Letters to the Editor: Extolling the Eagle
Greenport
Extolling the Eagle
What a boon the SS Eagle was for Greenport’s maritime heritage! What a privilege it was for Greenport to host the women and men from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The store owners, residents and tourists were so complimentary of the “swabbies” in blue uniforms walking up and down Front and Main streets.
Of particular note were the lines of blue uniforms going into Aldo’s Coffee, where the coffee drinks were at “a military discount” – they were free!
Here’s a bit of trivia about the Eagle: She is reportedly the only U.S. flag vessel to shoot down a Russian plane during World War II and the only U.S. flag vessel to have hosted Adolf Hitler in 1938. (The Eagle was built in 1936 to train German sailors. She was an active German naval warship during WWII.)
Super trivia question: Which well-known Greenport resident worked on the shore crew to tie up and untie the Eagle at the Mitchell Park pier? (And complained, “Boy, those mooring lines are heavy.”) Clue: He has long blonde hair and is seen daily riding his bicycle around the village.
I trust that Mayor Kevin and his crew will do everything possible to get the Eagle to return to Greenport frequently.
Ed Murphy
Southold
Word to the wise
Life jackets save lives, but only if they are worn.
A personal watercraft capsized in the Great South Bay, leaving a father and his two children suddenly in the water. . Fortunately, all three were wearing life jackets, helping them stay afloat until they were rescued by the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau. Not every water emergency ends this well. Life jackets save lives. Don’t take the risk.
According to U.S. Coast Guard boating statistics, three out of every four boaters who die in a boating accident drowned and of those deaths, 87% were not wearing a life jacket. Many were skilled boaters who could swim. You wouldn’t try to put on a seat belt during a car crash, and you can’t put on a life jacket in the middle of a boating emergency.
Wearing a life jacket on the water is critical, so before you head out, make sure everyone has one that fits properly. If you need to borrow one, find a Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Station near you. It could save a life.
Gail Kulp
executive director, Sea Tow Foundation
Peconic
A refreshing change
It’s been at least three years since our representative in the First Congressional District has held an in-person Town Hall meeting.
I guess he has given up on his constituents, because after several telephone Town Halls, there were no more events.
However, on Aug. 9, over 100 people heard the word “constituent” in an open Town Hall. That was in Riverhead, and it was led by the Democratic challenger, Chris Gallant.
He briefly gave his background, and then he opened the session to us — we, the people. He wanted to hear what we thought so he could represent us. It was lively and refreshing. It was the way a constitutional republic should be.
Who will you vote for?
Joel Reitman
Southold
Questions to ask
Ask your elected representative, Nick Lalota, about his views on foreign policy. Ask him if he supports Trump’s foreign policies.
Ask him about the war in Iran. This war of Trump’s choice is hurting all people on Long Island with high gas prices (up 29%) as well as higher prices on many other goods
Ask him about the fact that North Korea is assisting Russia in its war with Ukraine and yet Trump wants to curtail our joint drills with our ally South Korea. (Trump is aligned with Putin and Un.) Ask Lalota about his views on these dictators and whether he supports our NATO allies.
Many of our older friends and family members fought and died in the Korean War. South Korea has been our strong ally in the region ever since. Ask Lalota what he tells veterans and the families of veterans who fought in the Korean War.
Trump has proposed: taking over Greenland, taking over Cuba, making Venezuela the 51st State and annexing Canada. Ask Lalota if he supports these actions.
To his credit, Lalota has delivered funds for various local communities, including the Southold Police Department. However, congressmen also have a vital responsibility with respect to foreign policy. In this regard, Lalota is “Missing in
Action,” As he is a Navy veteran, you would expect him to speak out on behalf of our enlisted military volunteers and our veterans.
Call Lalota at 631-289-1097 and ask him your questions.
Dick Sheehan
Southold
Raising the bar
I saw it before when John McCain lost to Barack Obama but today I saw it again. So much has happened since that day in our political landscape. I did not agree with Mr. McCain on many things, but his concession speech brought tears to my eyes because it was so on point, classy and can teach us all a lesson. I don’t know if dignity and class will ever come back to politics in this country — probably not in my lifetime. I can only hope that it does.
I really hope that there are schools all over this country that will show his concession speech. I encourage everyone to look it up on YouTube or wherever you see your videos. Watch it and try to incorporate it in our lives. It has a lesson not only for politics, but for human interaction in general.
Rosellen Storm
Cutchogue
Turn over a new leaf
The town supervisor’s recent State of the Town address rightfully highlighted critical community initiatives. However, the complete omission of a major issue impacting daily quality of life was a glaring disappointment: the unchecked rise of gas-powered leaf blowers. As population density increases and development accelerates, this year-round threat demands an immediate ban.
