A Life of Service

I grew up on Seafield Point in Westhampton Beach, surrounded by the waters I’ve loved all my life. My first job was lifeguarding at Rogers Beach when I was 17, and after graduating from Westhampton Beach High School in 1975 and Boston University in 1980, I built a career in advertising in Manhattan. October 4, 1992, almost exactly 33 years ago, I entered the Seafield Center, the drug and alcohol rehab on the very street I grew up on. That experience changed my life. I have been sober ever since, and I learned that community service must be my highest priority. […]

Deserves Reelection

Maria Moore, our current Southampton Town supervisor, is doing an excellent job. And she deserves to be reelected in the upcoming fall election. My strong belief is based on facts. To start, 11 years ago, Maria became mayor of Westhampton Beach Village. During that period, Maria has demonstrated strong leadership by transforming Main Street. The revitalization included a new, expanded septic/water system, removal of hanging electrical wires, multiple tree plantings, and reconfigured parking spaces. Traffic flow significantly improved, too, with two new roundabouts at each end of the street. […]

Reverence And Wisdom

It was the water — specifically, its promise of serenity, adventure and abundance — that brought my Italian grandparents to Long Island in the 1960s, to a house in Tiana Shores, not far from the bay. During the summer nights of my childhood, the sea air lingered in my grandparents’ backyard, a presence everyone felt and welcomed as we gathered around the picnic table. There were nights when that table was filled with fish that my aunt and uncle had caught, clams unearthed by the grandkids’ toes, and crabs lured by the chicken necks on the ends of our lines. This sea held me, my brother, cousins and friends as we learned to swim. Each new wave shaped and strengthened our relationship with the water. […]

Building A Future

I am honored to serve as Southampton Town supervisor and grateful to the residents who have entrusted me with this responsibility. As I seek reelection, I remain mindful that the office belongs to the people, not the person who holds it. Since taking office, a significant accomplishment has been the way we conduct the people’s business: openly, thoughtfully, and with respect for every resident. Government works best when those entrusted to lead are honest with the public, listen to differing views, and carry out their responsibilities with integrity. The people of Southampton deserve nothing less. […]

Life of Service

The No. 1 question that I have received since I decided to run for Southampton Town Trustee is: Why are you running? For me, the answer is simple. I have a deep love and commitment to this place and its people. I have spent the majority of my adult life dedicated to the betterment of our local community. At the age of 16, I became an ocean lifeguard and worked for a decade at Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett. I later taught as a junior lifeguard instructor and was an inaugural member of the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue Squad. This summer, I was proud to lead the Junior Lifeguard Groms program at Coopers Beach, teaching 8-to-12-year-olds the importance of ocean safety, some of the most rewarding work I have done. … […]

A Life on the Water

I am honored to be seeking reelection as your Southampton Town Trustee. Serving in this role for the past two years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I am deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me. Over this time, I have seen firsthand the critical importance of the Trustees in managing and protecting our town’s most valuable natural resources. While some of our upland neighbors may not always know the scope of what the Trustees do, anyone who clams, scallops, fishes, paddles, surfs, hunts, boats, swims or owns a waterfront property quickly understands the role we play. The Southampton Town Trustees act as advocates for all who depend on our waterways, ensuring that they remain protected, productive and accessible for generations to come. […]

A Real Leader

A recent story [“Divided Southampton Town Board Approves Funding for Affordable Housing on Quiogue,” 27east.com, August 27] relates the Town Board’s discussion leading to a 3-2 vote to award $2.7 million in Community Housing Fund money for a 79-unit workforce housing project on Quiogue. An editorial in the same issue [“Stop Stalling,” September 4] reviews the South Fork’s admitted crisis in affordable housing and concludes that Southampton’s Town Board is “stuck in first gear” about the much-needed acceleration of the approval process. … […]

Let Actions Speak

Before this November’s election season, I am sure you will read many letters about candidates focusing on their achievements or plans for when they are elected to serve in public office. Contrary to how some people often see elected officials as self-promoters, these types of letters are often hard for me to sit down and write. While I do enjoy discussing our Town Trustee accomplishments that I have been privileged to be part of, it is my belief in letting actions speak for themselves. After all, service should be defined by one’s actions and doing the hard work when nobody’s watching or anyone is there to tell you that you are doing a great job. […]

Speak Up

My wife, Lisa, and I have lived in Westhampton Beach for over 11 years. I am currently running for Southampton Town clerk in the upcoming November elections. I write today with deep concern about recent decisions from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin — decisions that threaten the very environmental future of Long Island residents. Since being sworn in on January 29, 2025, Zeldin has launched an aggressive deregulatory agenda. He has proposed cutting the EPA budget […]

