  We need to regulate the installation of docks and erosion control measures that private property owners desire to enhance and protect their homes, so as to ensure that our community’s best interests are foremost, from an environmental perspective and also for continued rights of public access to the easement areas guaranteed under the Dongan Patent. The Trustees monitor, and with the assistance of experts as needed, all of these activities on our waterways so that we can continue to enjoy our maritime resources for generations to come. 

For example, the opening of a bay like Mecox to maintain its levels and salinity is something the Trustees have had the authority from New York State to do at their sole discretion since the mid-1800’s.  And, that particular example is what I surmise has led to ATH’s stance against the elected Board of Trustees, and the heavy-handed political involvement of the oceanfront homeowners within the Bridgehampton/Sagaponack Erosion Control District in the upcoming Town elections.

It was very disconcerting to hear the incumbent Supervisor’s public statements about “professionalizing” the Trustees at the Meet the Candidates Night held in Hampton Bays on October 21. She also articulated this sentiment at other forums on the campaign trail, such as at Newsday’s editorial board interview on October 9 in which we briefly discussed my perception of the conflicts of interest and pay-to-play going on in connection with her campaign fund’s acceptance of over $100,000 in large donations from oceanfront homeowners who are benefitting from the $27 Million Dollar beach nourishment project in the easternmost portion of Southampton Town.  In addition, at the Newsday editorial office, I pointed out that ATH’s chief fundraiser is the Erosion Control District’s chairman and that he also donated over $10,000 the Southampton Town Independence Party, and had involvement in the screening process as to which Trustee candidates would receive the Independence Party nomination. 

ATH shrugged all this off at the Newsday editorial board interview and simply stated that she is providing the representation needed in Town Hall for those second homeowners who feel that they do not have adequate representation.  She further articulated her view that the Board of Trustees needs to be “professionalized” at some point, meaning consolidating the Trustees’ powers and duties into the Town Board’s (like up-west towns) and no longer having a separate elected body politic, but instead more environmental staff and consultants on staff.  Since Newsday’s editorial board members reside in western Suffolk and Nassau County and do not closely follow local issues on the East End of Long Island, they likely do not understand the significance of such adverse statement about the elected Board of Trustees. But, I think you, the voters of Southampton Town, true “locals,” do understand.

I am proud to represent the everyday people who live and work here.  And, I steadfastly support the elected Board of Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of Southampton Township.

Our Town’s maritime heritage and your important rights of public access are at stake!  On Election Day, Tuesday, November 5: VOTE FOR LINDA KABOT FOR SOUTHAMPTON TOWN SUPERVISOR.   Send a Message from the people that SOUTHAMPTON IS NOT FOR SALE!  Send a Message from the people that THE TRUTH MATTERS!  Together we can TAKE BACK THE TOWN from Special Interests!

For more info, www.LINDAKABOT.com