Our town code mandates a 65-decibel noise limit, yet these machines routinely blast a deafening, low-frequency drone well above that threshold. This invasive noise destroys our ability to enjoy being outdoors, forcing neighbors to retreat inside, shutting their windows and waiting, sometimes hours, to reclaim peace in their own homes.
Beyond the sonic assault, the environmental and health costs are staggering. Two-stroke engines emit highly toxic exhaust, including benzene and formaldehyde, directly into our neighborhoods. Furthermore, the hurricane-force winds they generate aerosolize a dangerous mix of dried animal feces, pesticides, mold and fine particulate matter. Finally, stripping the ground bare obliterates critical overwintering habitat for beneficial insects and small mammals. Is this what we want for the North Fork?
The solution is two-fold and entirely achievable. First, we must ban gas-powered leaf blowers to accelerate the transition to quieter, zero-emission electric alternatives. Second, we must embrace the practice of “leaving the leaves.” Allowing leaves to decompose naturally enriches soil, provides vital winter habitat for pollinators and eliminates the need to blow dust around our streets.
If our leadership is truly committed to smart growth, it can no longer ignore this issue. True progress means protecting the health of residents and the integrity of our local ecosystem. It is time to silence the blowers and let our community breathe and smile.
Sharon Kelly
Greenport
Why treat Greenport differently?
Earlier this year, the Village of Greenport asked its representatives in Albany to support the grant it the same authority already granted to more than 50 towns and villages across New York: the ability to enact a local lodging tax. While Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni responded quickly in support of the Village and filed the appropriate draft legislation with the state Assembly, state Sen. Anthony Palumbo has so far declined to support that effort or meaningfully engage with the village on the issue.
That should concern residents, businesses, and Southold Town officials alike.
Greenport is the center of the North Fork’s tourism economy. A large share of the town’s hotel rooms sits within the village, and visitors who stay here spend throughout the town — at restaurants, shops, wineries and farms. Greenport’s success as a destination benefits the whole town, but the village bears a disproportionate share of the cost. Maintaining the streets, sidewalks, parking, and public spaces that tourism depends on falls on a very small tax base.
Notwithstanding the burden, Greenport hasn’t turned its back on tourism. Last year it amended its short-term-rental law to expressly permit certain STRs. But that comes with tradeoffs at a time when year-round housing is already scarce. Allowing that commercial use of our residential housing stock while denying the village a modest lodging tax on it makes little sense.
Southold Town is now considering its own STR regulations – including adopting a law that would expressly permit some amount of short-term rentals that are currently prohibited under town code. While [this], it should also weigh how the communities carrying the tourism economy’s costs will pay for them — and join Greenport in asking Albany for lodging-tax authority.
Albany wouldn’t impose a lodging tax; it would simply give the village the choice to enact one, with rate, use, and scope to be decided locally and publicly. It would ask overnight visitors to contribute modestly toward the infrastructure that makes their visits possible, easing pressure on village property taxes.
In 2025, Mr. Palumbo voted to grant this choice to the Town and Village of Fishkill. If Fishkill and many other communities deserve that option, why doesn’t Greenport?
This isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a matter of home rule, fiscal responsibility and basic fairness. Greenport residents, business owners, and Southold officials should ask Mr. Palumbo to propose a state Senate companion bill to that filed by Mr. Schiavoni to permit the village to enact lodging-tax legislation, meet with village officials and advocate for the people he represents.
Tricia Hammes
Southold
Reasonable expectations
What is the ordinary use of a home? Opening the windows. Sitting on the deck. Gardening. Letting children or grandchildren play outside. Having dinner in the backyard. Enjoying a quiet summer evening.
These are not luxuries. They are ordinary expectations of homeownership.
Has the review of the proposed 6,000-hen free-range egg operation at 2340 Ackerly Pond Lane fully considered whether its closest neighbors — and the Southold Villas community — can continue enjoying those ordinary uses?
That is not an emotional question. It is a planning question.
Land-use planning does more than determine whether a proposed use is permitted. It considers how that use fits with surrounding properties through compatibility, setbacks, buffering, screening, traffic, lighting, noise, drainage and other potential impacts. Those considerations exist because the ordinary use and enjoyment of neighboring homes is a legitimate public interest.
Agriculture is essential to Southold’s history, economy and identity. The question is how we protect agriculture while also protecting neighboring homes. That is not “farmers versus neighbors.” It is the balance good planning is supposed to achieve.
My family purchased our home through the town’s affordable housing program more than 30 years ago. We have lived here, cared for it and built our lives here. Now ours is the closest residence to the proposed operation. We are concerned about whether we will remain comfortable opening our windows, sitting on our deck and spending time in our yard during the summer.
Every property line has something, or someone, on the other side. Good decisions must recognize and protect both.
If protecting agriculture is part of good planning, shouldn’t protecting people and the ordinary enjoyment of their homes be part of good planning too?
Leslie Herrlin
