Letters

On March 18, I will vote for Rick Martel for Southampton Town Council, in part because of letters on the Opinion pages of The Southampton Press.

Mr. Martel has previously worked as a Town Council member. He knows the process and has demonstrated his ability to work as a team member. He has proven he is honest and fair.

In 2023, I attended more Town Board meetings than I care to count. Mr. Martel was always respectful and listened to the community during the public portion of Town Board meetings. Mr. Martel was flexible enough to change his mind when presented with new information.

When I heard John Leonard was the Democrats’ candidate for Town Council, my first thought was, how will he treat the community when they speak their mind at the public portion of Town Board meetings? Will their opinions be respected if they do not align with Mr. Leonard’s? Will he work as a cooperative team member?

Which brings me to the Opinion pages. In the summer of 2024, a series of combative letters appeared in these pages. Mr. Leonard was one of the letter writers. Regardless of how the quarreling started, my perception of these letters was that Mr. Leonard would not let it go. His comments, directed at various members of the Hampton Bays community, came across as disparaging.

Mr. Leonard has strong supporters, and just-as-strong detractors — but do we need more polarizing politics in these divisive times?

What may be even more worrying is a kind of ruthlessness coming from the Southampton Town Democratic Committee. Circling the wagons around Mr. Leonard makes sense, to a point. But once residents and fellow Democrats start getting reprimanded and demeaned for not being in lock step with the committee, I begin to wonder about the behavior of a party I have been loyal to my entire adult life.

The hectoring tone of the letters from last year and in recent weeks has left me disheartened and even reluctant to speak. Will I be belittled and chastised like other community members have been?

Mr. Leonard and Mr. Martel are running for an elected position. We should be allowed to praise or question their capabilities and suitability for the job without fear of reproach.

Maria Moore, Cyndi McNamara, Bill Pell and Michael Iasilli have proven to be a good working team. Mr. Martel will be a good addition to this team.

Brigid Maher

Hampton Bays