Letters to the Editor: Thanks, guys!
Southold
Thanks, guys!
I would like to thank our wonderful Highway Department and the men who have never in 24 years missed plowing and/or sanding our little cul du sac. Back in the day I would show my thanks by giving them Twizzlers. Alas, at my age, I can’t do that anymore, hence this letter.
Elaine Goldman
Statesville, N.C.
Chicken farm
After growing up on South Harbor Road next to a chicken farm, I can’t believe people would actually entertain putting another one in somewhere in town. There were summer days when the smell was so bad. You couldn’t even open the windows in your house. Some of you people that read this will remember where this farm was.
Please think about the health of people that will be living near this and what it may cause for them! Please don’t allow this to spoil the beauty that is Southold!
Jay Clark
Laurel
A plan with no plan
About Southold Town’s “Wireless Communication Master Plan,” which will be the subject of a public hearing next month: It’s not a “plan” at all.
While the Southold proposal contains 24 pages of detail, the item to be heard on Feb.10 lacks the other attributes of a “plan” — like a budget, a timetable and — most importantly — the ability to implement it.
What the administration is actually proposing is an amendment to the town’s zoning code that is intended to attract cellular companies to improve their systems so customers on the North Fork will receive more reliable coverage.
To bill this amendment as a “plan” is to give cellular customers false hope that stronger signals are on the way. Spotty signals have been the norm here for years and there is no evidence that phone providers have suddenly bought into the concept of spending money in Southold Town to improve coverage. At a townwide civic meeting on the “plan” (attended by fewer than two dozen residents) last month, the answer was, in sum and substance, “We have no idea” when a local homeowner asked when she and her neighbors could expect more signal-strength indicator bars on their phones.
It’s also noteworthy that this plan relies for support on a survey of residents that indicated such things as more than 87% of Southold residents support increasing the size of a particular cell tower in the town from 145 feet to 199 feet. There are two problems with this poll: Participants were self-selected instead of being randomized in a sample that was representative of Southold residents in general, and it allowed residents to comment on tower proposals that were nowhere near where they lived or worked.
When and if new or larger towers start appearing in Southold, that’s when you’ll see angry residents marching on Town Hall.
David Levy
Laurel
Desperate for higher goals
While listening to the song “They Do Not Speak for Me” by folksinger David Roth, I thought of Congressman Nick LaLota.
Sadly, the congressman either distorts or avoids issues resulting in a huge disconnect between us. As the issues get more serious, the disconnect grows stronger. I’ve faced the devastating reality that he will never put forth gun legislation that would help us all live safer lives, especially our children.
He won’t talk about pedophiles being protected, as the Department of Justice ignores the deadline for releasing the Epstein files. But he shares statements of concern for the safety of ICE agents. He elevates them as though they’re the helpers Mr. Rogers told us to look for during scary times. These undisciplined thugs in their tactical gear and face coverings use tear gas, pepper balls and guns against unarmed demonstrators, including clergy. We see the videos; we see their brutality. The world sees it.
Our representatives in congress know what’s true. They know that America, though it has often faltered, has aspired to righteous goals, such as justice for all. But no matter how much this president spurns basic decency and defies our constitution, Republicans allow him to speak for them.
So the rest of us tap deeper into our patriotism: run for office, make calls, gather for planning and strength. We read what historians share for the lessons from the past, enjoy when a protest song pops up and welcome the laughs satirists provide.
David Roth expresses in song what many of us feel: “If you do not share a higher goal, you do not speak for me.”
Mary Ellen Tomaszewski
Riverhead
Hotel vs. open lawn
People of Riverhead who want to save the Town Square park from a boxy hotel face a serious challenge. Our new supervisor has apparently concluded it can’t be done. Jerry Halpin cites the legal cost of breaking contracts with Joe Petrocelli and opposition from incumbent board members. This echoes how the Republican majority frustrated former supervisor Laura Jens-Smith’s desire to cancel the disastrous EPCAL contract with the Ghermezians.
Petrocelli’s demolition of the building that housed Craft’d allows him to begin pile driving for his hotel/condo. But it also reveals an opportunity to create more green space between The Suffolk theater and the river. Imagine that Riverhead truly opens the intended vista instead of allowing another intrusive five-story building.
Envision how The Suffolk theater can avoid being overshadowed. Picture how the historic buildings of East End Arts can frame the east side of the park rather than be obscured between the hotel and Heatherwood. Will a lawn leading down to the new amphitheater surpass the feel of Greenport’s Mitchell Park and carousel?
Acceding to a hotel for profit was a political decision to benefit the private interest of a campaign donor. Enough pressure from the community can restore the land to public benefit. Supervisor Halpin needs to hear that one reason we voted for him was to undo the damage of his predecessor. Incumbent Town Board members must recognize that selling off half the Town Square park never had public support.
Civic minded attorneys: Can you help find a way out of Petrocelli’s contracts? Everyone: Walk by the space, then write the supervisor and Town Board at [email protected]
John McAuliff
Wading River
Protest and public safety
I found the letter from Ms. Deborah Little (“ICE raid in Riverhead,” Jan. 8) troubling in multiple ways.
In her first sentence she stated that ICE “detains and deports immigrants.” I think most reasonable people would agree that ICE is concerned with undocumented immigrants and people who have violated laws regarding their immigration status in this country. I think leaving out the word undocumented is intentionally vague and disingenuous.
Secondly, and most importantly, she admits that community members were engaging in unlawful and dangerous activities by using vehicles to intentionally block federal officers from leaving.
I am a proud supporter of the Constitution of the United States and respect citizens’ rights to protest; however, this behavior endangers public safety.
I’m sure we have all heard the phrase “no one is above the law.” I suggest the “community resisters” also follow the law and exercise their First Amendment rights appropriately to ensure that public safety is maintained for all.
The police should be commended for clearing the road of any vehicles unlawfully blocking it and for maintaining order and public safety.
Charles Tramontana
