Political Notes

The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived.
--Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

The controversy over the eruv in Westhampton Beach Village is a delicate issue, which has been played out over the last several months. While Rabbi Schneier, of the Hamptons Synagogue and the New York Synagogue, was unable to be reached for comment, he is professedly apolitical. In prior discussions he has been clear about his disinterest in politics and political office for himself. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there are no political implications in Westhampton Beach Village for issues that he may embrace.

What is more obvious in this Village election year is that simmering anti-Semitism is on some people’s minds. When the Southampton Press actually editorializes against the possibility of anti-Semitism in this issue, it is tantamount to the right-wing Suffolk Life proposing abortion rights and support of illegal immigrants. Most of the East End “media” has ignored the realities of racism and discrimination and the agenda of the Town of Southampton (in which Westhampton Beach exists). But, even the Southampton Press realizes that New Yorkers, Jews and other minority voices have the capacity to expose the local economy to some unwelcome shocks in the future. Money is a big issue, ergo eruv.

While the radical right press, like Suffolk Life, (Pennysaver News in disguise) is operated by a racist who panders to the political right wing while existing in a closet of unpleasant and contradictory values – the Hamptons will ultimately come of age and join responsible citizens, possibly even Liberals. The raison d’etre for “Such-is-Life” is to lie for the Republicans in order to attack their political enemies in print. That’s what brings in advertising. Wilmot Jr. was Republican “Skip” Heaney’s campaign manager and current “reporters” are routinely used to provide “news” tips by Southampton Town officials who wish to target political enemies, Jews, Gays, Blacks and Latinos in this dubious forum of one-sided puffery.
Personal misadventures by its publisher Dave Wilmot, with current and former politicians, including former D.A. Catterson, a local bar owner, are widely known and discussed among locals in the Hamptons. Tax breaks that make Suffolk Life marginally profitable were not meant to be used by private businesses but have never been fully discussed. The only reason that anyone ever sees the publication is because a court battle waged 20 years ago over free speech forced the publication into everyone’s mailbox along with the other mailer junk that everyone receives on the East End.
There is a large liberal community, however, which is disenfranchised but which carefully watches the hypocritical confabulations of these dinosaurs. Even the media war waged against immigrants and those who would treat them as human beings have been tempered by the claim by some that the very same people who are attacked and reviled, populate the Suffolk Life pressroom. The Republican Party in Southampton also used immigrants to erect campaign signs. Why does Senator Craig keep coming to mind?

The eruv has been described as a black strip of PVC (annoying environmentalists possibly) and stimulating closet anti-Semites.
The gossip was that people were going to have to give up property rights and allow “those people” to cross private property, that stakes would be planted on Village property to create a path, and that the local businesses were being pressured to close on Saturdays, the Sabbath.
One person stated that it was outrageous and that there is a separation of church and state and this is a gross violation of that principal.

Even the Southampton Press, disabused people of the notion that these black plastic strips were an invasion of public property. Verizon owns the telephone poles where these strips would be located.
And, would such reasoning require that the Village stop the practice of placing Christmas ornaments on Village poles during Christmastime? Jewish residents have not suggested such a ban.

It is also not comforting that the current Mayor Teller dispatched police officers to inquire at every business in the Village – investigating whether the owner’s had been asked to closing on Saturdays. It appears to be a politically motivated act pandering to those with, shall we say, less than neutral opinions on the matter. Those who discriminate usually have a hard time hiding their true feelings since it always seems to leak out by their actions.
Considering the fact that within the last 6 months alone, Mayor Teller, a former police chief, has been unable to solve three major robberies in the Village of Westhampton Beach business district, it would seem that his efforts would be better directed at solving a crime wave rather than investigating an anti-Semitic rumor. Even if it were true, one would have to ask, what role would the police play? Unless, of course, the message is that the Mayor wishes to “mould” public opinion by intimidation or the power of suggestion.

While the Westhampton Beach police are neutral players in this matter, a Mayor who was the police chief may be an anachronism in a more modern environment.
Teller’s platform of flipping back the calendar so that nothing but tumbleweed rolls down Main Street is reminiscent of Andy Griffith's reign. That may be attractive so some. But should the time come when residents cannot even buy a cup of coffee or a pastry on Main Street due to a lack of support for businesses or protection from a crime wave – there might be questions. It would be a pity if the Village business district were to be shuttered for all but the summer crowd.

A Hamptons Dog and Pony Show

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.
--James Thurber

Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.
--Hunter S. Thompson

Before you consider renting or buying a house in the Hamptons, read this.
It is rather long but is instructive as to the method which the Town of Southampton is intent on using to abrogate your rights, as citizens and as property owners. It should alarm you and foster a decision about taking action. In response to this travesty of justice we are engaged in a new Civil Rights cause. Don’t come out on the wrong side of this injustice.


A few years ago, when Skip Heaney was running the Town of Southampton, a sting operation was arranged between the Police Department, the Code Enforcement’s “rubber-gun squad” and reporters from the Southampton Press. A spontaneous visit was organized, just as a photographer and reporter “happened by” from the Southampton Press to rouse a group of summer renters for creating an unsafe situation – at 6 a.m.
The real reason for the bust, of course, was the fact that Heaney lived in Hampton Bays, a sister community to East Quogue and it is the largest voting block in the Town of Southampton. So, to protect his voting base after they complained to him, Heaney arranged a little show for his constituents in the guise of protecting the Town from unruly rentals. Photos of wild-eyed twenty-something’s from Queens and Brooklyn rousted from their beds for not having proper garbage disposition and who were rumored to have been performing dubious acts of fraternization by the pool --appeared in the Southampton Press.

The show and subsequent press coverage did the trick. Even though there were laws pertaining to proper codes and enforcement were already on the books – this little show gave the Town the opportunity to dampen the real estate market and steer summer rentals away from the Hamptons. No additional money had to be spent to actually enforce laws and no additional enforcement personnel were needed. In effect, enforcing the laws by giving tenants or landlords notice to cure a problem – waiting a reasonable time for those situations to be solved – and taking legal action in due course if the notices were ignored – was completely sidestepped. The rental market was severely and negatively impacted for years after this but Heaney had strengthened his voting base. Neither New Yorkers as tenants or property owners were ever a concern for him or the Town. The fact that there was no real legal process for the tenants or the landlords; the fact that the Town would not enforce its own codes through proper notification and follow-up; and, the fact that it was a case of making landlords, not law enforcement, responsible for the acts of tenants – was irrelevant to the Republican government. That has not changed.

The Town of Southampton discovered the fact that property owners could be made to be responsible for any act of a tenant or even the shortcomings of the government. Most of the investors or landlords who own rental properties (owned by New Yorkers) have no right to affect legislation or operate within the local power grid. Through property taxes, the Community Preservation Fund (which is currently being raided by the local politicians to balance the books), and the infusion of cash from a real estate generated economy – New York interests have been completely ignored even though that money supports the entire economy. It has been a license to steal and give nothing back.
In fact, it has emboldened these politicians to increase pressure and reduce the influence of New Yorkers and others who pay for the existence of the local government. But, the question became: how do we create a palatable political basis for this? How do we deflect rational criticism from New Yorkers who do not have the right to vote; how do we make decisions whereby they pay the taxes and police the tenants while we control the property?

The answer has been -- criminalize the landlord.

And, this bizarre twist of logic and the law has been extremely helpful in advancing the cause of the current anti-Latino policy – the popular local politicians’ response to the lack of a national immigration policy. It has been codified and buried in a new Rental Permit Law.
Skip Heaney, Linda Kabot and Pat Nuzzi advertised this housing ploy, calculated to create a local immigration policy, in Suffolk Life about two years ago when they were political running mates. The political campaign ads clearly explained to the voters that housing, the schools and employers would be the targets – through which they would get immigrants out of town.
The local press is hostage to the Republican Party (no cooperation, no advertising from businesses who are politically connected) and to the conservative voting base. Effectively, there is no independent media coverage. The government is free to create the news as it sees fit and it is free to lie to everyone.

Take the recent show that was broadly advertised by the Town in the local “media.”


A group of houses in the North Sea area of Southampton – a working-class location that was overbuilt – had been rented through management companies for the landlords. The management companies were completely responsible for the properties. Latinos occupied the new, spacious houses. In any other community, like Queens, where multi-family triplexes are legal, these would have been 3 large apartments in each house. But, Southampton has never permitted such properties in its code – whether they were new and safe or not. Affordable housing has always been the “big lie” in the Hamptons.
And, the law prevents landlords or brokers from discriminating against applicants based upon color, gender, race or national origin. Landlords are not the police. Although, the Town would now like to make them responsible for this function. It’s cheaper. And, fines bring in big money.
In this situation, the management companies rented the properties at various different times to individuals who portrayed themselves as families. The tenants themselves, recognizing the large spacious multi-bedroom floors in each new house, recognized its potential use. For people of modest means, the idea that new roomy apartments were somehow not legal defied logic in an area where there is a shortage of housing.
Over the last few years, several evictions took place when it became apparent that occupancy was not what was legally permitted despite the fact that each floor was spacious and very comfortable. In some cases it was discovered that basement areas were being used for living space or that unapproved, illegal construction was being done. Those tenants were asked to leave.

