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Offense And Defense At The Debate By Kitty Merrill
Bridget Fleming was on the offensive. Now a Democratic candidate for state senate, the Southampton town councilwoman wasted no opportunity to assail her opponent, incumbent Senator Ken LaValle, painting a picture of him as “a leader in a broken system,” the biggest spender in Albany, and a supporter, 98 percent of the time, of increased and added taxes. He in turn fired back, chastising the challenger, “Bridget, you can’t lie. You can’t distort the truth.” The pair squared off in front of an audience of about 80 at a debate hosted by the Hampton Bays Civic Association and the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons Monday night. Topics gleaned from submitted questions ran the gamut
from LIPA to the MTA and LIRR, to the state-imposed tax cap to campaign finance reform, gun control and local issues like the town trustees, septic waste and sewer systems, and healthcare on the East End. To the last issue, LaValle listed the recent collaboration between Southampton Hospital and Stony Brook University as an achievement that makes him proud. East End residents are underserved when it comes to medical care, he opined, pointing to the new collaboration as having the potential to add jobs, and revitalize the Southampton college campus. Fl e m i n g s u p p o r t s “c re a t i ve approaches” to healthcare and efforts to promote women’s health issues. She spoke of her gender several
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times, noting there hasn’t been a woman state senator in Suffolk County since the 80s, and promising that, if she’s elected, women won’t be “an afterthought” in Albany. The topic of campaign finance reform gave Fleming the chance to attack again. Calling it an “absolutely critical” initiative, she disparaged the use of informational flyers by incumbent candidates, which gives them an unfair advantage
Independent /Emily Toy
during campaigns. Elected officials are permitted to send mailers t o c o n s t i t u e n t s , b u t Fl e m i n g characterized LaValle’s mailings as “glitzy, campaign-style pieces” -- with one in pink, “because he’s running against a woman” -- that he spent $140,000 of taxpayer funds to distribute. Other members of the senate spend just $2000 on Continued on Page 35
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Talk The Roads Most Travelled By Kitty Merrill
Senate candidate Bridget Fleming and incumbent Ken LaValle.
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T h e r o a d s w e r e “ p a c k e d ,” Southampton Town Police Chief Bill Wilson declared. But were they more deadly than ever? No, according to a consensus reached by some two dozen local elected, emergency response and enforcement officials gathered for a roundtable work session on traffic in Bridgehampton last Thursday evening. Wo r k i n g w i t h S e n a t o r K e n LaValle, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, convened the confab, inviting town supervisors and board members, mayors and police brass from Southampton and East Hampton, plus state and county road experts, and ambulance representatives. The roundtable’s purpose: to discuss the past summer’s traffic and begin the process of brainstorming mitigation measures. Wilson and East Hampton Town Police Chief Ed Ecker both affirmed that while it may have felt like there were more serious accidents this summer, the statistics say otherwise. In 2010 in East Hampton there were 713 accidents, and four fatalities. This year the total number of accidents was the same, with six fatalities. There have been other years with more fatalities, Ecker reported. Wilson studied data going back to 2002. In 2002 there 15 fatalities compared to seven this year. From 2002 to 2011 the accident figures remained fairly static, at 2132 and 2136 respectively. He noted that “driver inattention” has surpassed DWI as a factor in accidents. “Instant media” in the form of online news outlets that provide information about accidents on local roads may have led to the perception of increased MVAs, the two chiefs speculated. Thiele t h e o r i z e d t h a t t h i s s u m m e r ’s population surge was the greatest since the recession, and could have contributed to the perception. Moving to mitigation measures, Suffolk County Medical Examiner Dr. Yvonne Milewski was on hand to address the issue of response to fatal accidents. For years, the length of time it takes for a county medical examiner to get to local accident scenes to pronounce a victim dead has been perceived as a reason why roads remain closed for an extended period of time. Milewski reported that it takes an average of an hour before a fatal accident is called in to her office. Then, it takes another 79
minutes to respond. She said she is awaiting an opinion from the county attorney as to whether the existing protocol could be amended to allow ambulance personnel or police to make the official pronouncements. If that were permitted the county wouldn’t need to send an investigator and a driver to transport the body. In fact, Milewski wondered whether a case could be made for having Continued on Page 28.
Officials gather to discuss traffic.
Independent / Kitty Merril
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WHY CALIFORNIA TELLS US THE FAT LADY WILL SING FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY Stick a fork in us – we’re done. Yes, I know Romney won the first debate because Barack looked like he had been smoking whatever it was he used to smoke, back in the days when his name was Barry. And yes, in the vice presidential debate Joe Biden acted like my former wife Barbara’s Uncle Johnny at a wedding, after Uncle Johnny had chug-a-lugged God knows how many glasses of wine and was totally out of control. Drunken Uncle Johnny would be laughing like a maniac -- pushing young girls aside when he was trying to catch the bride’s garter . . . grabbing the band’s microphone and insisting on singing “Come Back to Sorrento” in Italian -- off-key -- and basically making no sense. Uncle Johnny and Joe Biden, separated at birth. But when you listened to the “unbiased” television commentators and read the liberal-leaning newspapers the day after the BidenRyan debate, they all gleefully reported that Biden, with his boorish behavior, had “re-energized” the Democratic Party. D emocrats felt that Biden’s acting like an ass was fine. It gave them an excuse to vote for Obama. Now it starts. From this point forward Democrats will revert to being Democrats. This Wednesday morning, you’ll hear how well Obama did in the
second debate. Here’s the headline: “E NE R G I Z E D O BAMA E A S I LY WINS THE DEBATE OVER WHAT’SHIS-NAME” Now we start to slide. Democrats will go into second gear and we will have four more years of Obama. The economy? Jobs? Dead! Forget about it. Democrats don’t care, they’re voting for Obama. I s r a e l ? Fo rg e t i t , i t ’s g o n e. Democrats don’t care, they’re voting for Obama. The Middle East? Forget it, it’s gone. Democrats don’t care, they’re voting for Obama. Iran? They have the bomb. Forget it. Democrats don’t care, they’re voting for Obama. Watch this country turn into California. Is that bad? Let me put it this way: Democrats in California will vote for Jerry Sandusky if he runs as a Democrat. How do I know this? Because all one has to do is look to the state of California and you’ll see how many intelligent Democrats ignore reality. Ca l i fo r n i a h a s 1 0. 6 pe rce nt unemployment. Jerr y Brown, a liberal’s liberal, is looking to hike taxes on Californians making over $250,000 a year, to bring their tax rate up to 13.3 percent. This is the kind of thinking that has already caused the cities of Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes
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to go broke. Californians still will overwhelmingly vote for Obama. The number of homeless in San Francisco has turned this beautiful city into a dingy, sad place. The country’s most beautiful city is rotting. San Francisco is the city that keeps electing that train wreck, Nancy Pelosi, who jammed Obamacare down our throats. San Francisco still will overwhelmingly vote for Obama. Look at the disaster of California and you’ll see what will happen to the United States in the next four years. An article by Troy Senik for the Center For Individual Freedom titled “California: First in Liberalism, Last in Everything Else,” tells how “Every year, CEO magazine – a publication targeted at the nation’s captains of industry – ranks the 50 states based on how friendly their respective economic climates are for business. In 2012 – for the eighth straight year – California finished dead last. “Perhaps no other state more clearly illustrates the direct impact of excessive litigation on job creation and the ability of businesses to survive and thrive. As a result of these and other factors, the state’s unemployment rate is 10.7 percent, third highest in the nation.” California does lead in something. The state has the highest number of public employees in the country (nearly 2.5 million, according to a 2011 report by MarketWatch). In an article JP Donlon succinctly says it all: “Once the most attractive business environment, the Golden State appears to slip deeper into the ninth circle of business hell.”
