Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor, May 19, 2022

A magical place

To the Editor:

After reading Charity Robey’s recent column, “Where Am I?” I could not help but reminisce about days long gone.

My mother bought our little plot of land on Peconic Avenue in the early 1960s from a man sitting at the side of the road under a beach umbrella. She allegedly paid $3,000. My father thought she was crazy.

A few years later, the talented Ed Kramick over near Crab Creek built our cozy little “cottage” for $30,000. Known for its iron spiral staircase, that house was home to countless gatherings of family and friends.

Eventually, my parents lived full time at what my mother fantasized was her “Swiss chalet.” We talked about keeping it in the family after they were gone, but both my brother and I had re-located South. The trip to our beloved Shelter Island took too many hours in a car filled with kids, pets, bicycles and other paraphernalia. 

My parents sold it quickly for something near to $300,000. Today, who knows? It may be worth $3 million.

My niece traveled back to the Island some years ago and was fortunate enough to meet the current owners. They graciously allowed her to tour the house and grounds. They had made many changes but from photos, I can still see the house I grew up in. So many memories!

When I think about growing up — my family and great neighbors — I don’t think about the little town in Nassau County where I was raised. I think about Shelter Island. It was a magical place. I’m sure it still is.

PAMELA WHITAKER Seneca, S.C.

Congratulations

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the editor and staff for the multiple awards they recently received (see “Reporter honored by NY Press Association,” May 5).  We are fortunate to have a world-class local newspaper on our island.

It is important to have a vibrant press during these times when we have a dysfunctional, autocratic local government that likes to deliberate and make important decisions in total secrecy. This was demonstrated recently in the Klenawicus fiasco. A high-powered outside consultant and the town engineer promoted a poorly planned, grandiose $3.8 million scheme to transport the wastewater from the dozen or so Town-owned toilets to the pristine Klenawicus airport for treatment and disposal.

By carefully reporting the facts and providing a forum for active debate among the townspeople, this paper, along with an active group opposing the plan, forced the Town Board to reject this scheme and consider alternatives.

It will be interesting to see how plan B fares, because it is equally ludicrous and was concocted in total secrecy by the same cast of characters.

We thank the editor and staff for preventing the airport from being used as a sewer plant and demonstrating the power of good journalism. We can see why they won so many awards.

DAVID OLSEN, Shelter Island

Noisemakers

To the Editor:

I write to take exception to the Editor’s Note appended to Beth van der Eams letter to you last week, in which you stated that affordable housing is “one of the two most critical issues facing Islanders.” If only this was so.

Last year, the Town sent out a survey — at taxpayers’ expense — to all residents asking them to list issues in order of importance. The survey received an overwhelming response as far as surveys go.

The result was clear: quality drinking water is the residents’ number one priority (ferries was the second). Affordable housing dropped in at nearly the bottom of the list, significantly less important than 10 other issues. These are facts.

To say that affordable housing is “one of the two most critical” issues in the face of these incontrovertible statements is to deny the truth.

No doubt, the public response was highly disappointing to the supervisor, but it would not have been a surprise if he spoke with those outside of his social engineering bubble, a bubble which apparently includes what Ms. van der Eams identified as a “small cabal of noisemakers.”

But residents see through what’s going on here. From now through November,  Mr. Siller will ask these noisemakers to make a presentation on affordable housing to the Town Board. This newspaper will devote the front page to covering the presentation. That story will not mention the large-scale public opposition to public housing.

Then we’ll see an Editor’s Note telling us just how “critical” the issue is and therefore deserves front page coverage. The editors will then write an editorial supporting Supervisor Siller’s position on affordable housing. Columnists will do the same.

Then, Siller will ask for another presentation, and we’ll get another front page story, and so on.

This is a well tested propaganda strategy. A half truth or blatant lie — repeated enough times — is to become a well accepted proposition in the minds of the Reporter’s readers.

Granted, the Reporter prints letters to the editor from people like Ms. van der Eeams, who have the courage to write. I am concerned that the Shelter Island Reporter is becoming a voice of the supervisor, rather than an objective report of the facts impacting all of the Island‘s population.

ANDRZEJ ROJEK,Shelter Island

State of the Town

To the Editor:

There have been a lot of comments about the lack of transparency on the part of the Town Board, but I have to say that that was not the case at the  State of the Town meeting with Superintendent Siller on May 13.

Mr. Siller made it abundantly clear that he has no idea how to he’s going to ensure that any affordable housing that is built will remain affordable in the future. The six houses built on Bowditch Road some 25 years ago turned into windfall for the six lucky winners and are no longer affordable.

Mr. Siller also acknowledged that he cannot guarantee that the housing will go to a Shelter Island resident, much less a family vital to our community.

It was also made clear that he intends to go forward with it regardless of whether the Peconic Bay transfer tax referendum is passed or not.

This tells me two things, One, he hasn’t a clue as to how he will fund it (read: higher taxes) and two, he will go forward with it even if the voters vote against it.

Wake up Shelter Islanders.

STEVE KOLER, Shelter Island