Landlords try to avoid Justice Court for evictions because the Southampton Town Justice Court judges only work one week per month on a rotational basis in Southampton Town. They make $60,000 per year for working less than 3 months a year. It is not uncommon for an attorney to have to wait for a month or two to get the assigned judge – back in court – if there is even one adjournment. That judge has to come back on rotation.
So, in a situation where there is a serious need to remove tenants who turn out to be NOT what they claim to be, there are few alternatives to legal action.
Of course, as landlords wait for the judges, the Town in its infinite wisdom can cite property owners for illegal conditions – while doing nothing to cooperate in removing the offenders. And, that is true whether the offending tenants are destroying the property or setting up an illegal rooming house. Code Enforcement has the luxury of sending notices to cure a problem and holding everyone responsible for their lack of oversight on a regular basis – even while the judges sit on their hands in any attempt to evict, or help a landlord’s management company solve a potentially dangerous situation.


Towards the end of last year, Code Enforcement decided to target these houses in North Sea because they fit the bill for the PR push to eliminate more Latinos, make the landlords responsible for their lack of oversight or enforcement of the laws on the books, and push the political agenda against property-owners by levying huge fines. It also was a good opportunity to reinforce the fact that multi-family housing, affordable housing, is not permitted. Unless, of course, you are local and have “auxiliary” apartments and – VOTE!

There were conditions that had to be remedied – and tenants were warned to rectify them. The tenants ignored these warnings and were evicted by the management company without the help of the court – completely legally.

The Town, however, having been made aware of the problems by neighbors who were less than thrilled with a rooming house -- had a perfect situation. New York landlords and Latinos in one happy PR opportunity. Here was a chance to show how the Town was concerned with tenant safety (especially for Latinos -- who they want out of the country) and set up a plan to criminalize property owners. Even better, they thought, perhaps they could even take the property.

Notices were sent by the Town to alert the management company about problems AFTER warrants were signed and executed in order to break into the properties. Apparently Judge DeMayo signs what is now the routine warrant-method of inspecting someone’s house. A letter requesting access to review possible violations might be the rule in any other Town. In Southampton, they don’t ask you if they can come in to your house at 5 a.m., they just break in, flash badges with guns drawn – and check for missing batteries in carbon monoxide detectors. A really big find is an extension cord. Oh, and by the way, they also take names and check for ZE PAPERZ.
Code Enforcement, police, immigration agents – all rolled into one – to check for smoke detector batteries. All to make sure the tenants are safe!
So, how stupid do they think we are? Are we the new “good Germans?”

No one claims that either the landlords or management were given any notice at all that they wanted to inspect the property.

Having learned about the overcrowding that was improperly occurring –– the landlords’ management company took affirmative actions.
Knowing that the Justice Court was slow and ineffectual, letters were sent to the tenants on the lease, management visited the houses to tell them they had to leave, and a real estate firm was hired to resolve the situation.

What you don’t do is simply force people with children out into the streets because while there is ample space it may not be part of the local codes as multi-family housing. Landlords, through management always have to follow the law. Towns and Code Enforcement don’t. They create the law and interpret it as they see fit.
Especially, in the Town of Southampton.

In this case they interpreted the law and then created the spin on what really happened.

After serving a warrant and conducting a search on the properties – all the while threatening the innocent occupants at 5 a.m. one morning, they went to work on management and landlords.
Paperwork accusing landlords of stacks of ostensible violations, many of which were building details approved by the Town when the builder obtained a certificate of occupancy. Stacks of “violations” were produced in court. They were produced long after the warrant-searches took place.

Then, there was the final coup de grace. A media show reminiscent of the Heaney event that occurred years ago was arranged. A circus was held which was intended to support all of the racism in disguise – as well as giving the Town support in utilizing their criminalizing of landlords-as-policy -- a shot in the arm.

One morning, a few weeks after the “searches” the Southampton Press arrived along with the online wannabe Hamptons.com representing the “media.”
Swarms of photographers, reporters, police, Code Enforcement, Town employees – all descended upon these “criminals” to handle the “eviction-by-intimidation” which was to be a show for voters and supporters of the Gestapo school of national immigration policy. They all were also trespassing, by the way.

But, a funny thing happened on the way to North Sea.

Nothing.

There was no one home. Not one person. Not a white person, not a child, not a Latino, no one. The houses were all totally vacant.
The management companies had arranged their own legal eviction that the courts or the Town had nothing to do with. Or, could not manage. After they became aware of the possible overcrowding – depending upon your view of affordable housing versus multi-family codes in this Towns. Safety violations are one thing. Overcrowding is a different thing. Is two people in each of 3 bedrooms overcrowding or an elitist view of the way everyone else should live?
In conjunction with the church, a nun by the name of Sister Briege who had the interests of these unfortunate immigrants at heart -- whose children are Americans – and who clean toilets and do landscaping for the swells in the Hamptons – resolved the situation. The management representing the landlords donated enough money, over ten thousand dollars, to their cause so that they could afford to move. They weren’t consigned to the streets or subjected to racism. They were treated as human beings and were provided with money to find alternative living circumstances. And, they willingly but reluctantly moved.

Even though these properties were being systematically destroyed by overcrowding which lined the pockets of a couple of their own compatriots, and even though they had caused the potentially dangerous circumstances that they were living in, they were still treated fairly.

After an investigation (not by the Town) it was learned that two Mexican nationals named Carlos and Serafin were unknowingly operating the houses as mini-hotels, but whether upwards of $50,000 per month was being collected by them -- as was being reported by the Town – is impossible to tell. Obviously, the Town Investigator, David Betts, did not bother to find out any of this. Police skills seem to dissipate when real work is needed.
And, the Town was not on mission to protect the landlords – OR the tenants. It was a PR mission.
What is very clear, however, is the fact that each of these $2 million dollar houses was being leased for $3500 and $4500 per month (less than they cost) -- to people who originally represented that they were a family, and then gradually imported more paying tenants were enriching the illegal operators. Since the cost of each house was in excess of $10,000 per month, both the landlords and the management companies were losing money, while the Town was benefiting from subsidized housing. The Town just didn’t want the tenants. They wanted to criminalize the landlords as part of their overall plan.
And, that plan is to deflect property owners away from obtaining the vote while furthering the racist policy by evicting Latinos from the Town of Southampton.

The damage to the property will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.


The media description of what happened, of course, was altogether another story.

Hamptons.com was clearly the most egregious. This online attempt at newsgathering was not their first failure. They have a reputation for getting the facts wrong.
While the reporter, Andrea Aurichio, a real estate agent-cum-investigative reporter, described the interior of the houses correctly, most of the rest of her piece was false. If she described the property from inside, she was trespassing. If she was given the information, she was not reporting.
She described the fact that:

“Southampton Town officials recently took the property owners to court
seeking an order compelling the landlords to evict a total of 70 tenants, including 20 children, from the four houses.”

Of course, that was fictitious. The Town had nothing to do with getting the tenants out, unless terrorizing them counts. No such action was taken by the Town to get the tenants out – except by breaking and entering in at 5 am and interrogating them. Wouldn’t that make you feel unwanted, if not totally pissed off?

In December, Code Enforcement flunkies broke into the houses with no prior notice to anyone and THEN filed notices of violations.
No order to evict was ever presented to anyone. Not to the tenants, not to the owners, not to management.
But, this little news clip did have the effect of making it look the Town did do SOMETHING.

The article goes on to interview the new board members Russo and Throne-Holst – Dan Russo is reported to take credit for working the whole thing out with the church to protect the tenants from those big, bad, unresponsive landlords who had not even been notified. But, what would he have worked out?
According to Hamptons.com Russo worked with the church to find them a place to live and Throne-Holst makes comments about protecting tenants and how the Town had to do what the Town had to do. Which was nothing but harass everyone.
Linda Kabot, at a Town hearing over this imbroglio, heard testimony from a few local people who complained that the problem had been going on for 3 years. Well, since they ALL LOOK ALIKE, clearly the neighbors did not know that the same people did not live there for 3 years.

Hamptons.com reported falsely and the Town Board members handed out misinformation. Was this lying? Convenient stupidity? Or, perhaps, it was an organized agenda?

In fact, what really happened was that a real estate company was hired to negotiate for the landlords, negotiate with Sister Briege, and negotiate directly with the tenants -- to donate the money to them for their safe exit and they were helped in securing new places to live. Is Russo claiming to have done this?
Dan Russo did nothing, the Town did nothing, and Throne-Holst, it is to be hoped – was merely duped into believing that somebody in the Town was doing something.

She was mistaken.

The reporter was simply incompetent. Not surprisingly, Hamptons.com refused to print comments to that effect on their website after being contacted. They did not respond to requests for an interview either.
The reporter bought the Town’s media play hook-line-and-sinker.
While they photographed some garbage that was left at one of the properties, she made no mention of the fact that a four-day clean-up had already been done prior to that by the management companies at a cost of several thousand dollars and that this was the remnants of the expensive job without any help from the Town. Of course, what remained was what was photographed.

What also was left out in the “news” was the fact that Sister Briege was interrogated by the Town – in an attempt to force her to give over the names of the tenants and where they had relocated to so that they could pursue them out of Town. Does that sound like their safety was of a primary concern? If he had arranged their safe relocation, wouldn’t Dan Russo know where they had moved to?