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A column by the Hoover Institution says: “Without a renewed focus on economic growth, limited government and a lean, effective public sector, the state’s tailspin will continue unabated – and the ‘California Dream’ will increasingly come to resemble a nightmare.” California and the United States, separated at birth. By 2016, the United States will be Greece or Spain. So Obama and his fellow Democrats will once again need to fire up Democrats to mindlessly vote again. If the country is in as bad a place as I believe it will be, Democrats will search for someone to blame. Who’s to blame? May I suggest they look at that old cartoon strip Pogo, where one of my favorites was the character in the swamp who said, “We have met the enemy and they is us.” If you wish to comment on “Jerry’s Ink”please send your message to jerry@ dfjp.com.
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Sag Village, PBA Showdown Intensifies By Rick Murphy
Sag Harbor Village Mayor Brian Gilbride acknowledges the village police force does an excellent job – it’s just that it’s become cost prohibitive to continue down the same road. “It’s nobody’s fault,” he said in an interview this week. “This has become a question of affordability. These guys are pricing themselves out of a job.” His solution: the village should consider abolishing its own force, or at least pare it down. The village would then contract to bring other law enforcement personnel in, at significant savings. Pat Milazzo, the PBA president, has a different take: “We’ve agreed to concessions. We get it,” he said. Gilbride “jumped the gun,” he added, soliciting bids from outside policing agencies even as the PBA continues to bargain in good faith. Gilbride laid out the stark facts. The 12-man police force, plus a chief and support staff, accounts for about 35 percent of the village’s $8 million budget. The State Comptroller’s Office has already informed the village that retirement costs will soar 25.8 percent in 2013 and 28.9 percent the following year. The village, Gilbride said, simply doesn’t have the money. In addition, the two sides are locked in contentious contract negotiations. The police are in their second year without a contract: the village is offering raises of zero, one and two percent over three years. These numbers reflect the harsh realities of a new economy, the Mayor said. “They are firm on 4.5 percent increases each year,” Gilbride said. “Maybe in better times, but now every municipality is struggling.” Milazzo said Gilbride’s statements are misleading. “That was our original proposal,” he said of the 4.5 percent annual increases the union was seeking. “We’ve since come off of that considerably. It’s like selling a house – what you get isn’t necessarily what you want. Our hope, our intention, is to resolve this thing. Certainly money is a topic of conversation.” Gilbride said it was Milazzo who first suggested the village ask other policing agencies how much they would charge to take over the chores of the village police force. Milazzo disagrees. “I’ve never had that conversation with Brian,” he said firmly. Gilbride was told that by a former trustee who was handling the village’s negotiations with the PBA. “Brian had the conversation with a guy who almost always gets his facts wrong. Brian wasn’t involved in the negotiations – he just recently came back. He’s listening to the wrong
people,” Milazzo said. Gilbride said he is loath to abolish the village police force completely. “We’d have to go before the state legislature to get it back,” he said. Instead, Gilbride wants to augment the local force, and pare it down through early retirements. After talking with East Hampton and Southampton towns, among other potential sources of police protection, the Suffolk County Sheriff ’s Department has emerged as the most likely candidate. The Sheriffs could save the village about $1 million if they replace the village force, and about half that if used to augment it. Milazzo said the village “Hasn’t put anything on the table” as far as early retirement incentives. “All we know is the village board has authorized the mayor” to explore alternatives. “He can’t give our work to someone else, it’s a union thing,” said Milazzo. Gilbride said if the matter gets put
up for public vote, ”the people will vote to abolish.” Milazzo disagreed. “We have a very good relationship with the people. We give them good service. I can’t remember the last time we had a complaint.” However, there is no legal requirement to put it to public vote. The two sides move into arbitration in March, and there will be several rounds of give and take before the arbitrator makes a final ruling, which is binding. If he awards the union a raise the village can’t afford, that will force the Mayor’s hand, he said. The village has become more genteel he added, and the amount of police presence once required during the village’s “wild west” days isn’t needed now. “I spent some time downtown on a busy Friday night,” Gilbride said. “There were a lot of people walking around. The restaurants do great. I didn’t see any police cars.”
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Overton Up For Grabs By Kitty Merrill
From town clerk to town councilman? This week Fred Overton said he won’t be running for reelection next year as his term as East Hampton Town Clerk concludes. Instead, he’d like to take a crack at a seat on the town board. Overton’s no stranger to elected office. In fact, he’s held one for close to 25 years. He was elected to the town trustees and served for two years in the 80s. In 1990 he was elected a town assessor, and in 2000
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he began his service as the town clerk. He’s been easily re-elected to the position each time since . . . . . . But not always on the same ticket. Overton’s run with Republicans and he’s run on the Democratic ticket over the years. He joked that off the top of his head he couldn’t remember which party he ran with which time; he’s an equal opportunity masochist. “I’d like to see a kinder, gentler town board,“ he said, saying that while he won’t run for clerk next year, “I’m not closing the door on Independent / James J. Mackin
other options.” Pointing out that his decades in town service have made him “intimately knowledgeable” of municipal government, he said, “I think I have a bit to offer if someone wants me.” He admitted that he’s been approached to run for town board over the years. Still, Overton, who successfully battled cancer last year, said he wouldn’t look to unseat any council people looking for re-election. “I wouldn’t oppose them,” he said. Republicans Dominick Stanzione and Theresa Quigley are both reaching the end of their first terms. So is Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, who has remained coy about discussing any potential re-election bid. The idea of Quigley taking a shot at a supervisor run has been bandied about. However, she said this week that she’s too focused on her daughter’s recovery to think so far into the future. Her daughter Doris, an East Hampton Town Lifeguard, is in a rehab facility, on the road back from a paralyzing injury that occurred this past summer. Quigley spends as much time as she can with Doris. It’s also been rumored that East Hampton Village Administrator Larry Cantwell might throw his hat into the ring in a bid for the town’s top spot next year. On Friday the Democrat espoused a “never say never ” philosophy, confessing, “People ask me almost every election.” With 30 years with the village under his belt, so far, Cantwell has avoided the campaign fray. Overton isn’t the only local elected who’s run for office on different tickets. Legislator Jay Schneiderman, a member of the Independence Party, has alternately been endorsed by Democrats and Republicans. Although he has yet to announce anything formally, the lawmaker, who ser ved as East Hampton supervisor from 2000 to 2004, is an acknowledged frontrunner for the town’s top spot. kmerrill@indyeastend.com
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Woman Dies In Southampton Fire By Emily Toy
An elderly woman originally rescued from her burning house on Thursday later died at Southampton Hospital, as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Southampton Village Police. The victim, identified as Ona R. Masters, 95, was brought to Southampton Hospital after being
rescued from her flaming house located at 30 Bellows Lane in Southampton Village. Officials say a Stop & Shop Pe a p o d d r i ve r c a l l e d 9 1 1 a t approximately 3:31 PM when he saw smoke coming from a house on Bellows Lane. Southampton Fire Chief Rodney Pierson and Captain Steve Rogoski
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were the first to arrive on the scene and ran into the house without any protective gear, but were ultimately turned away by “unbearable” heat, smoke and flames, Pierson said. Second Assistant Chief Mike Kampf and Lieutenant Matthew Schimkus were the rescuing officers at the scene. After searching for the victim together, they found
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her under her bed. Both men were treated for smoke inhalation at Southampton Hospital and were later released. “ They did an incredible job,” said Southampton Fire Department Captain Christopher Brenner. “All that training finally paid off.” The fire was extinguished about 30 minutes af ter crews from Southampton, North Sea, Sag Harbor and Hampton Bays arrived at the scene, according to Brenner. About 65 firefighters combated the house fire. Brenner also said the house was a total loss once the flames were extinguished. Southampton Village and Town Fire Marshals are still investigating the cause of the fire. emily@indyeastend.com
Independent / Kitty Merrill
Black Film Festival The African American Museum of the East End will present the 7th Annual B l a c k Fi l m Fe s t i v a l o n November 17, 2012. The event begins at 12:30 PM and takes place at the new Parrish Art Museum located at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill, New York. Four films will be featured and include Raising Izzie, a family film about two young girls; the classic Purlie Victorious, made in 1964 and starring Ossie Davis, The Last/First Kiss is a short about twenty-somethings; and Hoodwinked, a documentary by award winning director Janks Morton. A discussion with Mr. Morton ends the festival, about 8:00 PM. Admission is $20 for the day and includes admission to all films and refreshments. For more infor mation contact Brenday Simmons at (631) 873-7362, Nancy Stevens-Smith at (631) 3696163 or Cheryl Buck (631) 897-0384 or email info@ aamee.org.
