What kind of
community are we?
There are topics in this June’s village election that need to be examined. One that stands out to us is that our opponents are saying that East Hampton Village is a “resort community” needing to cater to tourists and day trippers.
We believe East Hampton Village is a community primarily of full-time and part-time residents rather than a tourist attraction. We have visitors who come for short term stays, but we feel our residents are our first priority. We want to keep East Hampton a peaceful and serene village where all homeowners can find respite on the weekends and holidays. As full time, lifelong residents ourselves, we value our homes and yards as places of refuge and relaxation.
That’s why the village government has laws about leaf blowers and construction noise. It’s also why we are taking a firm stand on our small country inns, as well as searching for new ways to control short term rentals in residential neighborhoods. If the inns were allowed to create spot zoning and become “hotel zones” as they have proposed, they would have the ability to do unlimited events with music and outdoor dining. We are a residential community first and foremost. We believe that short term rentals in our residential neighborhoods need to be controlled.
It is important for voters to examine the motives of some of our opponents in this race. Both Jerry Larsen and Chris Minardi of the Newtown Party have close real estate connections. Other candidates know very little about how hard the village has fought over the past 100 years to keep the wishes of town residents from creating a village full of nightlife and crowds. Town residents would like to see the village become a place for them to come enjoy the “party life” and then leave it all behind while they go back to their own quiet homes. Those of us who are village residents know we already deal with more traffic and noise than we would like. It’s imperative for you to know the players in this election because the future of this village depends on it.
We had hoped to be visiting our residents on door-to-door walks by the first of April but sadly the present situation makes that impossible to do. We would love to speak with you in person.
Please check our website to send us emails and we will answer all of them. We are happy to call you as well, or set up a video conference with you and some of your friends to answer your questions.