The reporter from Hamptons.com advertises her credentials as a former New York Times reporter – some 25 years ago – for lifestyle articles. We are reminded of Howell Raines’ demise and the firing of investigative reporter Jayson Blair at the Gray Lady, which occurred a few years ago. The similarities are glaring.

There was no fact checking by either the Southampton Press or Hamptons.com – none of the accusations were verified or reviewed for accuracy – and there was no attempt to contact anyone who might have shed some light on the true details. There was zero journalistic integrity or professionalism, just the following of marching orders from the Town.

The Southampton Press published the same content with a few different quotes but stated “The charges came just days after the Southampton Town Board ordered four houses on North Sea Road shut down after enforcement officers found health and safety code violations.”
Of course, that little report by Brian Bossetta is also false.
Only notices of violations were filed and served only after they broke in with warrants signed by the Justice Tom DeMayo anti-Latino machine.

This was managed by Town Hall. Joe Lombardo, the Town Attorney, in conjunction with Board Member Pat Nuzzi and Dan Russo, under the tutelage of Cheryl Kraft and her rubber gun squad, which handled the entire operation.
Linda Kabot, the new Supervisor, who’s aunt was the subject of one of these recent raids, took a back seat – but, allowed the Republican Party to plan it.
While Marcus Stinchi, the Republican Party Chairman, isn’t organized enough himself to plan this – having himself hired illegal immigrants to erect election signs for the party a few months ago – he has his hand on this in the background.

The name of this game is Targeting – Criminalizing – and Fines. Follow the money.

Anyone with remaining doubts about the primary motivation for
the Town’s recent push to check the safety of all of its housing need only consider some of the following facts:
Aside from the fact that that Heaney and Nuzzi advertised that they would be using housing safety as a method to enforce a local immigration policy, there is the unusual coincidence that only Latino tenants have been affected by the Code Enforcement break-ins a/k/a warrant searches authorized by Justice DeMayo.
We then have the additional curious matter that all local voters, EMS, Fire, Police and government personnel are exempt from having to pass any safety checks. Neither do they pay a fee for the new rental permits now required by anyone else for renting their properties or “illegal” apartments, nor are they targeted by impromptu inspections.

Can you imagine a retired Southampton cop with a rental apartment in his house being rousted at 5 a.m. by Town Code Enforcement for having a missing carbon monoxide alarm battery?

The ability to use the “safety” ploy to target political enemies, Latinos, and New Yorkers, is only in the beginning stages. It will get worse as the Town needs more money. Taxes are down, real estate is down, and foreclosures are up. In fact, The Town hopes to cash in with fines in order to bolster the waning budget. Even dipping into the Community Preservation Fund will not be enough.

If there was even the slightest doubt that Targeting and retaliation is what the safety issue is about consider the recent incident in Hampton Bays – which was NOT reported in the Southampton Press or on Hamptons.com.
A Code Enforcement officer who was drunk recently verbally abused a local woman in front of her house in Hampton Bays and he was screaming at her using derisive language about her national origin. You know, what the Town is claiming is not happening. She was not even a Latino.
The woman called the Town to complain about his abusive behavior and reported the incident, believing that she had rights.

The result: Code Enforcement visited her a few days later and her house was searched and numerous violations were issued – resulting in criminal summonses.
That’s Cheryl Kraft, Joe Lombardo, Michael Sendlenski, Chris Nuzzi, Dan Russo and David Betts and the Code Enforcement boys and girls – the new Storm Troopers. The jury is still out on Linda Kabot.

Latinos, Blacks, Jews, Gays, immigrants (legal or not) and New Yorkers -- beware. This is the new reality in the fabulous Hamptons. It’s not all Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley, Alec Baldwin, Seinfeld and other celebrities.

If the Town persists, under Cheryl Kraft and the new Town Board members, in trying to make landlords the enemy – and, unless they inspect EVERY house in the Town for violations – if they continue to criminalize landlords who merely make their property available for rent – they will all be hit by years of expensive litigation for selective enforcement and civil rights violations. The Town will be sued for the right to vote in local elections.
The local taxpayers will have to foot the bill for this irresponsible and unconstitutional behavior.

The Postscript to this little tale of the Town’s foray into racism and criminality is the fact that Joe Lombardo, the Town Attorney, weeks after the landlords evicted the tenants themselves – is attempting to take the property away from the owners with the aid of the court – to insure that no Latinos can ever occupy them again.

Even the King protected property rights in the Colonies.

Those rights were preserved in our Constitution.

This is America isn’t it?

Well, not quite. Welcome to Southampton.

The Southampton Shuffle

Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.
--H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

The intelligentsia of the Southampton Town prosecutor’s office known affectionately as the team of Lombardo and Sendlenski have been busy attempting to extort cash out of the newest class of criminals in the Town -- New York landlords and property owners.
With the advent of the new Rental Law - a thinly disguised set of guidelines intended to rid the area of those pesky Latinos (in the absence of a national immigration policy) and at the same time, transfer responsibility for enforcing laws from the police to landlords – a whole new situation, what a normal person would think is a con job, has evolved.

Take the recent scenarios that have erupted in the Town Justice Court.

The Code Enforcement boys arrange a complaint from a neighbor who is just thrilled about having a Latino living next door with their extended family.
An anonymous phone call to the local gendarmes complaining of, say, garbage, becomes the excuse (probably cause) for a full-blown investigation. As was popular with Hitler Youth, that garbage complaint becomes the ticket to arrive at the front door with guns drawn and badges flashing.
Who could refuse a visit from your friendly, local, law enforcement officer? Tell Sally to put her robe on and invite the boys in for a beer.

Of course, this humor pales when confronted with the new realities of the Justice Court. Joe Lombardo and his pal Michael Sendlenski, looking to make a name for themselves with the locals, have started to hone the good-cop, bad-cop routine to a level where Abbott and Costello would be envious.

What has been happening folks, are a few of the following realities. For one thing, the Town needs money. Mostly for more salaries to enforce the laws against New Yorkers and other riff-raff. Too many people seem to have gotten the idea that investments are welcome in the Town and that they, therefore, should have some say in who rules and how the game is played. So, taxes have been jacked up – just in time, it seems. The tax revenues were about to decrease, so while values drop, tax rates go up. As the values continue to drop, don’t look for the taxes to drop. This year’s increase in the Community Preservation Fund, the transfer tax paid on big-ticket purchases of real estate, may be a very serious disappointment next year. There was enough money to go around this year, and for the politicians to “borrow” from – but this may not be possible next year. This year’s take was based heavily upon the performance of real estate for the first two-thirds of 2007. That was when financing did exist.

But, what the Town has traditionally fallen back on for money is the good old formula of ripping off the New Yorkers. You know, that elephant in the room that pays for everyone to have a job in Town government but does NOT get to vote, Yet.
Fines, penalties, and criminal summonses do very nicely. It’s the meat and potatoes of the Town Justice Court. It’s gets those white New Yorkers all squirmy when the idea of traveling 100 miles to court with the possibility of being arrested for things like not having a number posted on your house or, say, renting your house to someone the Town doesn’t like.

That brings us to Latinos and Rental permits.

Recently, a couple of landlords were dragged into court by the vaudeville team of Sendlenski and Lombardo because they had rented a couple of properties to tenants that were immigrants. Their “Paperz” were not in order – and by the way, we found numerous violations in your houses and you have not obtained a rental permit with the names of the people living in these houses. And, by the way, are they here legally? Now, that's your job, not our job.
But, we are concerned because they are not safe. But, are they here legally?
How about you give us $5000? No, make that $10,000.
Yes, and what about jail time?
Well, give us the money and maybe we'll just give you Community Service. For renting your house.

Judge Burke, of course, a recently re-elected jurist who is tough on crime adjudicates many of these cases. Perhaps with tongue in cheek. How could you keep a straight face when there are real criminals wandering about and landlords are being arrested and criminalized?

So, how humorous is this situation? How does a New Yorker logically deal with such an obvious sham. The previous Supervisor "Skip" Heaney even published a campaign ad in Suffolk Life describing in detail how he planned to get rid of immigrants. The plan, when Heaney, Kabot and Nuzzi were running on a Republican ticket (before Heaney and Kabot broke up) was to intensively inspect houses that the Latinos were living in and use the safety issue as a means to criminalize landlords -- disguised as concern for the very people the Town wanted to vanish. Of course, no house can survive a safety inspection if the inspector is instructed to find problems.

While Sendlenski and Lombardo are busy shaking down the landlords, and while Supervisor Kabot is clucking over the extra $4 million sucked out of New Yorkers pockets from real estate transactions, Judge Burke’s kid is creating a new business.

Ed Burke, Jr. is advertising in the Republican Town organ, the Southampton Press, which passes as a newspaper, for his services – to advise those pesky landlords on how to get those Rental Permits. Whether the Rental Law is constitutional or not is immaterial.

In "House of Games," Joe Montegna described a "Tell" as the most successful way to figure out what was going on. You have to watch these characters in operation. Sit in on a Justice Court session. All of the players have their game down with each other.