Man of The Year Carl Darenberg, owner of the Montauk Marine Basin, has been named the Montauk Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year for 2012. A lifelong resident of the Lighthouse District, Darenberg has been a member of the chamber for some 20 years. He’s currently the organization’s treasurer as well as a member of the chamber’s harbor committee. As such, he was instrumental in putting the chamber’s Harbor Annex together. He’ll be feted at a celebration next month. K.M.
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Budget, Tax Levy, And Building Discussed By Emily Toy
Last Thursday morning found Southampton Town Board discussing Southampton’s 2013 tentative budget. Filed on September 25, it is moving into its second trimester, converting into the preliminary budget. By resolution at last Thursday morning’s work session, a public hearing scheduled for next Tuesday at 6 PM at Southampton Town Hall will allow the public to check in on the preliminary budget. A copy of the preliminary budget will be available at the office of the town clerk for public review and inspection, available on CD ROM for $3 a pop, and on the town’s website. Also on Thursday, Southampton Town’s Tax Receiver Theresa Kiernan discussed a tax levy issue with the town board regarding the Parrish Art Museum. Last year, the Parrish’s portion of a tax levy was omitted resulting from a clerical error, Kiernan said. “Now we need to collect,” she said. Kiernan explained how a separate tax levy line will be provided for those residents living in Southampton’s school district for this year. The good news is the cost won’t break the bank. “For example, if you live in a $1 million home, it would cost $15,” Kiernan said. Southampton Town Attorney Tiffany Scarlato said a letter would suffice from a legal perspective in notifying the residents. According to Kiernan, about 11,500 properties would be receiving letters concerning the tax levy.
An update on the bay constable building was also discussed on Thursday. Director of Public Works Christine Fetten, Assistant Town Engineer John LaRosa, and Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Chris Bean were on hand to discuss demolishing a trustee building on Jackson Avenue in Hampton Bays and rebuilding it as a bay constable storage building. “We currently have a resolution for demolition of the trustee building,” Fetten said. The most important part, according to Fetten, is making sure all utility ser vices are properly disconnected and being aware of underground oil tanks at the site. The only concern is who’s going to do it. Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst noted that not having a professional service involved with the proper demolition of the building could be a problem. “I’m concerned about the liability for the town,” she said. Councilman Chris Nuzzi and LaRosa recommended having a professional service oversee the project, but having it done by town workers to save money. “We also need to get a response from the trustees,” Bean said. They were not present at the work session. “I agree with John,” Bean added. “Taking on the whole project may be a bit much.” The supervisor said the project needs to move forward, and offered another discussion for next week when the trustees are able to attend. emily@indyeastend.com
The Long Island Sound Chorus will perform at John Drew Theater Saturday beginning at 7 PM in a show entitled “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” Tickets are $20, call 631-267-6502
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Old And In The Way
Karen knows a lot about antiques. Me? Not so much. Before I met Karen my idea of “early American” was the furniture I bought at W.T. Grant before it became Caldor. When we moved into our house, I suggested the double-height living room was a per fect place for a fiberglass backboard and basketball rim. But Karen envisioned a house filled with antiques. Karen has a good eye for this sort of thing -- she has always been able to spot bargains, be it at a yard sale, a thrift shop or an auction. Over the years she’s acquired some “good” stuff, which to my mind means things that creak and have a lot of spider webs. A s f a r a s I ’m c o n c e r n e d , a Chippendale is a male dancer -- not that I’ve ever seen one, though I’ve been asked to be one on several occasions. Therefore I’m
not much good at picking winners at auctions and yard sales, which I go to religiously because Karen mistakenly thinks laying around the house watching ballgames is a waste of time. So I tag along, trying to get a grip on this fascination people have with all things old. Once at an auction I saw a frayed old rug but liked the color. Karen suggested I make a bid, which I did -- 10 bucks. Everyone laughed -- the thing sold for $1800. I was flabbergasted. It had more stains on it than my favorite shirt. It turns out it was Persian (the rug, not the shirt), a country that doesn’t even exist anymore. Where would you return it if you decided you didn’t like it? It’s too bad the value of people didn’t increase with age -- I could sell K aren’s grandmother for a fortune; I’ll just say she’s Persian.
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The funny think about expensive antiques is that they oftentimes aren’t functional. Karen bought an antique dining room set that looks great, but no one is allowed to sit on the chairs because they’ll collapse, and you can’t put a wine glass on the table because it leaves rings on it, and we all know how Karen likes to drink. I suggested we get a fake wood table that may be made of cardboard but damn it, it looks like wood, and you can spill anything you want on it, even turpentine. Once at a yard sale Karen became obsessed with buying a desk, stating it was Beidermeyer, obviously from the period directly before Wienerschitzel and right af ter Budweiser. “It’s worth $20,000!” she said excitedly. “Maybe that’s what it costs new but it’s really old now,” I pointed out. We bought a bed from the Federal period, which sounded like a savings and loan company. It was really expensive, but extremely delicate. Put another way, if you twist and turn in bed like I do -- hey, I wrestle with my demons -- the thing collapses. So now we have a table we can’t eat on and a bed we can’t sleep on. It gets worse. We have pictures of old people in antique frames all over the house. These are ugly people, uniformly pudgy, and they wear frills and lace and have pursed lips -- and that’s
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just the men. The women are stern and serious and look suspiciously like my fifth grade nun, the one that tried to murder me three times. No wonder I have nightmares. I can’t bear to even look at the people in the pictures but I feel their eyes on me, staring, no matter where I go in the house. I’m convinced Karen put them there to spy on me, to make sure I don’t actually sit on any of the chairs or take a nap in the bed when Karen isn’t home. It’s too bad my grandfather is dead and buried. We could have propped him up in the corner of the living room and told people he was Louis XIV – and take bids on him. Speaking of Louie, why is his furniture worth so much? We have old rugs all around the house, and there are more than a few wine stains on them. Karen insists she didn’t spill anything on them, but how else could they have gotten there? Most of our stuff is worth less every year -- cars, appliances, etc. People also age poorly -- we know this because we eventually die, like the engines of old cars. Furniture though, becomes more valuable the older it gets. It just doesn’t seem right. Hopefully I can reverse the trend and outlive all this old junk we have in the house. Or maybe I’ll die and my heirs will fight over all that W.T. Grant stuff -- it is, after all, from The Murphy Period.
