Letters to the Editor: A very fine festival

Cutchogue

A very fine festival

Mother Nature finally cooperated allowing a fantastic Maritime Festival to take place last weekend. Thank you to the merchants of Greenport, Mayor Stuessi and the Village Trustees, and the Southold Town Police Department for their efforts in keeping us safe.

A huge thank-you and special appreciation go out to Sarah Phillips, Kim Loper, Rena Wilhelm and Kara Hoblin. If it were not for these four business owners, who stepped up and dedicated days of work, there would not have been a Maritime Festival this year. Mother Nature threw many punches at them, but they refused to go down for the count.

Finally, let’s give a round of applause to the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes to make this the best Maritime Festival ever.

Dave Bergen

Cutchogue

A simple decision

As the country gets to the countdown in the midterms, we have to decide whether to send Nick LaLota back to Washington. The country, indeed, the entire western world, is undergoing dramatic changes.

Wars, inflation, a dismal economy, corruption, an out-of-control national debt, ICE shooting Americans on American streets — all of these things and more — are destroying our way of life and standard of living. America is on the precipice of changing from the world’s most respected country to the world’s biggest Third-World failure.

And what is Mr. LaLota’s message just before the election? He’s still trying to convince us to hand him the power of a Congressional representative by falsely implying that he, and he alone, is responsible for raising the SALT deduction and eliminating taxes on tips. That’s his entire campaign message! Nothing about an unwanted and deeply unpopular war he supports. Nothing about a failing economy. Nothing about ICE abuse of other human beings, including American citizens. Nothing about billions of dollars in corruption by the Trump gang. Nothing about a national debt that will dramatically lower the quality of life for our children, grandchildren and likely great-grandchildren. Nothing. Just a useless tax benefit for the wealthy and a tax cut for tipped workers.

Mr. LaLota is not just out of touch. He’s out of his league. He’s proven that his support for MAGA makes him astonishingly unqualified to serve in Congress. Our decision at the polls this time is simple. A vote for Nick LaLota is a vote for Donald Trump, who has asked us to believe he’s on the ballot in these midterms. And so, I will believe him. I will not be voting to send LaLota back for more of Trump.

Michael Levy

Greenport

Town Beach needs CPF help

The Oct. 8 Suffolk Times included a letter (“Fighting a rising tide”) about use of the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) for preserving the town and village waterfront infrastructure.

Southold Town Beach is a perfect candidate for use of the funds. The property is already a public space and its purpose is to benefit the community. For over 70 years this location has been a prominent area of the town, publicly active from sunrise to sunset all year round.

Currently the beach is officially closed and inaccessible. Parking lot erosion is the primary reason. Although details would need to be developed, it seems the problem can be resolved by the installation of a standard timber bulkhead system at the edge of the parking lot. This would be an engineered retaining structure that would keep the parking lot intact when storms hit. Following a sand wash away the only needed restoration to keep the community park open would be restoration of the beach sand, a process that has been done many times. The solution could also include full accessibility and a restored/improved boat launching ramp that existed at the west end of the park.

There would be a cost for this work (estimated at $1.5 million to $2 million) but in comparison to the purchase of development rights it would be a bargain. Additionally, if no action is taken, the problem will continue to expand. The proper investment in this public park would correct the immediate problem and provide long-term future use for the residents and guests of Southold Town.
Preservation of this community park beach and the long-term public benefit would outweigh the expense. Among all the fantastic beaches in town, this stands out as one of the most desirable.

It seems that this concept aligns with the purpose of the CPF. This may only be food for thought, but it might be good food.

Nicholas Mazzaferro

Greenport

Village deserves an answer

In a previous letter, I questioned why state Sen. Anthony Palumbo has not supported legislation giving Greenport the authority to enact a local lodging tax — authority already granted to more than 50 New York municipalities.

I have now received a response from his office. Unfortunately, it answers none of my questions.

In 2025, Mr. Palumbo voted to give the Town and Village of Fishkill authority to impose local occupancy taxes. Why should Greenport be treated differently? His office did not address that question.

Instead, the response cites approximately $1 million in Suffolk County occupancy-tax revenue allocated to East End tourism promotion. But promoting tourism is not the same as maintaining the streets, sidewalks, parking and public infrastructure that visitors use. The response also invokes the affordability crisis — precisely why Greenport should have the option to shift some tourism-related costs away from local property taxpayers.

Let’s be clear: Greenport is not asking Albany to impose a tax. It is asking for the same right to decide for itself that Mr. Palumbo supported for Fishkill.

The village first sought support for this legislation earlier this year. Assemblyman Schiavoni introduced legislation on its behalf. We are now approaching an election, and Mr. Palumbo’s office is still offering only the prospect of future discussions. Greenport residents deserve more than a carefully worded deferral.

Mr. Palumbo voted to give Fishkill the authority Greenport is requesting. He should either support the same authority for Greenport or explain publicly why he will not.

That is not an unreasonable demand. It is the accountability constituents should expect from their elected representatives.

Patricia Hammes