And, just as John Cusack mistrusted Annette Benning and Angelica Huston in "The Grifters," watch the Town play out this "Long Con." In addition to the entire corrupt process from Town Investigator David Betts, to Fire Marshall Cheryl Kraft and her Code Enforcement boys and girls, to the Town Attorneys in Justice Court in front of Ed Burke and Tom DeMayo (who signs most of the anti-Latino search warrants) – there will now be a charade played out with beleaguered landlords represented by Burke, Jr., in front of his father. It is a system of corruption poorly disguised as a campaign to enforce safe housing that is feeding upon your wallet. Can you imagine that they want you to believe that they want safe housing for people that they really want to kill? Visit Quogue if you doubt that. The police shot an unarmed immigrant to death.
Where’s the U.S. Attorney when you really need him?

The South Bronx during the Civil Rights Movement was a safer place for New Yorkers.

The Other Shoe

Lack of money is the root of all evil.
-- George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Now that Manhattan real estate has started to drop – both the number of sales and the dollar amounts – it is abundantly clear to all those who enjoy reading the tea leaves that we are in for a difficult few years. Real Estate Intel is that the condo market has already seen 15 to 20 percent drops in prices and that 30 percent reductions are in the future.
And, Hamptons brokers who tell you the truth describe the one remaining selling season that is left (there used to be spring and fall) as “quiet.” Some brokers have used the word “spooky.”

For the last few years, the SoHo Journal has been describing what was about to take place and we have now arrived at that point. But, the conflicting information emanating from Wall Street columnists leads some to believe that we are arriving near the bottom – both in stocks and bonds and real estate.
Don’t believe it. We are just at the beginning.
The people to listen to are not the gurus or the reporters or the brokers involved in the marketplace.
The people to listen to are the money guys. They’re scared.

What they know, they learn from talking to hedge fund managers, underwriters, investors, and banks. They know that there is a lot more pain to come in the real estate debacle – from write-downs and foreclosures – to massive layoffs on Wall Street. The workers who are laid off, incidentally, would be the people who buy condos in Manhattan and summer houses in the Hamptons.
And, the money guys also know that Europe is about to be hit as well.
How many people know, for example, that buyers in London typically could buy that Townhouse in the right neighborhood with 100% financing?
Germany is now having trouble – Deutche Bank just wrote off $7 Billion.
Switzerland’s UBS just wrote off $19 Billion. The Eastern bloc is not far behind and less well capitalized.
So much for the much-vaunted cheap dollar theory behind real estate sales in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

The most realistic prediction about where we are headed is a serious recession that could take 5 years to play out. The most pessimistic approaches a meltdown of 1929 proportions.
If there is not another MUB (monster under the bed) similar to the Bear Sterns bailout, the next 5 years may only be a severe recessionary period during which lots of people lose their jobs and their homes and cash is hard to come by.
If the economy becomes unhinged by a serious lack of cash worldwide, which could be precipitated by a bad bet in the shadow economy, which has a total leveraged debt of $516 Trillion dollars, – all bets are off.
Essentially, derivatives are bets whose ultimate payday is guaranteed only by the party holding the paper -- if you can figure it out.

So, as the party winds down, a few things will change substantially. There will be a severe shortage of cash, even the weakened dollar. There will be little mortgage money outside of Fanny Mae government paper with a limit of $550,000 (which gets you nothing in the Hamptons or Manhattan), and will replace the “liar loans” with the kind of loan application that the Feds can prosecute you for.
There will be substantially less in tax receipts. This will cause some Village, Town and County coffers to dry up to the tune of a Chapter 11 filing – lest you were thinking of buying some municipal bonds.

Prices for real estate will continue drop fueled by the lack of cash, the lack of mortgages and the lack of qualified buyers. Foreclosures will soar and vacant houses will grow, along with the number of properties on the remaining real estate broker’s listings.
While Towns and Villages in the Hamptons will continue to dip into the Community Preservation Fund, the tax base will continue to dry up. Even East Hampton Supervisor McGinty’s “loan” from that Fund, currently being investigated by D.A. Spota, will be looked upon as a necessary evil as municipalities start to go under.

The fact that the Town of Southampton has chosen to operate their racist immigrant witch hunt at this point in time – criminalizing landlords for renting houses to Guatemalans, Mexicans, Ecuadorians – will only exacerbate the problem in the Hamptons.
It will accelerate the rate of foreclosures, hasten a landscape of boarded up houses and force even more properties on an already bloated market. The Conservative Republicans will bring down an already damaged economy to satisfy a racist agenda.
The “Prime” borrowers who have been holding on in this real estate market will be pushed over the edge.
This has already been reported by brokers who complain that houses which were formerly only on the market for sale – are now also on the market for rent. And, the rental prices reflect the numbers needed to pay a mortgage -- not the realities of what people in the marketplace will pay. The new rental law, which is unconstitutional and racist, will fix the rest because the only tenants who can afford to rent (or who will actually pay once in the door) are the targets of the Town. They want Latinos gone and they want young people to go to New Jersey. The line of politicians dipping into the Preservation Fund will grow quickly.


For those of you who do not get any news in the Hamptons from the local media, there are a few election notes worthy of reporting.

George Motz is described as a Mayor running for re-election in Quogue.
What is left out of the crib notes by the Southampton Press reporter who did the original story when it was mistakenly covered and almost got him fired – is the fact that Mayor Motz was indicted for playing games with client money at his investment firm. According to the S.E.C. complaint, a little ploy called “ticket-switching,” was alleged. His wife is still the Quogue Justice Court Judge but they are rumored to be holding on to each other by a thread – partly due to the fact that he has a girlfriend.


Conrad Teller, Mayor of Westhampton Beach, known for wanting to keep the Village like a set for Mayberry RFD – replete with tumbleweed rolling down the street during the winter – is being challenged after his first term.
Currently one of the hottest issues defining his time in office is whether the religious people will be allowed to have markers in the Village allowing Orthodox Jews to benefit from placements that guide the path to the synagogue. Some Villagers have described the Mayor as someone who is anti-Semitic and during a recent Village Board meeting, derogatory comments were tolerated from the audience.
Some of the members of the audience decried the fact that allowing these ervuls would bring more Jews to the Village.
Well, hello, for a Village that is anti-business, wouldn’t that be a godsend?

The challengers are reportedly former newscaster John Roland, who lost by only 6 votes in the last election – and Mark Raynor, a retired police officer who is business friendly. One will run for Mayor and the other will run for a Trustee position.

Hamptons Economics 101

Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara, that land doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts.
-- Gerald O’Hara (Gone with the Wind, 1939)


Do not pursue what is illusory - property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade and can be confiscated in one fell night.
--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918 - )




Only the most optimistic of real estate agents who is still paying off the new Range Rover purchased a year ago, would tell you that real estate is selling well in the Hamptons.
In fact, even at the height of the market as the bubble was forming, East End property agents bemoaned the disappearance of the historical two selling seasons – fall and spring.

No longer.

While not all areas have been affected similarly, East Hampton was an exception last year and Quogue to some extent this year. For the most part, there is now one season (March to May) during which some buying activity is really expected. Properties priced at up to $600,000 and listed for over $10,000,000 have buyers. Mortgages are as scarce as true Democratic politicians on the East End.

Most real estate brokers have a phrase to describe the current market: “It’s very quiet.”
There are lookers but the bidders automatically come in anywhere from 20 to 50 percent under the asking price. And, sellers are not budging. Yet.

Considering the fact that the Hamptons is a wealthy resort whose primary source of income is real estate, one would expect the local government to be supportive of that industry. It would be natural to expect that since property taxes from non-residents, transfer tax fees for property purchases, local durable goods orders, hard and soft costs involving the building and construction industry, and the thousands of small businesses that employ local labor – support the economy – that local government would do anything possible to create a net during what appears to be a long and difficult recession about to arrive. Not to mention the Community Preservation Fund – that big kitty where New Yorkers pay $60 to $100 million per year so that the local politicians can raid the piggy bank whenever they can’t find the money anywhere else. Recently, a meeting was held deciding whether the Fund needed to be raided again to buy a bowling alley or support some local salaries that they Villages and Towns can’t afford to pay for – with the local money they collect. It’s hit the Fund again – and Thank God for real estate.

It was in the 1970’s that the invincibility theory of Hamptons real estate first raised its freckled head. A charming, waspy broker by the name of Tilman Match actually carried around printed cards which he gave to prospective buyers that described the year upon year of consistent appreciation in home values. As most investment-oriented sales people, he described with clear certainty how real estate would appreciate while rentals would pay the cost of the financing. It was an investment that could not lose. With plenty of young families, students who rented in the winter months and young single people who rented houses in the summer, it was an investor’s haven. Even the local government counted on investment property so that they did not have to provide affordable housing for local people.

It was a mantra that was adopted by many brokers from Remsenburg to Southampton, from Water Mill to East Hampton and beyond.

In the late 1960’s, there were artists, professors and students in the winter, and families and single share houses in the summer. The Hamptons was an exciting, fun place all year long for different reasons. Sometimes desolate in winter, rarely crowded in the summer, it was part bohemian, part elegant, and part local character. In those years, the divide between local residents and the out of town population was more real. The locals were making lots of money and they put up with the annoyance from the summer people who arrived in May and left by September. Hence, Tumbleweed Tuesday – after the summer people left town.