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EDITORIAL The Big Lie On September 11, when four of our embassies and consulates were attacked during a carefully orchestrated Taliban terrorist action, four Americans were killed in Libya. Our ambassador was dragged through the streets, his body violated while he was still alive, a fact the mainstream press has refused to print. President Obama’s response was that the “spontaneous” attacks were in response to a film made in America critical of the Muslim faith. It was, simply put, one of the biggest lies any president has ever attempted to pass off on the American people. That didn’t stop the New York Times from repeating it over and over – as if printing it often enough would make it true. The “film” Obama spoke of was little more than a YouTube video. No one had ever heard of it or seen it. Ask yourselves – did you know it even existed? If not, how are we to believe people a half a world away did? Obama stubbornly persisted in his nonsensical explanation of the attacks for a full week, even as the State Department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were acknowledging the attacks were coordinated and planned. Libyan President Mohamed el-Megarif confirmed the same. It would have been nice to hear it from our own president first. President Obama had the nerve to send federal agents to drag the filmmaker in for questioning, as if producing a movie is a crime in this country. Four days later Afghanistan Taliban attacked a U.S. base, claiming it was in retaliation for the movie being made in the United States. Do any of us really believe they had ever heard of the movie until our government publicized its existence? In other words, we’ve now provided terrorists around the world with a built-in excuse for killing Americans. The reason the president wanted to downplay the incident is because he didn’t do anything about it. In another era we would have demanded those responsible be turned over. This administration supported Megarif’s rebels with financial aid and weapons, even more embarrassing than Obama’s limp response to an international outrage.
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Misguided Policy To The Editor, The Democratic National Committee and a slew of other left wing groups are spending a fortune on ads trashing Tim Bishop’s opponent, Randy Altschuler. They’re funding this smear campaign because they can’t defend Mr. Bishop’s record. He has supported every misguided policy of the
Obama machine, from massive spending to energy industry shutdowns to the HHS mandate’s assault on the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty. And he hasn’t said a word about the Libya lies and coverup, or the idiocy of Obama’s support of a self-admitted enemy of the US, the Muslim Brotherhood. Bishop also bashes Mr. Altschuler for “outsourcing jobs.” Mr. Altschuler’s previous company did hire people in India and other countries, but he also hired over 700 Americans. That’s about 700 more jobs than Mr. Bishop ever created. In fact Mr. Bishop’s only attempt at running anything,
On Bullying We mourn the loss of a young man in East Hampton who took his own life, and we understand that bullying is a hot button now, and that school officials need a plan in place to address it. We all need to step back and face a little reality, though. There are 1000 kids in the school. As we all know from growing up, there are always going to be scuffles, taunts, cliques, and the like. There are popular students, shy students, etc. Most East End schools have a large Latino population, and a certain percentage of kids are gay, and those who “come out” probably face the same cruel taunts that have been going around for years. It’s not fair to blame the school for everything that happens without knowing all the facts. It is also true, and painfully so, that committing suicide is an aberrant response to life’s problems. Latino students were quick to rally around the cause, and understandably so. It was reported many of the students barely speak English, and are ostracized for that. Yet they have traveled here to avail themselves of the quality education we offer –- in English -- and the interaction with local kids was bound to be a bumpy ride. This is the stark reality of the situation: Yes, it’s a tragedy. Yes, a young and reportedly gay Latino student probably got his fair share of hazing and then some. How he chose to deal with it becomes something school officials, his teachers, and his family and friends need to ponder. According to published reports the young man’s mother is “looking for justice” – we can only hope that isn’t a prelude to some misguided lawsuit. She reportedly left her son in Ecuador when he was six, and sent for him eight years later, so it is impossible to know what scars he carried from his formative years, and what role they played in his final decision. We grieve, we mourn, but we all share the blame. The lesson to take from this is to cherish life and to treat everyone we encounter with respect and love. Pointing fingers at others deflects from our own guilt.
his stewardship of Southampton College, resulted in the loss of 1,000 jobs and the closing of the College. And there’s no telling how many jobs were lost because of Mr. Bishop’s support for Obama’s wild spending, for failed investments of taxpayer money (Solyndra, the Volt, etc.) and for radical environmental policies which unnecessarily cripple American companies’ ability to compete. Randy Altschuler is an experienced and successful businessman, not a political hack. He understands how our Free Enterprise system works and why government’s role should be to enable businesses to flourish,
not to dictate their every action. We now have the most radically left wing, statist administration in our history, and Mr. Bishop has gone along with this downhill ride to Socialism in every respect. This election we have a very clear choice: Tim Bishop’s policy of more government intrusion and more reckless spending, or Randy Altschuler’s goal of common sense policies, responsible spending, and a limited government that is far more in keeping with the vision of our Founders and with America’s 200 Continued on page 16.
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VOICES
Continued from page 15.
year tradition of opportunity, prosperity and success. REG CORNELIA
A Stupid Idea Dear Rick, The recent news concerning an application for a car wash at the Star Room property is as ill conceived as anything I have ever heard of. More dumping on Wainscott -- look at the ugly corridor, as it is now! Why not add a tattoo parlor, head shop, or palm reader? Traffic is already a nightmare and
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impossible to get out of East Gate and West Gate Road as it is. A shoulder that is only 30 inches wide and cars will line up waiting to get in, will block westbound traffic that is usually at a standstill, especially in the mornings and afternoons, often backed up, from the light at Sagg Road. Moronic statements from Diana Weir and Ms.[Laurie] Wiltshire are astonishing. Screening will only hide the building. The equipment is inside. What a novel idea! Have you ever seen a wash with the equipment outside? No noise? Correct, but only when it is closed. Blowers roaring like a 757, every two minutes and up to more than a hundred times a day, smack dab in a residential area. Lights blaring at night. Imagine cars on line. Imagine, the planned exit and entrance on East Gate Road. Imagine five cars in line on East
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Gate Road to turn onto Rt. 27, forcing cars to navigate a way out, North on East Gate to a dead end. East on Cowhill Road to Wainscott-Harbor Road, making these quiet residential streets impassible for residents to get out. Emergency vehicles if needed, cannot gain access easily, putting us at risk. Lines of cars on Cowhill Road waiting to turn to get out, backing up back to East Gate Road, completing the disaster. A Max Sennett movie? Not exactly, just a bonehead expansion plan to lessen the quality of life in Wainscott, soon to be renamed WAINSQUATT! The dumping ground of East Hampton. What in the world are they thinking? If we wanted to live on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown, we would move there. Try a hose and bucket like the rest of us. NIMBY? You’re damned right! Not Continued on page 17.
