Letters

Every Southampton Village resident should read Brendan O’Reilly’s February 18 article, “Split Southampton Village Board Hires Police Officer From Westhampton Beach Department” [27east.com]. Once again, Mayor Bill Manger and his supermajority have made an important decision behind closed doors.

The article quotes Southampton Village Trustee Edward Simioni: “Unfortunately, I cannot vote favorably on this matter. I am unable to make an informed decision because I have not been provided with any details regarding the hiring process, the qualifications of the candidate or the rationale behind the selection. I would be remiss if I did not mention that residents have raised concerns about this hire.”

The questions all of us should be asking about this costly and controversial hire: Is this the best decision for the village and its residents? Would a better result have been achieved if the concerns of residents had been heard? Is this a repeat of the Anthony Carter debacle? Should the mayor and incumbent trustees abdicate their responsibilities in important hiring decisions? Was the Open Meetings Law again ignored?

This appears to be another example of the incumbent members of the board disrespecting Southampton Village residents.

David Rung

Southampton Village