As the values of property increased, so did the exclusivity pitch from brokers. As local people made more and more money – there were more and more local people. And, there were many more local builders who migrated from up the Island and developed cozy relationships with the Town government. Meaning – that a trend began which started the migration from New York City’s outer boroughs, Nassau County and New Jersey – to the Hamptons. The new local people, the new residents, were now many of the same people who spent vacation time and summers in the Hamptons because they saw the flow of money. And, that is where the change in essential Hamptons character started to change.

By the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Hamptons was no longer an enclave of farmers who considered someone a “local” if they hadn’t lived there for more than 70 years. The farmers sold their development rights to either a developer or the Land Trust and were now taking it easy. The big box stores had moved in – from Hampton Bays to Bridgehampton – and émigrés from up the island and the outer boroughs had made their way into local politics to try to wrest away some of the wealth. And, they succeeded.
Skip Heaney, the recent 3-term Supervisor of the Town of Southampton was brought in by his father who had a hardware store in Hampton Bays when he first ran for Town Board. Ask many of the civil service employees and local politicians how long they’ve lived in the Hamptons or when did their families move into town. Interesting confabulations will follow.

But, what this new crowd brought with them was not a love of the land. What they brought with them was a sense of entitlement, greed and a sense of escape. Greed for the money and greed for power. And many were escaping from scrutiny to an area of natural beauty and avoidance of accountability. They also brought the attitude of the “last one in” mentality – “Now that I’m here, I can do that but you’re not one of us, so you can’t do that!” That is the essence of Hamptons Politics. We were here first.

And, that leads directly to the current state of neo-conservative thinking, which has given rise to racism, conservative Republicanism, and an anti-“outsider” mentality.
It worked well when the investment came in and left without asserting any property or voting rights. But, as those who invested money started to stay for longer than a few months a year – asking for voting rights and demanding participation in the economic and political decisions – the government started to move even further to the right.
The question is, what will happen now that the flow of money starts to only trickle in.


The financial instruments of the real estate age have started to unwind. Whether they are CDO’s, SIV’s, credit-default swaps, short-term municipal paper auctions, bundled mortgage securities, or hedge funds trading in derivatives – trillions, not just billions are about to be lost. And, they will continue to be lost as The Great Real Estate bubble blows up. We are still only at the beginning of this slide.
This has affected investors, homebuyers, and local governments. Many expect some County governments to declare bankruptcy due to the fact that they cannot renegotiate debt at manageable rates while their tax receipts slow. California is borrowing heavily, New York is under water, and New York City is starting to tighten its belt. The Hamptons are raiding the Community Preservation Fund with the help of Fred Thiele.

As all of this is taking place, the Town of Southampton has increased its residential tax rate and is contemplating raising the commercial tax rate. The government has also embarked upon a much-hyped “Safety” program – using Code Enforcement under the direction of Cheryl Kraft and Michael Sendlenski of the Town Attorneys office – intended to rid the Town of Latinos. This Final Solution to rid the Town of Latinos is in progress under the guise of a new rental law and it is expected that the temporary “affordable housing program” which for decades has been left to private investors to solve for the Town -- will now be eliminated. What was sanctioned by the Town, so that the government did not have to make any investment, is now being dismantled to satisfy the neo-Con “last-in” mentality population of the Hamptons. Within two years, investment property and rental housing will be reduced as the need for affordable housing increases.

Most of the investment property in Southampton will now likely be sold – during a recession and during a severe housing shortage. Here are some of the numbers.

With about 6000 properties for sale on the South Fork of Long Island, during the last quarter, only a handful of properties have sold in East Hampton. In Southampton, the average sale price between the end of 2006 and 2007 has dropped from $2.3 million to $753,000 – a drop of 67.7%.

The effect upon those who are just now considering selling their houses in the Hamptons is simple. With investment property about to be dumped on the market due to the racist policy being implemented by the Town of Southampton, with the independent downward spiral occurring in the real estate business, and with the reduction in tax receipts from the lack of sales (also severely reducing the Community Preservation tax income) – we are about to witness a perfect storm of financial distress.
Those who must sell will not be able to sell. Those who are unable to sell will have property whose value is less than the underlying mortgage – as has already happened to roughly 10% of all homes in America.
And, as that happens, more and more houses will sit on the market, vacant and unused.
The “safety” policy, used to evict Latinos under the guise of a local anti-immigrant policy will destroy investors, seniors, second homeowners and all other local homeowners that need to extract themselves from financial ruin.

Entire neighborhoods will be for sale and there will be no buyers.

This is the new Hamptons Economics.

So, if you are considering buying in the Hamptons, wait. Prices will be much better in another year or two. And, by that time the prices in Manhattan will have started to drop.

Hampton Tidbits

The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.
-- Henry Kissinger, New York Times, Oct. 28, 1973

Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.
-- Dan Quayle

While Cheryl Kraft’s Code Enforcement boys and girls are busy breaking and entering into local houses with a Justice Court warrant, guns drawn and badges flashing at 5 a.m. to check for smoke detectors, the Southampton Village Police department is conducting its own version of the Spanish Inquisition.
The criminalization of landlords marches forward along with the search for immigrants who would rather sleep in a bed rather than in the woods with their children. The Republicans have shown their humanistic side once again. They would like to institutionalize the Hamptons Witch Hunt to satisfy the bigoted faction of the local electorate and the Conservative wing of the party. Town Investigator David Betts (placed on probation by Supervisor Linda Kabot for the raid against her aunt) aided by Town Attorney Sendlenski have given Public Safety Chief Cheryl Kraft the shot in the arm she needed to give all 5 Code Enforcement officers that carte blanche to terrorize landlords and Latinos like Dirty Harry in a spaghetti western. The new rental law is widely known as the Hamptons Anti-Latino law. It is recognized as pure racism, sanctioned by the Republicans and supported by the Town Board. In addition to racism it is extortion.
All property owners in the Hamptons are now subjected to huge fines unless they rent to those people whom the Town wants. Otherwise, they find violations in your home and try to arrest you. It’s Pay, or we arrest you.

That’s the message to New Yorkers.

And, this week a few more Village police officers were forced to bite the dust in Southampton. That story is still unwinding and it’s not a pretty one.
The favors and corruption go deeper than people want to believe.
Officer Gallo was suspended as was dispatcher Ottati.
Aside from the tickets-to-ride – or, rather 1900 tickets to walk away from – there was also the issue of a D.A.’s investigation about the fact that Wilson was working security at Polo while on the books doing police work for the Village. All those recordings of people asking for tickets to disappear are starting to irritate people in Archives.
Apparently, the retaliation is still virulent.

It’s been an interesting week in this best of all possible world resorts.

We understand that Nancy Graboski is living up to her reputation as a reformer – or, is still so pissed off at her treatment by the Republican Party during the last election – that she is calling for an audit of the Town’s books. With the reportedly serious amounts of cash lying around – still available from the last budget – she’s wondering why this year’s budget needs to be increased. All kinds of rumors about Masterson’s Highway Department solicitations for contracts and Republican Party coffers have been making the rounds. An audit sounds like a really good idea.


The Quogue dynasty, with Chief Judge Kitrick Motz who is married to Mayor George Motz, there is a rumor that a Mr. Traeger is interested in challenging the indicted Mayor in the next election.
There is also word that there will be a separation of powers once the court proceedings get underway.
Makes you wonder why Linda Kabot, the new Supervisor of the Town of Southampton lives in Quogue. Although, we hear that while she is “local,” not many of the small businesses in that village see her in their shops.

There may be a challenge to Westhampton Beach Mayor Conrad Teller in the next election. The Village Board may also see some changes. The business community has been less than pleased with the fact that while many other Villages and Hamlets in the Hamptons have seen a surge in activity even during the winter months – Westhampton Beach looks like the Dust Bowl during the 1930’s. There is no plan to aid or increase business with people-friendly events and the current level of government stimulation towards progress is likely to include little more than sweeping the Tumbleweed off Main Street. The fake bricks edging the sidewalk don’t give visitors the sense that Tiffany will be opening up there soon either. That problem, the fake bricks, supposedly was brought in to the Village because a prior contractor did such a bad job that there were too many “trip and fall” lawsuits. So much for the concept of beautification.

The most expensive high-end rentals have already been taken in Easthampton while in this Village, 45 minutes closer to Manhattan, most of the businesses close up during the Winter due to lack of any activity. The real estate brokers have been able to count the number of transactions on one hand.
And, crime is up. The Police Department has been grappling with a series of masked-men breaking into local businesses. The burglars have been successfully robbing the businesses, which have chosen to remain open during the winter for the benefit of the Village – and the thieves, who have never been caught, have managed to carry away a substantial portion of what little income that the Village sees. It’s not a good combination. Is it Mayberry, here we come, minus the law enforcement? This is with a Mayor who was the Chief of Police before he was elected. What does that tell you?

Hot Buttons in the Hamptons

But thus do I counsel you, my friends: distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful!
--Friedrich Nietzsche


A few issues in Southampton politics affect local residents as well as New Yorkers. A few of these issues will actually affect the quality of everyone’s lives. Like Immigration reform, the political makeover on the Town Board, and the face and quality of local law enforcement, several trends are underway that we need to know about.