No Better Person

Traffic is a major problem on the East End of Long Island and in the Town of Southampton. It’s especially troublesome in the summer months and has grown exponentially in the last few years Luckily for Southampton voters, we have Tom Neely, an amazing traffic expert. And Tom is running for Town Council when we need him most. A longtime resident of Southampton, Tom has the crucial experience for the problems we face today. Tom knows the people who work on traffic issues in the East End towns, the county and state. He knows who to call and how to get things done, because he has done exactly that in other roles he has held over many years. […]

The Upper Echelon

I was a member of the Town of Southampton’s Transportation Commission for a couple of years. During my stint, Tom Neely was its executive director. I got to know Tom and observe his management style over the course of this time. Tom is an affable leader who gets things done. He was universally liked by all members of the commission. He was always well prepared, and he is extremely knowledgeable in the transportation field, given his many years of experience. His effectiveness was bolstered by his knowledge of how the Town of Southampton government operates and his good relationships with key members of the town’s government. […]

An Introduction

As a candidate for the Southampton Town Council in this November’s election, I’d like to introduce myself to your readers. I’ve lived in Southampton for the majority of my adult life, working, raising my children and marrying here. I originally moved to Southampton to take a management position at Hampton Jitney. As a vice president at the Jitney, I helped it grow from a small business into one of the most successful companies on the East End. While working there, I also served as president of the Southampton Chamber of Commerce and on the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce board […]

The Real Deal

This November, I will be voting for only one candidate for Southampton Town Council: Tom Neely. Here’s why. I am exhausted by the gamesmanship of governance. I want a Town Council that is populated by well-informed, experienced and hardworking public servants who share the goal of moving the town forward on road quality, traffic congestion, clean air and water, and affordable housing. I am tired of the hostility, the division, the constant finger-pointing and name-calling that dominates our political climate. I’m tired of leaders at every level treating each other as enemies instead of colleagues with different perspectives. I’m tired of performative outrage and empty soundbites replacing honest dialogue and meaningful action. […]

Who Will Pay?

Reader Ed Surgan begins his latest letter to these pages with this statement: “Democrats appear oblivious to a national debt challenge that has become too serious to ignore” [“Finger Pointing,” Letters, July 17]. Wow! Where has Mr. Surgan been for the last three months as the Republican-controlled Congress and the president passed a law that is estimated to raise the national debt by up to $5 trillion? Even a Fox News viewer should have heard of this one. … […]

Keep the CCA Ban

As a local, growing up my childhood summers were idyllic, spent freely at the ocean with my siblings. My earliest memories are of the beach, a place that shaped my life. I became an ocean lifeguard, a surf instructor and a climate activist. Now, I’m a mom of three, raising my kids to experience those same joys. My husband also grew up here and has similar stories. Sadly, we’re a rarity: two locals raising our children where we were raised. Like all parents, our goal is to provide a safe, healthy environment for our children to thrive. We want them to feel they can also raise their kids here, experiencing the joys we did, always striving for a better world … […]

Going Backward

As a Southampton Town Trustee and a marine biologist, I believe lifting the 20-year ban on CCA-treated wood in our local waters would be a step in the wrong direction. The Trustees recently have been entertaining discussions about reconsidering a reversal on the ban, which would be a mistake [“Southampton Trustees Question Whether Ban on Treated Wood Is Right Approach,” 27east.com, May 21]. CCA wood is infused with chromium, copper and arsenic, a pesticide cocktail that is both highly toxic and shown to be a carcinogen. It leaches into the water and accumulates in shellfish and sediment […]

‘This Is What Democracy Looks Like’: Crowd Of 1K Turns Out For ‘No Kings’ Protest In Riverhead

RIVERHEAD, NY — Carrying signs that read “Democracy Dies in Silence,” “Dump Trump,” “No Kings,” “Freedom, Not Fascism,” among others, a peaceful but impassioned crowd estimated at 1,000 or more gathered in downtown Riverhead to join thousands of others protesting nationwide against authoritarianism they believe is festering … […]

Expanded View

Longtime Westhampton Beach resident Mark Bernardo is running for Southampton Town clerk in the November election. Mark has managed complex teams and large budgets during a highly successful career in television design and production with all three major networks, starting with the original “Saturday Night Live.” He has won three Emmys and a Peabody Award, the last for his contribution to ABC News’s coverage of Superstorm Sandy. He has designed and consulted on advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and staffed projects with million-dollar budgets as a creative director. This pursuit of excellence and sense of service carries over into local matters, where Mark is a member of the Westhampton Beach Rotary and an active volunteer at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Keenly aware of the need for citizens to have a good experience in dealing with town government, he plans information and services to improve their contact significantly.