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Independent VOICES
Continued from page 16.
needed, not feasible, not wanted. Not to mention, it’s a stupid idea. You cannot fix stupid with duct tape. ARTHUR J. FRENCH
Beyond Common Sense Dear Editor, Remember when Hillary Clinton asked the US who would answer the phone at 2 AM? Where was our president the night that the ambassador and other Americans were killed in Libya? Reports are he slept in peace. It appears to be his agenda that no national security meetings are held for days and weeks. Other priorities seem to take his attention away from his number one Constitutional mandate: the security of our country - which includes our embassies and citizens abroad. Why did he withdraw our military protection from that and other embassies? Why, when Ambassador Stevens pleaded for more security, was there no response from the president? Why is our military not
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allowed to have bullets when assigned to dangerous countries? And why did the president send this homosexual man to a Muslim country where the Sharia sentence for such a person is death? The whole scenario is beyond common sense or rational thought. And why is the president allowing the infiltration of those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood into the White House inner circle? Do we truly want a president who cares so little for American lives that he callously goes to bed, not even asking to be awakened with breaking news? Do we really want a president who waited till midway through the following day to make a statement, similar to his lack of response at the Fort Hood terrorist shootings? Then, to criticize Mitt Romney for correctly calling it a terrorist attack? Excuse me? Is it more important to schedule celebrity meet ups and golf outings than to meet with his cabinet and attend his security meetings? I cannot vote for such a person, he’s proven he’s not man enough for the job. He can hold the future of our country in his hands, especially with a Congress without backbone to stop
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his many executive orders that bypass Constitutional boundaries. My vote goes for Mitt Romney, a man of integrity, intelligence, determination and courage. May God bless America. LYNDA A. W. EDWARDS
Vote! Dear Editor, To all people: have faith on the beautiful
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South Fork – come Election Day don’t forget to get out and vote. It’s important, there’s a lot riding on the outcome. We can’t afford another four years of Obama. JACK MCGREEVY
A Great Legacy To The Editor, What’s up with the cartoon calling the Continued on page 18.
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Independent VOICES
Continued from page 17.
late Jim Henson a chauvinist pig? Free speech is our right but, seriously? Miss Piggy debuted on the Muppet Show in ‘76. The Sesame Street Muppets have had a few notable female characters in recurring roles and there have been a number of lady Muppeteers since then, and wasn’t Maria a Hispanic woman? Public funding for the Sesame Workshop as CTW used to be called has always been a hot question but public funding has also been given to the arts for works of ‘art’ that some may deem offensive. I grew up with the Sesame Street gang and somehow made it through childhood with a strong sense of self-worth, and did not wonder why there wasn’t a Black Muppet. Jim Henson left us a great legacy that will educate and entertain my son and many other kids years from now. You can hate all you want, but let a kid be a kid. M. NAPIER
Special Exemption Dear Editor, To understand the economy west of the canal and why a recently-built, but useless, recharge basin hurt that economy, one must begin by investigating how housing came to be built in the middle of a horse farm.
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To recap: a special exception was filed to operate a 30-acre farm; the town forbade usage not included in the application; the farm was sold. To continue: included in the sale were a barn and a pre-fab ranch. The ranch was occupied by the seller who filed the special exception. The new owner/ developer allowed the seller to remain in the ranch after the sale. Because the ranch was included with the land, property owners adjacent to the 30 acres might not have understood that the seller no longer owned the ranch. While giving the appearance of still owning, the seller filed a new application, this time on behalf of the new owner/developer, to re-configure the farm and to build a housing subdivision. It is unclear what the seller communicated to planning board members or to an equestrienne who would eventually purchase the re-configured horse farm, however, the involvement of both the seller and new owner/developer caused some confusion as evidenced in planning board files. The pre-fab in which the seller remained would become the housing in the middle of the farm and would be included in the subdivision that contributed to awkward land use and street flooding improperly addressed by the Highway Department. From the above, it can be concluded that Southampton’s planning board should, as part of its process, require any non-
Independent / Michael Cinque
The Amagansett Fire Department honored several members at its annual shindig recently. From left Second Assistant Chief Allen Bennett Junior, AEMT Tom Field (4000 call plaque), Chief PJ Cantwell, and First Assistant Chief Dwayne Denton.
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owner who files an application to state whether he has an interest in the outcome of a subdivision, and of course the Highway Department should also understand all ownership issues. SUSAN CERWINSKI
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THE INDEPENDENT Min Date = 9/4/2012 Max Date = 9/10/2012 Source: Suffolk Research Service, Inc., Hampton Bays, NY 11946
East Hampton Town ZIPCODE 11937 - EAST HAMPTON ZIPCODE 11954 - MONTAUK ZIPCODE 11963 - SAG HARBOR Riverhead Town ZIPCODE 11901 - RIVERHEAD ZIPCODE 11931 - AQUEBOGUE ZIPCODE 11933 - CALVERTON ZIPCODE 11947 - JAMESPORT Shelter Island Town ZIPCODE 11964 - SHELTER ISLAND Southampton Town ZIPCODE 11946 - HAMPTON BAYS ZIPCODE 11963 - SAG HARBOR ZIPCODE 11968 - SOUTHAMPTON ZIPCODE 11976 - WATER MILL ZIPCODE 11977 - WESTHAMPTON ZIPCODE 11978 - WESTHAMPTON BEACH Southold Town ZIPCODE 11944 - GREENPORT ZIPCODE 11952 - MATTITUCK ZIPCODE 11971 - SOUTHOLD
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BUY
Real Estate
* -- Vacant Land
October 17, 2012
DEEDS
SELL
PRICE
Caraccilo, J Omori,J&Togi-Omori,S Xides, M Nachimow, B & R Schnepper, J Trust
Perrier, M LaPiana, J Pickett, S & J Levy, B Delson Equities Corp
605,000 1,350,000 725,000 1,087,500 962,500
11 Isle of Wight Rd 96 Springy Banks Rd 4 Montauk Ave 9 Stirrup Ct 21 Talmage Ln
Croft,C&Guaitolini,L Starkissed LLC
Boyd, M Trifari, A
985,000 600,000
26 Soundview Dr 43 South Euclid Ave
Daley, V
Turner, M by Exr
467,500
45 Hillside Dr W
Geerdes, H & J
Gehlhoff, A & J
229,500
49 Strawberry Commons
PatersonIII&LI PineB
County of Suffolk
2,600*
63 Bell Ave
Uljasz,Z &Provenzano County of Suffolk DiBartolomeo, L
Stanis, S LongIslandBeagleClub Grego, S & C
500,000 8,886,534 375,000
17 Founders Path 1179 Edwards Ave 40 Karlin Dr
Madison, S Durgan, L
Finn, T Pisacano, R
265,000 363,000
74 Eileen Circle 1615 Main Rd
Duffy, R & A
Feinstein, G
598,000
53 N Midway Rd
Pietschmann, R Trust Ren, S MajesticMarineServic Bartoldus, K Standish, J
Barrantes, J Jones, T Sea-Sco Enterprises Murphy, L Green, M Trust
130,000 270,000 1,950,000 250,000 1,425,000
38 Canoe Place Rd 85 Springville Rd 124 Springville Rd 14 Washington Ave 36 Rampasture Rd
Hewitt, M & S Reiner, L
Bellanca, B Friedlander,R&Treacy
540,000 370,000
10 Hildreth St 18 Bridge St
Tsigutkin,A&Gordon,D Hamburger, N & K Reingold, B & B Starr,A & Khachane,S SouthForkProfessiona
Murphy, I & R Manley, J Revere, V Gadomski, G Trusts Flying Point Realty
890,000 900,000 1,547,500 722,500 1,870,000*
9 Oak Place 41 White Oak Ln 124 Willow St 14 Layton Ave 686 County Rd 39A
Freedgood, E & R
Sophia Antonella2009
1,330,000
48 Wood Thrush Ln
Gibas, T O’Connell, D Levy, P
Reid, S Miller, G by Admr Cooper, M & D
215,000 461,000 925,000
58 Old Country Rd 2 South Country Rd 8 Apaucuck Point Rd, #3B
Vengroff, J & A Haddad, L & T Sullivan Jr, J & I Lerner, M & A Golden, L
Schaefer,G&Mikhail,M Dreier, E Keitel, I Geismar, B & A Goldstein, D Trust
530,000 985,000 950,000 1,835,000 8,290,000
20 Maple St 27 Meadow Ln 5 Meadow Ln 7 Short Path 321 Main Street
Cronin, W & L GreenHill LaneRealty Front Street Fusion
Melhado, D & N Quirko, H by Admr 45 Front Street Corp
507,000 375,000 425,000
770 Moores Ln 1440 Green Hill Ln 45 Front St
Nicholson&BerzinNich
Kamens,T &Skolnick,J
475,000
3985 Sound Ave
Kennedy&Czartosieski Melhado, D & N Papazicos, G & K Tattam, T & Evans, K
Haase, L O’Neill, L Savino, J & A Gorayeb, J
417,500 550,000 690,000 847,500
1080 Old Shipyard Rd 820 Smith Dr South 210 Northfield Ln 655 Meadow Ct, #A-16
Source: Suffolk Research Service, Inc., Hampton Bays, NY 11946 * -- Vacant Land
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Classifieds
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Zum Schneider Event Celebrate Oktober fest at Zum Schneider Bavarian Bierhaus with a “ Warm up Wednesday ” featuring live music tonight. Then, stop in for festivities featuring an oompah band, in full effect Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit for the details.