Take some of the inside dope on law enforcement.
There have been ongoing mini-scandals in the Village of Southampton that would make the original series “Peyton Place” seem like a high school drama. Rumors about the “1900 tickets” that disappeared is not news – but certainly raises questions about how business as usual is done at the station house.
William Masterson, Highway Superintendent for the Town, for example is rumored to have been pissed off at having been given a speeding ticket at one point and made it a badge of honor that the ticket disappear. It disappeared. The Chief of Police at that time gave an order to turn that ticket over to him, or else. Masterson’s not the only character who wanted his way. it seems the Village Police became a virtual sieve for those who had connections within the department.
The tradition of making the department one’s little piggybank, especially for the Chief (currently Wilson) started to annoy some of the rank and file. The fact that Chief Wilson’s girlfriend, rumored to be Kimberly McMahon, was hired and paid $80/hour overtime – ahead of some of the other foot soldiers with rank and seniority – has not been appreciated. If the Chief is going to “work it” on the payroll, they at least want some of the others to get a better break.
Apparently, there was a lot of grief during a Jack Nicholson film when there was more than enough overtime for everyone.

One of the Sergeant’s, Christopher Broich, in fact, has file several charges with the EEOC over his treatment by Wilson over the parking tickets and other dubious behavior such as improper moonlighting. And, there are rumors regarding an officer named Cummings and PBA attorney Losquadro, both of whom reportedly have a mutual business relationship, and Chief Wilson. Is retaliation against a cop who is a whistleblower possible? Ask Broich, who apparently was asked to fix a few tickets – and wouldn’t.

The question is, with all of this special treatment for Police Department “friends” whose tickets disappear, $80/hour overtime with a base pay of $100 grand – exactly what kind of monster is Southampton Village cultivating?
Many of the Village Police have their own private security companies in addition to their regular police jobs so that the badge and gun are interchangeable depending upon whether you are on duty or not. There’s plenty of work in the Village of Southampton and apparently plenty of money around. Why corruption on top of that?
Or, as Gordon Gekko said in “Wall Street” – greed is good.

In Westhampton Beach Village, where a mini-crime wave has erupted, questions about the effectiveness of local government have been raised. One local establishment, Magic’s Pub, has been hit twice by robberies in less than three months. Security on the streets are so lacking that the thief walked out the front door with the safe in his arms and out another door with a couple of 40 inch widescreen TV’s like he was invisible. Another local pub, Kara’s, has also been hit. The Mayor, Conrad Teller, who was the former Police Chief, and the Village Board have been characterized as being disinterested in helping develop local businesses during the winter months – and if some improvement is not forthcoming – he and the Board will definitely get their way. Most businesses shut down in the winter due to lack of sales. If the crime doesn’t drop, the Big Chill will set in and no businesses at all will remain open. As it is, rumors abound that certain Village Trustees are acting like ex-officio Police Commissioners due to the lack of interest on the part of Mayor Teller. One resident commented that the Mayor would like to push Westhampton Beach back to the days of 'Mayberry RFD.'
Even in the South Bronx of the 1960’s when Fort Apache and the surrounding landscape resembled Berlin after World War II, at least some crimes got solved.


The riddle of the new Southampton Town Board is expected to be solved this week. With one open Board seat, after Linda Kabot was bumped up to Supervisor, the question is twofold. Who will the fourth Board member be? And, how will that Board member be chosen?
Fans of three-dimensional chess will learn to appreciate Southampton Town politics. In addition to the myriad number of “lines” on the ballot, there are variations in the way in which the selection process can go forward.

Currently, the Board is comprised of four slots for Board members and one for Supervisor. At the moment, Linda Kabot (Republican) is the Supervisor and there are three Board members (Chris Nuzzi, a Republican; Nancy Graboski, a Republican; Anna Throne-Holst, a Democrat).
While Jim Henry, the Democrat who challenged Kabot and lost by 57 votes, is expected to run for Supervisor in two years, the balance on the Board is still controlled by the Town Republican Committee – a conservative group of local people who are closely allied with the same graft and corruption attributed to the former Supervisor Skip Heaney and associates like Bill Masterson (the Highway Supervisor who hands out construction contracts in return for contributions to the party).

This brings us to the problem at hand.

The current dilemma for reformers like Throne-Holst, who faces three Republicans on the Board – is that there are few candidates to choose from.
Alex Gregor, who is an Independent and widely admired by the electorate – who almost single-handedly destroyed Skip Heaney’s career by depriving him of the Independent line – is a favorite among voters. However, the heat is on when he approaches the current members of the Board. He is a leader who likes to lead. The Board is looking for a team player – for their team.

It seems likely that the overwhelming majority of the Republican Board will hand the Board seat to Dan Russo – one of Heaney’s former running mates.
He is being pushed by the Republican Committee and this will likely be the kiss of death for reform in Southampton Town.

There is also the issue of appointment vs. special election.
Russo is likely to be appointed – a fact that the Republican Committee is counting on. Or, along with other candidates, a special election could be held. And, while there have been comments about the cost of such an election – the Board of Elections has basically said that there is no charge.
So, while the Republican Board is looking for an excuse to appoint – there should be no mistake about the fact that it is not going to save anyone any money.

If Russo is appointed, he must run this November.
If he were to win a special election, he would not have to run for election again until Kabot’s old term has expired. They are not the same dates. The implications in this, a heavily favored Democratic year, are clear. Still, there is the incumbency factor.
The warring parties can figure out the implications of that scenario.


Finally, on the immigration front little has happened. The new rental law, which was concocted in order to push the safety issue, has been debunked by one of the East End’s most influential publications – Suffolk Life. If a publication whose publisher, Dave Willmott, loaned his son to run Heaney’s election campaign isn’t plugged into the law, no one is.
Heaney ran on the anti-immigration, anti-Latino plank. He and Chris Nuzzi set the strategy and implemented it, using Garrett Swenson and Michael Sendlenski of the Town Attorney’s office – along with Cheryl Kraft (Head of Public Safety and Code Enforcement) and the “investigative” work of David Betts, in the newly created Town Investigator position.
One of their first targets, of course, was Linda Kabot’s aunt. The New York Times investigated the matter and as a result of Kabot's win, Swenson was fired and Betts is hanging by a thread. They haven’t gotten to Sendlenski yet – a kid who is trying to make a name for himself by threatening to jail landlords.

Remember that when you think about Southampton as a liberal resort area.
While New Yorkers pay for the government, the politicians have been using the money to try to hang them with it.

So, in a recent editorial in the catchy-titled opinion piece “Willmott and Why Not” the focus was the new rental law. He opines in his editorial that everyone is scratching their heads trying to figure out why the 6000 or so rental property owners have not filed for their permits.

Well, Hello?

Start by asking people (whose property you are demanding virtual control over) why they do not have the right to vote.

Ask why a law that is unconstitutional – prompting the ACLU to join the current Federal litigation against the Town over this usurping of property ownership -- was ever implemented.

Or, perhaps, should we mention that the rental applications are USED TO TARGET OWNERS for renting to summer people or Latinos.
Just ask Supervisor Kabot’s aunt.

Willmott goes on to say that, of course, local people who have apartments or additional rental units should be excluded from this law. After all, you have to keep them voting for the Republicans who fostered this law. No need to have the law apply to everyone.
It’s all about those nasty New Yorkers who make a fortune from real estate. AND, WHO ARE FILLING THE NEED FOR RENTALS IN THE ABSENCE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING!

The essence of the editorial is the smoking gun of the Republican Party. There is absolutely no mention in this editorial about safety. The basis for this rental law, which is badly disguised discrimination against Latinos and property owners, was supposedly about safety. There is not a word in this editorial about housing safety.

It really about the money.
And, about political control – pandering to the local electorate while trying to control your property.

Southampton’s Final Solution

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
-- Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968)

Over the past several weeks, the Town of Southampton, the new Supervisor Linda Kabot, the judges in the local Justice Court, the Town Board, Cheryl Kraft’s Code Enforcement boys, Michael Sendlenski of the Town Attorney’s Office and David Betts, the “Detective” who searches for illegal rental housing – have come under some unwanted and unexpected scrutiny by none other than the New York Times.
While inquiries were made by others of the press – none have gotten a response. The New York Times reporter Corey Kilgannon, however, did manage to interview some of the people who were victims of the Heaney/Nuzzi primary election targeting against Kabot. Among others, Kilgannon interviewed some of the tenants of the new Supervisor Linda Kabot’s aunt whose rental cottages were the subject of a raid by Code Enforcement – police who now appear to have assigned themselves the right to check the immigration status of tenants along with the condition of smoke detectors and electrical extension cords.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Telemundo, the NYCLU, all appear to have interest in a law that in various degrees has copied what other villages and towns have discovered. They were interested in the fact that Southampton now appears to have a new solution to the problem of immigration that the Bush boys were either unwilling or unable to solve.

