Featured Letter: Don’t blame me, Councilman Dunleavy

To the Editor:

Riverhead Councilman John Dunleavy has once again show his great skill at obfuscation. Look it up folks: it means to stupefy, to bewilder, to confuse.

When he was asked a question concerning his vote to allow clear cutting for the Shops at Riverhead/Costco development on Route 58 Monday night at the Suffolk Theater he attempted to deflect any criticism of himself by blaming an un-named resident of Foxwood Village.

That resident was me, Robert J. Hall.

Mr. Dunleavy said the unnamed resident was picked by the Recreation Committee at Foxwood Village. Wrong.

Truth: Nobody picked me to represent the neighborhood at Planning Board meetings. I volunteered my time to try to help my friends and neighbors, spending probably six or seven years tracking the progress of this development. John Dunleavy was nowhere to be seen.

Mr. Dunleavy said at the debates that the unnamed rep “didn’t know what was going on.”

Truth: John is probably right, because I am not a lawyer, and it appears as though our elected officials (who we expect to work for us) just rubber-stamp legislation without even reading it. Mr. Dunleavy said he voted for the land clearing permit because it met town code, whatever that means. And he voted very enthusiastically, as shown in the meeting minutes of April 2, 2013:

“I vote yes…We waited a long time and I vote yes.” He’s been a cheerleader for the Costco development from the beginning.

Mr. Dunleavy said Monday night the unnamed resident “never asked me for help.”

Truth: In July 2007 I sent him a note requesting a meeting to discuss concerns over this development. He never replied.

All the political posturing by the Town Board considering land-clearing legislation is worth nothing to the residents of Foxwood Village and Millbrook Community. On Sept. 12, 2007, I addressed a letter to the chairman of the Planning Board offering suggestions as to what modifications might address our concerns.

Of sight, sound and safety: increase the depth of the buffer, heavily plant mature evergreens on top of a berm, build a fence high enough and sturdy enough to deter prowlers, and I am now leaning toward making that fence 10-feet tall and made of concrete.

Let’s see what the politicians will do to help soften the impact of this clear-cutting permit.

Robert J. Hall, CALVERTON