Milarch At Marders David Milarch, the revolutionary nurseryman who is the subject of the bestselling book “The Man w h o Pl a nte d Tre e s ; Lo s t Groves, Champion Trees and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet” will speak at Marder’s Nursery Saturday at 4 PM. Twenty years ago, David Milarch had a vision: angels came to tell him that the earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and without them, human life was in jeopardy. The solution, they told him, was to clone largest, the hardiest trees, ones that had sur vived millennia and were most resilient to climate change -- and create a kind of Noah’s ark of tree genetics. Without knowing if the message had any basis in science, or why he’d been chosen for this task, Milarch began his mission of cloning the world’s great trees. Many scientists and tree experts told him it couldn’t be done, but his team has successfully cloned some of the world’s oldest trees including giant re d wo o d s a n d s e q u o i a s. Call 631-537-3700 for more information.
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Roads
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5. ambulance staff transport the body of a deceased accident victim to her offices. Emergency service reps at the roundtable didn’t favor the notion, since it would tie up an ambulance that could be needed at home. Mitigation measures considered ran the gamut from cameras to surveil speed to centerline audible rumble str ips. The latter help prevent head on collisions by aler ting drivers when they are drifting out of their lane. Frank Pierson from the state D epar tment of Transpor tation reported centerline audible strips are going to be installed on Route 24 for a three-mile stretch from Long Neck Road in Flanders to Hampton Bays. Southampton Town Supervisor A n n a T h ro n e - H o l s t e x p re s s e d interest in using cameras to catch speeders and improve safety. Thiele explained that such tools require state legislation, and have met with resistance from car and civil liberties organizations. Throne-Holst wondered whether East End officials could lobby for the cameras. The “rest of the world” uses them and they are a known deterrent, she said. Thiele said he’d be willing to file a bill, if there’s a local consensus. It wouldn’t be the first time the East End was on the regulatory cutting edge, he said.
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Bill Hillman, an engineer with the county said he supports the idea of speed cameras, offering that the best approach may be the use of portable signs. Several of the roundtable participants spoke of the value of increased enforcement. Hillman praised the enforcement blitz that was undertaken following improvements to County Road 39, while Southampton Village Police Chief Tom Cummings observed that the number of accidents in his bailiwick can be tied to the amount of police presence. East Hampton Village Mayor Paul Rickenbach spoke of the new lighted crosswalks on Main Street. A project undertaken with the state, it includes a post where pedestrians push a button to show they are about to cross the street. The mayor felt the project made such a difference; village officials are considering installation of additional devices on Newtown Lane. Hillman wasn’t as bullish on the devices. He worries they may give pedestrians a false sense of security. The concept is “fantastic,” he said, but Long Island is home to “very aggressive drivers” who don’t automatically stop to let pedestrians cross. Additionally it remains to be seen how the devices hold up in severe weather.
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After about 90 minutes, Thiele deemed the discussion “a good start.” Next, group members will fo r m s u b co m m i t te e s to fo c u s on mitigation measures in three categories -- education, engineering, and enforcement. kmerrill@indyeastend.com
Focus On Bullying Following published statements accusing the school district of failing to help David Hernandez Barros because he was Latino, East Hampton School Superintendent Rich Burns defended the district’s efforts to squash bullying. Barros killed himself last month. “The school community is deeply upset by the tragedy of David’s death, and our hearts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Burns said in a statement released last Friday. “The school district maintains a progressive, affirming culture of respect and acceptance through student-centered programs and services for families,” the statement continued. “These include everything from our Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to character education, anti-bias programs, cyber-bullying awareness for student and parents, suicide prevention workshops, and numerous other efforts. We consider our district to be in the vanguard with regard to these efforts, and will continue our commitment to this part of the instructional program. “But it’s not just about programs and awareness. The caring professionals of our small school district are responsive to the needs of every student who walks through our doors. Numerous positive interventions are exercised on behalf of individual students on a daily basis. To the best of its abilities, the district attempts to meet the needs of all students in a direct and personal manner.” According to published reports of statements by family members, Barros was bullied by other Latino students. The victim’s sexual preference may have been a contributing factor. On Monday at 6 PM the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth will hold a town hall style meeting at the high school. K.M.
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John M. Marshall Elementary School The kindergarten classes will have a chance to visit Halsey’s Milk Pail and Mashashimuet Park on Friday. On display at the school are compass roses designed and made by Cathy Cafiso’s fourth grade classes. Students used paper clips, designer paper, wood, straws, and other materials to manufacture their creations, which were part of a lesson on mapping. The fifth grade science classes are venturing forth to the White Sands ocean beach in Napeague today, tomorrow, and Friday to take observe the ocean environment and take samples. East Hampton Middle School Last Friday Katie Dellamaggiore, the filmmaker behind Brooklyn Castle, which was shown at the Hamptons International Film Festival, visited Meredith Hasemann’s eighth-grade literacy class. The class watched clips of the film about an award-winning school chess team in Brooklyn, and had the opportunity to ask her about her subject and process. Lisa Cotter, the library media specialist and the advisor of the Middle School’s Gay-Straight Alliance, was able to attend an L.G.B.T. conference in Jericho recently. Students are getting excited about the Halloween Dance on Friday, Oct. 26, for grades seven and eight. East Hampton High School In honor of the memory of his father and other cancer victims and survivors, Joshua Brussell and the boys volleyball team are hosting a “Coaches vs. Cancer” event on Friday. All across Suffolk County, boys volleyball teams will be fundraising that week for cancer research, and the students will be selling bracelets and magnets before the 4:30 PM game in the gym to raise extra money and to increase awareness of the disease. Also, on Tuesday the JV and varsity field hockey teams will be raising money for “Fighting Chance,” a cancer foundation on the East End, with their 4:30 PM tourney against Southampton in “The Pink Game.” Joel Johnson, president of the high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, has been named one of three runners-up nationally for the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Net-
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work’s Student Advocate of the Year award, from a pool of 500 students, all nominated by their teachers. Joel, a high honors student, has been recognized for campaigning to start a G.S.A. at the Middle School last year. He is the only winner on the Eastern seaboard. The grand prize winner is a student in southern Texas.