In the Town of Southampton, the solution to getting rid of “illegals” has become – let’s make them so safe that they want to leave.
While code enforcement is a usual function of the Building Department or Public Safety, it has now become the Storm Troopers of the political right wing.
How else would you explain the fact that:
A. White residents who have auxiliary apartments in “mother-daughter” houses such as are favorites of retirees, police, firefighters, EMS, and local teachers – are exempt from the law and never have inspections.
B. Codes that are referenced in the new rental law are already on the books and were not enforced – but now carry fines of up to $15,000 per day per violation.
C. Inspections are carried out at 5 a.m. with groups of officers carrying guns and badges who force themselves into houses to wake its occupants, require identification, check immigration status, glance at smoke detectors, extension cords and plumbing fixtures – and then notify the owner that a criminal summons is about to be issued.
D. “Skip” Heaney, from Hampton Bays – where the largest voting bloc in the Town of Southampton is located – and Chris Nuzzi, Town Board member from “Crookhaven” were the force behind the rental law and in their campaign they publicized the fact that they would rid the town of “illegal immigrants” if they were elected.
E. The local press which consists of Suffolk Life, a newspaper whose publisher’s son ran the Heaney campaign – and the Southampton Press, whose editor was placed in her position by Skip Heaney, have been silent on the issue of racism and the real reason for the new law. Both publications have given voice to the right wing "Minutemen" mentality who support the law as a disguised way of evicting tenants through fear and intimidation.

The supporters of this law – which replaces the former Summer Rental law – are people who are ill informed and who persist in lying about their real motivation. And, that is, the racism behind it all. It is not simply anti-illegal immigrant. It is anti-Latino.
Why else would people who have fully legal immigration status be swept up in these raids as well?
Why would only the properties occupied by Latinos, some of them living in million dollar residences – be the only ones visited and inspected at 5 am? Do the Codes require visitations before dawn to check for plumbing malfunctions -- to "PROTECT" the tenants?

What none of them considered was the fact that this Town is not the same as many other villages and towns across Long Island. In this town, the bills are paid by New Yorkers who don’t, as of yet, have the ability to vote on the laws that are passed which affect them directly. Most of the rental housing is owned by New Yorkers who have invested in this resort area.
In Southampton Town, the lack of affordable housing has been seriously supplemented by investment property owned by non-resident property owners – NOT absentee landlords living in some foreign country or distant state. They are right here, among us, in business -- PAYING TAXES. The taxes that pay the salaries of the local government workers seeking to put the property owners in jail if they rent to Latinos.
That was Heaney’s big mistake. He counted on the silence of the “Good Jews” who would accept more of the same treatment. No rights, no vote, no voice.
That is about to change.

Why haven't ALL of the properties in the Town been inspected for safety violations?
Why was there no concern for everyone’s safety 10 years ago when the same codes existed?

The answers are simple as well as obvious.

If the illegal and unsafe housing that pervades the Town were reviewed via 5 am interventions by the Storm Troopers from the rubber gun squad, most of the cops, firemen, senior citizens as well as the largest voting bloc in Hampton Bays – would be crawling up the asses of everyone in Town government. Because, none of them could withstand the scrutiny of even a minor code or safety inspection.

In defense of this law, a Mr. Sacco was widely quoted by both the Southampton Press and Suffolk Life. At a meeting with the Town in which a decision to delay the implementation of this law was being considered, he pointed out that a refrigerator was thrown out in the street four years ago in front of the house next to him. This refrigerator, which apparently still had a door on it, he pointed out, posed a risk to small children. “The landlords were living in Pennsylvania,” he was quoted as saying.
Okay, a tenant threw out a refrigerator and was a danger to small children.

Fine. This sounds like a code violation. Call the police and Code Enforcement arrives (if they were doing their jobs then), and they get it out of there. No Code Enforcement shows up --and it’s the Town not doing its job. Does this mean that all tenants always do what is safe, smart, or even legal? There is an existing law to deal with such a violation. Or, Mr. Sacco, protector of small children, whether it was a tenant or an owner (who are sometimes equally stupid) – if you saw a dangerous situation – wouldn't you take the door off yourself? Unless, of course, you want to watch a tragedy unfold for the sake of being right.
Southampton Town’s Chief Building Inspector, Mr. Benincasa, also spoke about safety issues. He talked about a violation where there was gas involved.
He said it could have resulted in the situation being like “a bomb.”
From all reports that have remained unspoken – a thorough inspection of the corruption in that department (from payoffs, to inside deals involving delays and overlooked defects) might save a lot more lives than the sudden awareness of safety in the housing stock.
One if that department’s more notorious employees, for example, one who is now the Building Inspector of Westhampton Beach (in a political deal), a Mr. Houlihan, was the subject of numerous lawsuits. Favored applicants had (and still do have) an easy time of it while enemies of the administration or those whom he personally disliked were given a very hard time. This is only the lowest level of corruption. One would imagine, however, that Mr. Benincasa would want to keep his pension intact and it is unlikely we will hear much more about it unless a Federal investigation is again unleashed in the Town.

There is no affordable housing because the local government has been asleep at the switch for decades and now that need has been filled by private housing as a result of that lack of planning and corruption on the part of Town officials. And, the Town doesn’t like it because they cannot constitutionally control it. Therefore, they have learned to attack those who have filled the void -- non-resident, tax-paying landlords.
The Heaney government, along with the Building Department, Town Attorney’s office and the favored local law firms – all operated on a graft level that kept any project that did not have a serious level of “green” under the table – years away from reality. The local young people who need affordable apartments or houses should look to the real source of the housing problem -- the Republicans who formerly ran Town Hall. Linda Kabot, the new Supervisor, and the new Town Board need to address these political facts.
The Latinos, legal as well as illegal, many of whom have large extended families who work hard – were just better able to afford the private housing stock by living together. They also paid their rent on time because they respect the law and are fearful of local law enforcement. They’re not crazy. They understand a police state when they see it. But, with the hue and cry for civil rights in America, they did not expect Fascism.

Since the Town of Southampton has long been an “old boy’s network” the new Town Board that includes Nancy Graboski, Anna Throne-Holst and Linda Kabot is a new government of women who understand the issues.
Let’s see how they tackle the problems of real and perceived racism and the rights of those who pay the bills but don’t get to vote.

Barely Legal in the Hamptons

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
-- Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
-- Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)

Once again, the system of justice is being questioned in Suffolk County and in the Hamptons. While it is easy to hurl invectives and make wild claims of police misconduct and prosecutorial immunity in the face of grave injustices, no area harbors the huge amounts of investment for a resort community compared to the property tax influx experienced by the Town of Southampton and its host Suffolk County – and seems to care so little about civil rights.
This week, the New York State Investigation Commission, an agency that reviewed the Suffolk County Police and issued a scathing report of misconduct and actual criminal activity on the part of police and prosecutors, acknowledged that the Marty Tankleff case was under review.
From the inception of this heinous crime and wrongful prosecution to the recent attempts to prevent its re-trial, the Commission has advised that they will conduct in investigation.
Whatever the smarmy facts are that will be uncovered; the fact that D.A. Spota appears to have some personal interest in the case will be an interesting study.
Certainly, review of prosecutorial conduct and clearly unconstitutional behavior will come under more scrutiny if a Special Prosecutor is appointed.

This comes on the heels of the Cicciaro/White case, which will bring Al Sharpton to Riverhead on January 5th. The cast of characters involved in the trial, given the Tankleff fiasco, is just short of amazing for political junkies. Every church and religious group in the Tri-state area (not just African-American) will sign on and make their presence known. This, in an area that has seen very little in the way of demonstrations for the neglect of civil rights.

This sentiment will hopefully reach into the Town of Southampton, where business-as-usual indicates that those attorneys who do business in Justice Court need to be on the same “approved” list as the list which exists in the County’s “Halls of Justice” when it comes to dishing out sentences or dismissals for clients. The Town Attorney, the recently resigned Garrett Swenson, has been backed up by a cast of characters and a specially appointed Assistant D.A., -- who represents Spota's office in the Town court.
Lest we not be naïve, “approved” lists are also a fact of life in the Hamptons, where garnering zoning variances, contracts for Town construction, and, most egregiously, for plea deals or dismissals in criminal cases – for “special” friends of the D.A.’s office or the Town Attorney’s office – are well known but not spoken of in the Press.
Corruption, as NOT reported by the Southampton Press or Suffolk Life, is alive and well in Southampton.

This brings us to the Storm Troopers, known benevolently as Code Enforcement. With a rental law that is about to take effect January 1st, written hastily and unconstitutionally by Garrett Swenson, that brilliant legal mind who was reverently referred to by women in local government as “Heaney’s Neanderthal,” we have years of illegal break-ins (using badges and guns to implement the new disguised anti-Latino policy) to look forward to in our little nirvana – know as the Hamptons.

Whether Code Enforcement, a group of police who focus on housing violations – and who are allowed to carry badges and guns – are more like the Imperial Storm Troopers of Star Wars or the Sturm Abteilung of Hitler’s Third Reich, remains to be seen. The level of intelligence in this “rubber gun squad” (no responsibility for policing real crime) is hardly an issue. When you break into a house at 5 a.m., roust the tenants with “GIF US YOUR PAPERZ” the difference is moot. Can the rousting of Jews be far behind?
For police to break into a house, write up a code violation report about how many people are sleeping there and write a report about which smoke detectors are missing batteries -- in a million dollar house in a resort community -- AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING – can Kristalnacht cannot be far off. Jews, Blacks, Latinos, gays, New Yorkers, Democrats – lock your doors!

