Letters

I wanted to clarify a letter from Jesse Warren in The Southampton Press, March 20 issue, titled “Out of Touch.” 

In this letter, Warren mentions that Mayor Bill Manger “recently spent more than $6,500 of taxpayer money sending out a mailer titled ‘Our Vibrant Village.’” 

As editor of the village newsletter, I wanted to make it clear that this was not a mailer sent by the mayor but the village newsletter, which is distributed three times a year to village residents, as it has been for many years, including under Warren’s term as mayor. 

The cover story was written by Trustee Roy Stevenson, who is a village business owner, but it was my editing that called it “Our Vibrant Village,” a title I stand by. 

A village’s vibrancy is measured by many things. It’s measured by the restoration of treasured village institutions, such as Veterans Hall, the Rogers Mansion and the roof at the Southampton Arts Center. It’s measured by dedicated Department of Public Works and parks personnel who maintain our village streets, village and local volunteer groups like the Christmas Committee who put hard work into events like the Parade of Lights and tree lighting. It’s the efforts of the Village of Southampton Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events for our Fourth of July parade, and organizations like the Rotary that participate in Southamptonfest. 

Then there is the opening of the Southampton Playhouse, the life that has come back to the western part of the village with Windmill Bakery, Barryville General, Wave Wellness, Luxe Market and more. 

If you look at a village as a community, which I do, just look at our first responders (the all-volunteer Southampton Fire Department and Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance) and their recent efforts just west of our village. The continued dedication of our cultural institutions to provide programming year round; the renovation of our beloved library.

Regardless of your definition of “vibrant,” it was not the mayor’s words, and the fact that this was categorized as a random “mailer” costing taxpayers $6,500 is just not true. This was the village newsletter, which goes to every resident in the village, and was printed and mailed for well under $5,000.

Nancy Kane

Southampton

Kane is a contracted public communications consultant for the village — Ed.