Ross Upper School The Ross School is now offering an archery class. With help from the National Archery in the Schools Program, which has safely introduced archery into thousands of U.S. schools, Ross students are learning the delicate art of working with the bow and arrow. There are currently 16 students in grades 9–12 who are enrolled in this new Wellness elective. The Hamptons International Film Festival was held over Columbus Day weekend, and this year, festival organizers sought to inspire students and budding cinematographers by screening select films in local schools. This educational initiative also introduced students to the filmmakers who answered questions and talked about their own inspiration. On October 5, two films were shown at Ross’s Upper and Lower School campuses. In the Court Theater at the Upper School, students watched Anosmia, a documentary short that tells the story of people who are unable to smell. The film premiered this year at the Cannes Film Festival and was featured as an Op-Doc in the New York Times. Meanwhile, at the Lower School, students watched Dumbleweed in the Multi-Purpose Room. Ross Lower School Nursery’s first integrated exploration of the school year focused on butterflies. Working with real caterpillars, students followed the metamorphosis of the Painted Lady butterfly. They completed several observational drawings, used stories and reference books as sources of information, and acted out the different stages of the butterfly’s life cycle. The concept of “change” was a natural entry point into the transitional phase of a new school year. As a culmination of this study, the students released their butterflies in the Peace Garden at the Lower School.
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Yankee Stadium Lacks Ghosts Every time I’ve sat down to watch a Yankees game this post season, I’ve become nostalgic. Now as a Mets fan that may seem odd, but I miss the old Yankee Stadium. I only attended a handful of games there, but even watching on TV, you could feel the energy and awesomeness that came through the screen. The current stadium has about 6000 fewer seats, but on TV it looks much smaller. The empty seats, the trench that separates the obscenely priced seats from the expensively priced seats, and the corporate feel diminish the intensity and power that the old stadium conveyed. Now this is nothing new in today’s sports world. Teams throughout the MLB, NFL and NBA are updating their facilities to bring in more corporate (sky box) money. The same thing happened across the RFK Bridge, where the Mets replaced that dump (and as a Mets fan I use that as a term of endearment, as it was “our dump”) known as Shea Stadium with the handsome eatery known as Citi Field. Let’s hope we have a chance sometime soon to see if Citi Field will rock like Shea when Endy Chavez made “the catch” in game seven of the 2006 NLCS. When the new Yankee Stadium was built, I knew it wouldn’t feel like the old stadium after just one season. Just like a new pair of sneakers, the stadium needed to be worn in. But now the Yankees are in their fourth postseason in the new stadium, and the atmosphere continues to feel sterile, at least on TV. To test my theory, I decided to watch You Tube videos of some big plays from the old Yankee Stadium and contrast them with the feeling I got watching some very recent heroics. I watched Aaron Boone’s pennant clinching home run against the Red Sox in 2003 and compared it with Raul Ibanez’s clutch hits this year. There was no comparison. The old stadium was filled with 57,000 die-hard fans, hysterical with their team’s good fortune. Replays of Ibanez’s feats showed the current stadium filled with some die-hards and many fair-weather fans that while enthused, seemed to lack the intensity of the crowds in the old arena. There were thousands of tickets left prior to Game 5 of the ALDS against the Orioles, and about 10 minutes before first pitch the stadium looked only 20% full. While I wouldn’t be attending Game 2 of the ALCS, I looked
to see if tickets were still available. Two hours before the first pitch I went on Yankees.com and was able to find eight tickets in section 132, (left field line) row 21 for $137.00 each. I never
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thought there’d be a day when I could decide to attend a Yankees playoff game on the day of the game, and buy tickets for face value (albeit a very high face value). There are 56 luxury suites in the new venue compared with 19 in the old. The new video scoreboard is over twice as large, there’s double the amount of square footage dedicated to team stores, and the concourse width is up from 17 feet to 32 feet. Still, my finest memories of the old stadium include the tight concourse. There was an intensity that emanated from
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those tight quarters that I’ve yet to feel at any other stadium I’ve been to. Sadly, I think the Yankees may have lost some of their home field advantage. I don’t believe players fear Yankee Stadium like they once did. While the team is still productive at home, (10-5 in the postseason in the new stadium) some of the aura of playing in Yankee Stadium is gone. Why do I believe that when their record may state otherwise? Because if I can feel it at home, I bet the opposing team definitely feels it.
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Sag Harbor
Improv Group At Bay Street Yale’s renowned comedy improv g r o u p T h e Vi o l a Q u e s t i o n i s appearing at the Bay Street Theatre on Saturday 8 PM. The film Jezebel previously scheduled has now been moved to next Friday, October 26 at 8 PM. LWF Fundraiser To help raise funds for its many free, year-round community forums, candidate debates, voter ser vice activities and youth programs, the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons invites all to its annual Fall Fundraising Luncheon on October 29, 12:30 PM at Muse in the Harbor Restaurant, 16 Main Street, Sag Harbor. Featured speakers are Maryann Calendrille and Kathryn Szoka, owners of Canio’s Books, 290 Main Street in Sag Harbor, who will talk about “East End Writers: Past & Present,” focusing on writers that lived in Sag Harbor. Their book, Sag Harbor Is: A Literary Celebration will also be available for purchase. Reservations are requested by October 22 with checks for $50 made out to the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons and mailed to Gladys Remler, P.O. Box 881, Westhampton Beach 11978. Tickets at the door are $55. For more information about its programs, go to the League’s website at www.lwvhamptons.org or call 631-324-4637.
Southampton Village
Celebrate Songwriters Celebrate East End songwriting on October 24 as singers present covers of songs by East End writers at 8 PM at 230 Elm Street. Some of the songwriters being covered are Caroline Doctorow, Inda Eaton, Nanc y Atlas, Joe Delia, Hugh Prestwood, Michael Weiskopf, and others.
Bridgehampton
Milarch At Marders David Milarch, the revolutionary nurseryman who is the subject of the bestselling book “The Man who Planted Trees; Lost Groves, Champion Trees and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet” will speak at Marder’s Nursery Saturday at 4 PM. Twenty years ago, David Milarch had a vision: angels came to tell
Independent / Emily Toy
The tall ship Lynx sailed into Sag Harbor over the weekend, continuing its five-year mission along the East Coast celebrating the 200 th anniversary of the war of 1812 and the Star-Spangled Banner.
him that the earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and without them, human life was in jeopardy. The solution, they told him, was to clone largest, the hardiest trees, ones that had survived millennia and were most resilient to climate change -- and create a kind of Noah’s ark of tree genetics. Without knowing if the message had any basis in science, or why he’d been chosen for this task, Milarch began his mission of cloning the world’s great trees. Many scientists and tree experts told him it couldn’t be done, but his team has successfully cloned some of the world’s oldest trees including giant redwoods and sequoias. Call 631-537-3700 for more information.
