Politics & Government

Developer Calls for Resignation of Westhampton Beach Trustee

Andrew Mendelson calls for the "immediate resignation" of Sue Farrell.

A local developer has called for the resignation of Westhampton Beach Trustee Sue Farrell, claiming that her allegedly "liking" a comment made on the website 27east went "over-the-line."

In a letter delivered to Westhampton Beach Mayor Conrad Teller on Monday, Andrew Mendelson calls for the "immediate resignation" of Farrell for clicking that she "likes" a comment that was posted on a 27east news article by a user by the name of Frank Wheeler.

The comment, which appears in an article titled "Westhampton Beach Mayor Won't Check Out Supermarket Proposal" reads, "Mendelsen should stop sniveling — he's a typical developer who isn't getting his way. And after what he contributed to the death of Riverhead's wonderful Main Street, he SHOULD have been executed!"

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Three 27east users indicated they "like" the comment, including a user named "Sue Farrell." Farrell could not be reached to confirm or deny whether the user is actually her.

"Ms. Farrell's public support of the concept that anyone — not to mention a local resident/taxpayer — should be executed for seeking a development property he owns cannot be tolerated. This simply cannot be acceptable conduct for an elected public official," Mendelson wrote to the mayor.

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Teller said he does not believe it was Farrell who "liked" the comment, but if she did, he said, "She has every right, like every other citizen to speak her mind. I believe in our Constitution, freedom of speech as long as you are not yelling 'fire' in a movie theater."

It is not immediately clear what 27east's policy is on sharing user information. A  message with the publication's managing editor was not immediately returned.

Mendelson has been working to try and garner support from the Westhampton Beach Village Board for a to discuss the idea of constructing a supermarket on property he owns on Old Riverhead Road. The village board members, however, told Mendelson at their last meeting that without a formal proposal.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here