Letters

At the 2024 Southampton Village organizational meeting, Trustee Ed Simioni proposed restoring public comment at the second board meeting each month, a practice Southampton Village followed for decades. He also suggested allowing public input both at the beginning and end of meetings, giving more opportunities for residents to be heard.

However, Mayor Bill Manger and his board rejected these efforts, dismissively claiming they already “hear from the residents enough.”

Worse, Manger recently moved public comment to the middle of meetings, making it harder for residents to know when they’ll have a chance to speak — clearly an effort to limit public engagement.

Other villages, like East Hampton and Sag Harbor, take the opposite approach. Sag Harbor Village, for example, allows for multiple opportunities to speak during meetings. Sag Harbor officials have even said they welcome additional public input, even if it makes their meetings a bit longer, because they believe listening to residents is their duty.

Southampton’s mayor and board majority don’t want to respond to questions publicly or be held accountable. Unlike Manger’s wealthy donors, who have a direct line into his office, average residents rely on public comment at meetings as a way for them to be heard.

Limiting the voices of the residents only deepens the divide between the board and the community they’re meant to serve.

David Rung

Southampton Village