Eastport
Fire Department Open House The Fire Department will open the doors to its firehouse on October 26 at 6 PM. There will be a pasta dinner, firefighting and rescue demonstrations, and an equipment display. The event is free. The firehouse is on 21 Union Avenue.
Montauk
Zum Schneider Celebrate Oktoberfest at Zum Schneider Bavarian Bierhaus with a “Warm up Wednesday” featuring live music tonight. Then, stop in for festivities featuring an oompah band, in full effect Friday, Saturday der.com for the details.
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Debate
Continued FROM Page 4
And Then There Was One By Rick Murphy
Three teams came into the weekend undefeated in Suffolk ’s Division IV, but only one remains. The drum roll please: ta da! I t ’s, a per fec t 6-0 record for Babylon af ter it thrashed Hampton Bays 37-8 Saturday. The Baymen suffered a
double -indignity : not only did they lose their first game of the season, but they lost in front of a huge crowd on homecoming weekend. Blame Eric Schweitzer, the Panthers all-purpose running back, who returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first quarter a n d ta l li e d t w i ce more in t h e game. Taylor Catz provided the lone bright spot for the losers, a one-yard run in the first quarter. Babylon gets tested again next Friday when Shoreham-Wading River comes to town. SWR (5-1) knocked Mercy from the ranks of the unbeaten Friday, and did so convincingly, 35-0. Mount Sinai and Stony Brook, both 5-5, are also in the hunt for the division title. In other division action East H a m p t o n i m p rove d t o 2 - 4 by k nock ing off Por t Jeff 28-6. Cor tland Heneveld ran for one
score and threw for another, an 11-yard strike to Thomas Nelson. Port Jeff fell to 1-5 on the season. Bonac plays at Glenn Saturday at 2 PM. Bayport Blue Point beat Greenpor t/Southold et al 21-7 Fr i d ay ; t h e N o r t h Fo r k e r s g e t Center Moriches at home nex t Fr i d ay a t 7 PM . S o u t h a m p t o n (2-4) broke a four game losing streak, besting Center Moriches 26-8 Friday. Shaundelle Fishburne, who scored four touchdowns last week, ran for three more this time around. Westhampton remained in the hunt for a Division II championship with a 24-22 t h r i l l e r ove r Am i t y v i l l e Fr i d ay night at home. A Peter Broccoli 25 yard field goal in the third quarter proved the difference – he also connected on all three extra-point attempts. Brian Corrigan, Jack
Murphy, and Evan Gagne scored for the winners. Long Island defending champion Sayville sits atop Division II with a 6-0 mark. We s t h a m p t o n p l a y s a t M i l l e r Place (5-1) Saturday at 2 PM. Port Jefferson comes to town to take on the Mariners next Saturday at 7 PM. Riverhead stayed alive in Division II by upending Newfield 17-7 Saturday at its homecoming game. Ryan Blitzer broke free for a 33-yard run early in the third stanza and Jeremiah Cheatom scored on a 46-yard run late in the same quarter to seal the deal. The Wave (4-2) plays Friday evening at Smithtown West. Connetquot leads the division with a 6-0 mark.
newsletters, Fleming reported. Continuing the salvo, she said LaValle spent a half million dollars in just six months on office expenses. She called him the “biggest spender in Albany.” LaValle didn’t respond to the charges regarding the flyer. He said his office was moved, causing ex tra expense, and offered an all–encompassing “ There is not an individual who is more antitax [than I].“ He called upon his opponent to produce documents that prove her assertions regarding his votes to increase taxes. “I am not a spender,” he declared. “I am a tax reducer.” On the state-imposed two percent budget cap, LaValle listed an array of measures he sponsored in an effort to stem ever-increasing school budgets: holding the budget vote on the same day in May throughout the state, restricting the number of budget revotes that can occur, and the STAR rebate program. “Out of frustration” with those measures’ inability to keep school taxes down, he said, he voted for the two percent cap. Fleming said the cap fails to address state mandates, but LaValle said he’s passed a number of bills that offer mandate relief. Suffolk County is going to receive relief to the tune of $39 million, he reported. New York State has the toughest gun control laws in the country, the senator pointed out when the subject turned to firearms. He’s opposed to micro stamping, and described it as an “unproved technology.” Fleming said she’d have to do her homework on the issue but, as a former prosecutor, supports any effort to assist law enforcement. LIPA and the MTA are both entities that serve as lightning rods for critical commentary. “LIPA has not always served in the best interest of ratepayers,” the senator said mildly. Given Long Island has the highest electric rates in the continental United States, the recent agreement between LIPA and National Grid has been “an unquestioned disaster for families and small businesses,” Fleming asserted. The two were similarly disparate in affect in response to a question about waste and the MTA. The senator said that while he’d like to think most people employed by the railroad are hardworking, he believes the legislature can
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investigate what’s going on. Fleming spoke of her stint as a chief of a welfare fraud division and passion for cracking down on fraud and abuse. Turning to more localized topics, LaValle espoused a “home rule” philosophy when it came to such i s s u e s a s ex p a n d i n g M o nt a u k Highway east of County Road 39, creating sewer districts, controlling the swollen deer population and enhancing the powers of town trustees. Rather than impose a state sensibility, the senator said he’d want to work with municipalities and constituents to discern the local desires. Fleming’s opposed to widening M ontauk H ighway in Water Mill, supports the continuation of the trustees’ “strong role” in government, and feels the lack of adequate septic waste strategies has created a “crisis situation” for area water bodies. Programs similar to the pilot four-poster project in Shelter Island could help with deer–related Lyme Disease, she said. LaValle noted that he worked with Shelter Island to implement the program. “I’m very proud of my service in government and the legislation I forged with the people I represent,“ LaValle said when it came time for closing remarks. “I think we have a good record.” In contrast to what people may see when they look at activities in Washington, the past two years in Albany have been “very, very productive,” the incumbent said. In fact, he said Governor Andrew Cuomo praised the effort as “historic.” This term alone, LaValle worked with colleagues to eliminate $13 billion in debt, increase aid to schools, and reduce taxes by $690 million. When her turn to speak came, Fleming continued lambasting LaValle, saying he has been more concerned with aligning himself with ultra conservatives than carrying out the wishes of constituents. “We have an opportunity to break into the boys’ club, she said. “We deserve a senator who serves everyone, including women.” Also on Monday night, Assemblyman Fred Thiele was introduced and given a chance to ask members of the assemblage for their votes. He’s running in his “thir teenth luck y elec tion” unopposed. The League will host another senate debate next Monday in East Hampton. kmerrill@indyeastend.com.
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Pet Adoption Event
On Saturday the Subaru dealership in Riverhead will host an adopt-a-thon for the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation, to be followed by another Riverhead business leader, Agway, on Saturday October 27, who will do the same. HOWL-O-Ween will be celebrated this year, as ME-owl-O-Ween, at the shelter on October 28 and will feature face painting, costume
contests for you and your dog, a bake sale, an agility demonstration at 2 PM and, of course, an allday ADOPT-O-WEEN so dogs, cats, puppies and kittens can find their forever homes. Make this day a treat, not a trick for them. Bring the entire family. For further information contact Cat hy D e u m l e r, t h e O u t re a c h Coordinator, at 631-728-PETS Ext 139.
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