Voters smeared

To the Editor:

After one of the Island’s nastier political campaigns, I was not alone in finding the Reporter’s November 24 post-election editorial offensive.

How offensive? How about mean-spirited, divisive and dismissive of all those registered to vote in a Shelter Island election who chose to exercise their franchise with an absentee ballot?

The editor (who can’t vote on Shelter Island because he doesn’t live here) smeared the Island’s absentee voters in the supervisor race with a broad brush, labeling them ill-informed party-line hacks and stigmatizing them with an unattributed canard bordering on an ethnic slur.

Perhaps the editor was miffed that a clear majority of those absentee voters just didn’t agree with the Reporter’s “informed” supervisor endorsement, although he apparently considered those same absentee voters adequately informed in the councilmanic race. Tsk, tsk.

But bottom line: it wasn’t the absentee voters who determined the election outcome — it was a decisive plurality of all of Shelter Island’s voters. Invoking us-versus-them-ism, the editorial reflected the same sort of ugly polarity that stains so much of American politics and society today. That’s counterproductive here on Shelter Island where we all drink from the same well.

Yes, the editorial did, at the end, mumble a half-hearted disclaimer of what came before, but the preceding smears were indelible.

Speaking of us-versus-them-ism, perhaps Shelter Island deserves better than absentee journalism.

ART BARNETT, Shelter Island

Shocked by letters

To the Editor:

I was shocked by the letters of the two people who wrote [last week] those disparaging critiques of the Reporter’s editorial of November 24. I went back and re-read it twice to be sure and saw none of the charges that they stated.

In fact, those letters presented a sorry state of division that was not evident in the editorial and hopefully will not cause that element to contaminate our community, especially the negative ethnicity that they introduced, We certainly do not need such uncalled for vitriol on this imperfect but unique and beloved Island.

LORRAINE HOPLER, Shelter Island

The editorial, “The Island speaks,” can be read online at: shelterislandreporter.timesreview.com/2011/11/
12317/editorial-the-island-speaks/

Ode to the villager

To the Editor:

Our great “villagers” here on Shelter Island include not just the long-time residents, the many mothers bringing up their children here but the many, many retirees who decided to not only join this village but in such massive numbers volunteer in organizations that meet the village’s many needs.

They are active in the ambulance corps, the library, the senior citizen programs from Meals on Wheels and nutrition lunches to volunteers driving, or the fire department or youth programs.

Thus both as an academic, in my below description of “villager,” and my own Shelter Island relation to the issues that the letter of Myra Peskowitz in her “glorification of the second-home owners” expounds on, I stand to glorify the “villager” as defined above, not the two- to three-month summer vacation-home owner and his/her family, while I certainly hope they enjoy the Island and assume are glad that “villagers” helped so much to provide.

Myra herself is a villager with a primary residence here and active in some community groups and representing us at San Simeon as a great expert on nursing homes and elderly problems (as myself, who has written six books on the elderly, some on housing. I’m a gerontologist, I can say this).

To say that these two- to three-month summer home owners, who Myra says are “absentee voters” as she says from other parts of Long Island, all boroughs of New York City, New Jersey and other places, are “villagers,” is unlikely. She’s wrong in our Reporter editor’s concern that “they are less informed about issues.” Or I would add, less informed about the players in these elections. Being a two to three month vacationer here, in a season local groups are not active, as well as for some being newcomers to this village, makes it unlikely they are well-informed or know the background of the players.

I am a fourth-generation Shelter Islander but until this past year and one or two of my retirement times, I considered I could not vote here as it was not my primary home (address for my IRS taxes) even though for most years since 1976 I owned homes here (until 2000) and paid taxes, and 1971-76 I paid my mother’s taxes on the house. Paying taxes does not relate, as Myra believes, to qualifying in our democracy and most others, to being able to vote for officials in local legislative elections …

Now as an academic, a student and a professor of anthropology (the science that so much centers on “villages,” whether our Cornell study of Nova Scotia or Indian villages or tribal Canadian villages), these academics see the “village” as a vital organism with its various organizations, social networks, businesses (several big ones on Shelter Island) and its way of helping its members. Shelter Island has all of this as the many volunteer workers, senior citizen helpers, youth groups and athletic group leaders could tell you. I, more than the Reporter, would guess most of the two to three month second-home owners would not know their name or their history nor should they, just to enjoy Shelter Island.

