Letters

I joined the July 1 workshop session on the proposed Sag Harbor local development corporation [“Sag Harbor LDC Proposal Gets Worked Over at Cacophonous Meeting,” 27east.com, July 2] hoping for two things: to get clear answers about the process that led to the introduction of the LDC resolution at the June 11 Board of Trustees meeting, and to see a genuine openness to the criticism of the proposal I had been hearing from everyone I knew in our community.

I am sorry to say, I was disappointed in both hopes.

Mayor Tom Gardella admitted that the introduction of the LDC resolution as an action item, one that seemed ready for a vote with no prior community discussion, was a mistake, and he agreed for the moment to suspend plans for the proposed LDC.

But he would not agree to Trustee Aidan Corish’s sensible proposal to dissolve the Capital Planning Committee, whose creation led to the resolution, and to restart the process of evaluating Sag Harbor’s capital needs.

He and Deputy Mayor Ed Haye also made it clear, in spite of the largely negative sentiment of the attendees at the meeting, that they are determined to create some sort of LDC for the village’s capital projects.

Most disturbingly, there were very few answers, answers that village taxpayers deserve, about how a proposal of such import got so far without public knowledge or even knowledge of some of the trustees.

I would have liked to hear an explanation of why the mechanism of an LDC, one the New York State comptroller has written increases the risk of “waste, fraud and abuse,” was deemed necessary before this community has prioritized our necessary capital projects, and how the resolution, including bylaws and a certificate of incorporation, drafted by an outside legal firm without the input of the village attorney, had been added to the agenda at all.

But there were some reasons to hope. Although the meeting was called on short notice and held at an inconvenient time for most, a large number of concerned citizens showed up to speak against the proposed LDC, with many suggesting substantive alternatives for capital projects, including several traditional funding mechanisms open to the village. Many of those people offered their experience and skills to secure such funding.

I hope the mayor and Board of Trustees will listen to those voices and take advantage of the immense amount of talent this community has to offer. The citizens of Sag Harbor are eager to preserve and improve our village. Going forward, I hope the capital improvement process will be much more transparent and inclusive.

Kathryn Levy

Sag Harbor