The Hamptons, for the last several decades, has been about who has been here longer. The potato farmers who had lived here since the 30’s resented the artists and summer people, until they sold their development rights for millions. The émigrés who moved to Southampton in the 50’s and 60’s had children who now have conveniently forgotten that Black people were being burned out of their houses in Hampton Bays in the 60’s and forced to move to Riverhead for safety.
Even summer people who bought homes in the 70’s have adopted an “I’ve been here since…” attitude.
Lots of cops and firemen from the city moved to Hampton Bays, lived in cheap houses and commuted to Manhattan.
Many in law enforcement and several prosecutors in the Hamptons are from somewhere else. It wasn’t the right wing politics. It was the power and the money. Don’t let anyone kid you about that. And, it was easy money.
While cops were being shot at in the South Bronx, in the 70’s, near where some of us involved with the courts at Probation and Parole on 163rd and River Avenue, linked euphemistically to Fort Apache (the police station) – Southampton Town police were arresting summer people for D.W.I’s – at two and three times the money.
While a drug arrest in the Hamptons consisted of the danger in taking an ounce from a blonde on the beach with her top off, Serpico was being shot in the head by corrupt cops on a Manhattan drug bust. The blonde-bust made lots more for his dangerous assignment.

The focus on civil rights, constitutionality and legality – not to mention prosecutorial misconduct – will now come under further scrutiny. The investigations by the State Commission will be thorough and extensive and there may be a Special Prosecutor, as there should be. But, the lessons from the last investigations that occurred in the 1980’s are that the same people are still involved in law enforcement. The same patterns have emerged.

When the investigators finish their work this time, the cleaners have to come in to do their work. If the investigators work from the “approved” lists and compare pleas, dismissals, contract awards, and special variances – things will change.

And, then they will move on to prosecutorial misjudgments and targets – and, those who implemented the illegal searches and seizures.
Only then, will the real lawsuits begin and spur the interest of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hamptons Tidbits:

The Inn at Quogue recently sold for $8 million and one of the “principals”[who was the old man’s mistress] is being pursued – not for her charms, but for accusations of dipping into funds.

A rumor has surfaced that the Village of Westhampton Beach is seriously considering the purchase of the Dune Deck parcel on Dune Road for $12 million – carrying with it a tax arrears liability of $7 million – to expand its beaches. That's a total tune of $20 million.

One of the Integrity Party’s principals, Bob Olson, is an activist who was a moving force in the Marty Tankleff victory. Not only have he and Darren Johnson been successful in providing Linda Kabot with the margin that gave her victory in the Supervisor election, but also they now have established this new party as a major force for reform in local government.

Snow may be on hold in Riverhead, as the Riverhead Resorts vote is postponed until Jan. 2. In addition to residents objecting to the 350 foot refrigerated mountain, Mr. Sater, of Bayrock is once again a cause for concern.

Resident and
A.D.A. Leonard Lato, ensconced in the Tankleff case as well as the Nursing home matter which has been plaguing Spota’s office, has been “philosophical” about the recent release of Marty Tankleff, according to locals. It should be noted that Schumer and his bloated campaign fund is also suffering the after burn.

A Christmas Story – Schmucks ‘R Us

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.
-- Charlie Chaplin (1889 - 1977)

Christmas shopping was much more interesting this year.

To instill some sense of responsibility in our children it is sometimes necessary to teach the young ones a lesson. Instead of using a toy for an hour and discarding it, this year we provided an interesting twist.

The racing car actually stopped working an hour after buying it at the toy store. There was no lack of interest in using it – it was just defective. So, instead of putting it in the closet and taking the loss, we drove to the store to replace it.
Granted, it was a week later before we managed to get there, but everyone was feeling proud that we were not just going to accept it and forget about it in the pile of other unused or broken toys. It was a remote-control car that was actually fun to play with. And, we were going to turn over a new leaf.

The fact that the sales receipt was missing, of course, made it much more interesting. But, hey, it’s almost Christmas! Surely, a famous chain of stores catering to children would be accommodating.

Dan, the manager who had no last name – since it’s Corporate Policy not to give out last names (giving you that warm, personal feeling) – looked at the remote control race car which was packed neatly in its original box and with a completely straight face asked for the receipt. There was none.
It was at that moment that we ceased to exist as humans.

Well, then, Dan explained, he could not help us. He walked away.
Expecting this, but not happy about it, we called out again to him and reasoned that the identification from the optical scan on the box, the identification of the exact date it was purchased, and the information about the amount that was paid – should be enough for him to at least be able to check his records and identify this sale. Was it not?

“Sorry” he said. “If you don’t have a receipt, I can’t help you.
“We have no records of cash sales. We only have records of credit card sales.” There is no record of cash. I was incredulous. This was now a learning experience.

“Do you mean that even though you charge sales tax and you collect cash, you have absolutely no record of this transaction? How is that possible?”
He looked directly at us, with an emotionless face that one could see he may have put on a thousand times.
Whoa, we thought. How many defective toys sold for cash could that generate income for? How many customers who pay cash have been down this road before?

This was really getting interesting. We have a batched out tape with – maybe, hopefully, some sales tax – that cannot be located or identified – for a toy that may or may not work – and no way to recover your money or get a replacement. There was no sign over the register that said, “We keep no record of cash transactions” or “Hold on to your receipt since cash transactions don’t exist.” Even better, “Sales Tax is reported only on credit card transactions.” And, I like the one that would say, “Please advise clerk if you’re going to pay cash. Her college fund is dwindling.”

“So, does that mean that we have to sue you to get money back or a replacement??” We thought, well even in Riverhead Small Claims court it would have to cost more than the toy just to get in front of a judge. But, he already had his answer: “You can do whatever you have to do,” said Dan and he walked away. He was well trained in “Corporate Policy.”

“Well, how do we speak to management about this,” we said – and he came back and pointed to two white phones (Khrushchev preferred red for hot lines. Hopefully, those had worked.)
One phone did not work and the other had a weird Verizon recording telling us that the number the manager had actually dialed for us, which was for “Corporate” was a non-working number. Apparently, “Corporate” phone lines were not often used.
Things were starting to get a little frustrating. Not unexpectedly, of course.
This was corporate America at its best.

“Riverhead Police” came the answer on the line.
The officer was actually helpful and said he would come right over – and then, he did. In less than 10 minutes. It was like we were on a movie set. People on the Customer Service line were starting to look at us like we were Alien Humbugs. Voices were raised, blood pressure was bubbling, faces got flushed, and there were uncomfortable stares. Some actually smiled sympathetically as if they had been there, done that, and had gotten the same results. What in the world were we doing, expecting to get satisfaction from minimum-wage workers who had been trained in “Corporate Policy.”

Except, that I was pissed. We had paid good money – in real U.S. Dollars – even if they are nearly worthless compared to the Euro now – and we had gotten bad merchandise. The value of those dollars had not depreciated THAT much in one week. The store probably had no idea that the toy was defective – but they DID know that the toy came from their store. They admitted that in front of the Riverhead Police Officer. I was eager to operate the racing car and show them how it stopped working. The battery was even charged, ready to demonstrate.

By the time the police arrived, everybody was staring at us and many were hoping that the offending ex-customers would be taken out of the store in cuffs for asserting their rights – or, at least the rights that one reads about in political novellas describing America’s freedoms.
It just wasn’t right. You pay cash, they know you bought something at their store and then they refused to acknowledge that they took your money.
And, they were condescending about it as well. Bet you that they would find a video of the transaction if I had lifted a $50 from the till, or tickled the clerk.

The “Store Manager” finally arrived and he told the police that the store had been threatened with a State Sales Tax audit for claiming that they had no record of transaction and that they had a “Corporate Policy.” After all, how did they know whether we really bought the truck?

At that point I was reminded of Jamie Lee Curtis in “A Fish Called Wanda.”
In her scene with Kevin Kline, Curtis is being attacked by Kline’s character – a second story man dressed in black – for calling him stupid – apparently a phrase he had heard before and was very sensitive about.
Curtis says to him: “Oh, I’m sorry. Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people.”

I thought, yes, this store manager is right. We could have been lying.
We could have tracked the purchase of people that bought that toy – followed them home and watched to see that it didn’t work and purloined the broken toy – all the while taking note of the day that it was purchased, or even better, stole the receipt for cash. Then, we waited a week and made a lot of noise about the fact that we paid cash, pointed out that the store could check the optical scanner information on the toy – and then called the Police over.
Or, we could have bought it Downtown on Canal Street from an Asian gang for $5 and had it completely re-packaged, and THEN drove to Riverhead to make $39.95 for our troubles. All the while planning to obtain the help of the Riverhead Police.
The possibilities were endless.

The absurdity of the situation was starting to dawn on Mr. Store Manager and he finally said, “Well if I had been asked nicely whether I would make an exception to ‘Corporate Policy’ I might have considered giving store credit.”

Without genuflecting, in my best supplicant’s voice, I repeated his words verbatim back to him. He was obviously thrilled by the lengths that I would go to in order to obtain satisfaction.
The Police Officer was satisfied and we were satisfied. Mr. Toy Store Manager was, well, resigned to making an adjustment to “Corporate Policy.”

Somehow, it seemed, it shouldn’t be so difficult to deal with a giant corporation whose real customers are just kids.