Thus the wish to give this type of absentee ballot voter power to run the town seems to me to hurt this “village” — not understanding the needs of real villages is bad and causes serious divisions.

BETH DICKERSON HUTTMAN, Shelter Island Heights

Ferry policy unchanged

To the Editor:

North Ferry has not changed its resident qualifications. The definition of a Shelter Island resident, eligible for discount and resident commuter tickets, is on file with Suffolk County. A Shelter Island resident is defined as: a Shelter Island property owner, or a person with a New York State driver’s license with a Shelter Island address, or a residential leaseholder with a lease term of a minimum of ten (10) months. North Ferry will make every effort to fairly qualify non-seasonal renters. If a Shelter Island renter feels they qualify as a Shelter Island resident but cannot meet any of these criteria, Bridg Hunt would be delighted to meet with the renter at our office to find a suitable alternative qualification.

PAUL McDOWELL, President , North Ferry Co.

Awesome weekend

To the Editor:

The weekend of November 18-21 proved to be an “awesome” weekend in New Orleans for three Shelter Island School sailors! Mr. Peter Needham, the school’s Sailing Club coach, took my son Macklin and two other students to New Orleans to compete in the Great Oaks Invitational Regatta. Shelter Island was one of 42 schools participating at this event, with schools represented from as far away as St. Croix. I just wanted to take a moment to wholeheartedly thank Peter Needham for his time, energy, dedication and mostly his patience with these young sailors. Macklin had a great time in New Orleans and returned with a greater respect and enthusiasm for sailing. So thank you, Peter, for a great experience! Can’t wait for the spring season to start!

MEGHAN LANG, Shelter Island

Thanksgiving

To the Editor:

As the holiday season is rushing past, I realize that I missed the traditional opportunity to say thanks for all the good things that have happened in the last year. I never have been one to stand on ceremony, so I want to say thank you to Shelter Island two weeks late.

I want to say thank yotu for the perennial events that mean more and more to me every year. Specifically, the Chicken BBQ and Country Fair, the Chamber fireworks, and all of the events at the Historical Society. Watching the way my growing children interact differently each year keeps me excited for what the next year will be like.

I am thankful that Shelter Island creates new events and traditions. Lately, I’ve begun to take notice of the wealth of access Shelter Island has to terrific musicians. Whether it is the Perlman music program and their public concerts, our local musicians playing at Bridge Street Park, or the rapidly growing Plant and Sing festival at Sylvester Manor, we are blessed to have these events on Shelter Island. Thank you to everyone who volunteers their time and talents.

I would like to give thanks for the recreation and youth programs on the Island. The choices are numerous and our children always have great things to do. I am thankful for the way our town rallied when faced with the devastation brought on by Hurricane Irene. I am thankful for the return of scallops to the Peconic Bay and the massive efforts of all the people involved to clean up our waters to make this a reality.

There are so many things to be thankful for on Shelter Island that I would have to write a book to enumerate them all, but I need to say special thanks for the event that had the biggest impact on me this year, the Shelter Island Farmer’s Market. Thanks to all of the vendors who worked hard every week to provide fresh fish, produce, honey, flowers and more. Thanks to the customers that became regular faces every Saturday morning. Thanks to the Historical Society for their generous use of the Havens House lawn and the efforts they took to allow access. Most of all, thank you to Dan and Bri Fokine for having the vision, patience and persistence to build a new tradition I think will last through the years and become part of the Shelter Island experience. You have been an inspiration. Thank you.

CRAIG WOOD, Baldwin and Shelter Island