… […]

SHDEMS Press Release – NO KINGS Day of Defiance on Flag Day in Riverhead

RIVERHEAD, NY — More than 1,000 local residents voiced their vehement opposition to autocratic rule by the Trump administration this past Saturday at a NO KINGS rally in Riverhead organized by the Riverhead Town Democratic Committee, the Southampton Town Democratic Committee, and a coalition of pro-democracy partner organizations … […]

The Right Person

In his letter to The Express News Group [“An Introduction,” Letters, September 4], Town Board Democratic candidate Tom Neely reviewed his qualifications and experiences pertinent to his candidacy and potential future role in local government. Tom conveyed that he would be a good leader for this moment. I think he would be a terrific leader. […]

Total Hypocrisy

Today, I received Nick LaLota’s latest press release outlining the dreadful consequences of a government shutdown, followed by a one poll question: Do you think government shutdown should be used as a political tactic? Once again, ROFL … this from the party that used every dirty trick to stack the Supreme Court, who used and continues to  […]

Chilling Headline

I was not going to comment on the unfortunate murder of political influencer Charlie Kirk, but after reading this AP headline, I thought otherwise. The headline, “Trump’s Threat To Target ‘Radical Left’ After Kirk Killing Raises Fears He’s Trying To Silence Foes,” is chilling. The Cato Institute — a libertarian think tank with the mission to undertake public policy discussion, with the principles of limited government, individual liberty and free markets as guideposts — has conducted a study of political violence. On September 11, 2025, Cato released its study of sources of political violence, “Politically Motivated Violence Is Rare in the United States.” […]

We’ll Remind Them

Within the narrow scope which it inhabits, it’s hard to argue with your May 22 editorial, “Standing Firm,” which salutes Congressman Nick LaLota for his insistence on raising the federal income tax deduction cap on state and local taxes (SALT) in the budget package before the House of Representatives. […]

Dems Organized

I frequently find myself in agreement with letter writer Amy Paradise, but Ms. Paradise’s letter in the July 3 Southampton Press, “Time for Change,” requires a response from this Democrat. About the successful “No Kings” rallies held across America on June 14, Ms. Paradise writes, “It seems important to me that it be clearly understood that the ‘No Kings’ protest was not organized or supported by either party.” She gives credit to the grassroots group Indivisible, and others. […]

Words Matter

What do they teach in school these days, I wonder? Having a true liberal (broad-based) arts education, I was exposed to the ancient Greek mythology and philosophy. For a fun twist, I have a beautiful old copy of an interpretation of these myths illustrated by Maxwell Parrish, created for children. Sigh. The things we once taught. […]

Nauseating Pretense

I was surprised to see Nick LaLota so full of praise for a hard-won fight over the SALT increase [“LaLota Votes for Spending Compromise That Raises SALT Cap, but Only for Five Years,” 27east.com, July 3]. His “hard no” was very short-lived. Instead, he got a four-year increase. In your piece, he highlights that a family earning $250,000 will get … […]

Are You OK?

All leaders, especially political leaders, make decisions consistent with their own belief system and ideology. However, our current president is so pathologically self-absorbed that his personality completely dominates his presidency and his policies. His executive orders are not a statement of ideology — they are purely Trump. […]

Come and Tell Us

When Tim Bishop was our congressman, he held numerous town hall meetings with his constituents. They were raucous affairs. Those were the days of the Tea Party, and its members were outraged that the federal government was expanding health care insurance to millions of Americans. And they let Congressman Bishop … […]

Not So Beautiful

President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” includes provisions to reduce Medicaid recipients and spending. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office was asked to review those provisions, and these are two key findings: The number of people without health insurance will increase by 7.8 million […]

Answers, Please

I have some questions I would like to ask our congressman, Nick Lalota. I had hoped to ask these questions in person, but the congressman seems to be a bit shy when it comes to meeting his constituents. So I ask, in this letter, some questions that I hope Mr. LaLota will answer in a reply.. […]

Sickening Situation

Waste, fraud and abuse, right? That’s what Republicans in Washington, D.C., claim to be hunting down and eliminating. Even after Elon Musk’s unceremonious departure, his many successors are flying the same flag, singing the same hymn — that they’re after waste, fraud and abuse. […]

A Different Time

I found Thomas Jones’s letter [“Lucky To Have LaLota,” Letters, September 4] very disturbing. He praises Congressman Nick LaLota without examples of accomplishments. He excuses LaLota for no town halls. Constituents cannot ask questions or voice concerns. I remember Congressman Otis Pike; perhaps Jones didn’t live here then. Pike was a local person, born in Riverhead … […]

Priorities?

Earlier this year, when the House GOP budget proposal was first revealed, our congressman, Nick LaLota, criticized the “harsh reality” of the $36 trillion national debt. Yet the budget bill he just voted for increases the national debt by about $4 trillion. […]

A Big Deal

I was pleased to read that U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is organizing a bipartisan push-back against the Trump administration’s efforts to cut funding from the National Estuary Program [“Gillibrand Speaks Against Proposed Cuts to National Estuary Program on Local Visit, Pushes for Increased Funding,” 27east.com, July 21]. … […].

