Letters

A note of thanks to The Southampton Press editorial board for alerting the public to the quid pro quo game playing out in Southampton politics [“Under Attack,” Editorial, April 17]. Southampton Town has become a case study in fusion voting gone wrong.

The transactional manipulation of the system, mostly between the local Democratic and Conservative parties, has all but guaranteed victory for selected candidates, stifled competition, and concentrated power into a few hands.

Take a look at the election results archive on the Suffolk County Board of Elections site, and you’ll notice that candidates holding both the Democratic and Conservative lines always win. The results don’t lie, and the two sides know it. I’m quite sure that members of the Southampton Democratic Committee will protest, debate and possibly attack the editorial board and those who agree with their position, but the evidence is there for all to see.

I’ve read this line a number of times, and I think the editorial board absolutely nails it: “Without question, there is a long history of such shenanigans in Southampton Town, but rarely has it been so transparent, despite the public denials, amounting to ‘who are you going to believe — me or your lying eyes?’ Voters should be furious about the arrogance, and political committees should demand better.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Craig Catalanotto

Speonk