Let’s Talk

So far, Congressman Nick LaLota has not announced any plans to meet with his constituents at a town hall meeting. I would urge him to have one soon so that he can explain to us all how his votes in Congress have benefited us citizens. I will even help him out by giving him some of our questions in advance.

Working for Us

It seems we pay far more attention to public affairs at the town, state and federal levels than we do to county matters. They just seem to get overlooked. That’s a serious mistake. There are big, important things happening in Suffolk County government — and one of the people making them happen is Ann Welker, our outstanding county legislator. […]

Shooting the Messenger

On Friday, August 1, President Donald Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, a nonpolitical, well-respected labor economist. Why was she fired? Because her agency published data that showed U.S. employment growth is slowing. The president didn’t provide any specific alternative data. It seems he couldn’t tolerate that someone in his administration would publish information showing that his economic policies may not be working well.

It’s About Values

My entire adult life, I have identified politically as an independent. I voted for a candidate, not a party. That all changed 10 years ago, when Donald Trump initiated an aggressive takeover of the Republican Party and it became MAGA. Last Sunday night, I went to a fundraiser for Suffolk County Democrats. A dozen of them, both prospective candidates and current politicians, spoke of their work and their wishes. There was no raging against immigrants, there was no screaming about how America is going down the tubes, there was no hatred …. […]

Are You OK?

All leaders, especially political leaders, make decisions consistent with their own belief system and ideology. However, our current president is so pathologically self-absorbed that his personality completely dominates his presidency and his policies. His executive orders are not a statement of ideology — they are purely Trump … […]

New Senior Group Aims To Have an Impact on National Politics

What started as a small group of liberal senior citizens gathering locally in an effort to nudge the political needle to the left is on the cusp of possibly turning into a nationwide senior advocacy group. “I was retired and bored and asking myself what should I do,” said … […]

For more information, email wetheseniorsusa@gmail.com or visit seniorstakingaction.org.

See the Reality

Magic acts are based on illusion and distraction. The audience is looking at the fancy handwork while things appear and disappear. Just so have the MAGA Republicans fooled the majority of their base. Being woke is the distraction — women who have abortions … […]

Prepared To Serve

This November, voters can elect three outstanding candidates for office: Sara Topping, Jimmy Mack and Hannah Pell-O’Farrell. These dynamic Southampton residents are extraordinarily prepared to serve on the Southampton Town Board of Trustees. Multifaceted, Trustees are stewards of the town’s shoreline, waterways, marshes and bottomlands. These candidates bring commitment and strong resumes to protect this natural beauty.

Wrecking Landmarks

Donald Trump is offering a massive public lands giveaway to the fossil fuel industry. He’s ordered the United States to “drill, baby, drill” on public lands, and he’s fast-tracked new oil and gas projects, bypassing environmental and public review. His allies in Congress are even pushing to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling […]

Paying Attention

When my children (12, 9) ask about politics, our discussion often begins with a question: What do you value? Kindness is big for them. Also, trust. Fairness. Music (in general), Dylan and Swift (in particular).  Lately, “being heard” is trending hard in our household. My kids value the ability to speak without … […]

Not Over

Regarding The Express News Group editorial finding favor with Congressman Nick LaLota’s fighting for the return of the SALT deduction [“Standing Tall,” May 22]: Yes, even I can give Mr. LaLota a nod of appreciation. But the fight is not over. In the end, Democratic senators from blue states will need to convince their Republican counterparts to provide for […]

Road Secured

Our neighborhood at Mountain Laurel Estates would like to acknowledge and show a tremendous amount of gratitude for the work that Southampton Town Councilman Bill Pell has put forth in helping securing our country road and restoring it to its original beauty. […]

Saves Lives

At a town hall meeting, Iowa Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst dismissed a constituent’s concern that Medicaid cuts would cost lives with this callous comment: “We’re all going to die sometime.” The firestorm of criticism provoked Sen. Ernst to double down with more off-putting comments. […]

Stupid People

The problem with stupid people is that they’re too stupid to know how stupid they are. Example: Donald Trump. Benjamin Netanyahu saw a useful fool in Trump from a mile away when he first engaged with Trump, and he knew early on that if he complimented him and appealed to his enormous ego that Trump would eventually do anything Netanyahu wanted him to do. Netanyahu, who has sullied Israel’s reputation and turned it into. […]

Do the Math

Regarding “LaLota Votes for Spending Compromise That Raises SALT Cap, but Only for Five Years” [27east.com, July 3]: People should be aware of exactly how deceptive Nick LaLota’s description of success is, and that the deception is clearly deliberate. I received Mr. LaLota’s press releases about the SALT cap. At the very bottom of the page, in nearly unreadable, tiny, very light italic-style script … […]