Packed house at Town Hall for public hearing on affordable housing

Political theater came to Town Hall on Friday, June 10.

A resident addressing the Town Board during a public hearing refused to yield the podium after several notices from Supervisor Gerry Siller that he had gone beyond the maximum time allowed for speakers. Mr. Siller finally asked a Shelter Island Police officer to escort him from the podium.

“I’m not moving,” resident Bob Kohn angrily told Officer John Spinelli twice, before Mr. Siller relented and allowed Mr. Kohn to continue.

Mr. Kohn had maintained that he had the right to speak longer than the 3-minute regulation because it was a public hearing “and I have every right to stand here, call witnesses if I wanted to and not be rushed.”

The incident, preceded by loud calls from the audience telling Mr. Kohn to sit down, and several emphatic strikes of the supervisor’s gavel, came during a hearing on a resolution to pass a local law on a real estate transfer tax that would fund affordable housing on the Island. Specifically, on Shelter Island it would establish a Community Housing Transfer Tax — it passed later in the meeting by 4-0 vote with Councilwoman BJ Ianfolla absent — which will be the subject of a November referendum to pay for building residences for either rent or purchase on affordable terms.

During the public hearing, 10 residents went to voice their opinions; nine were in favor of voting “yes” to the referendum (all stayed within the 3-minute time allowed) and Mr. Kohn was the sole speaker calling for a “no” vote.

The new local law would add 0.5% to the already established Community Preservation Tax, which funds the purchases of open spaces for preservation, as well as funding water quality improvement projects. The .05% add-on will exempt most first-time home buyers, and exempt those purchasing houses under $400,000. The purpose of the new law, in the language of the legislation, is for “creating and fostering affordable housing opportunities” on Shelter Island.

The issue has become contentious among Islanders, with some calling for a “no” vote in November on several grounds, including that more housing means more stress on a fragile aquifer, and also that the government should not be in the business of subsidizing housing for people who can’t afford to live here.

Those in favor of creating a fund for affordable housing note that the services of an all-volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services will suffer if volunteers can no longer live here, and that long-time Island residents of every age and occupation are being forced to leave, changing the quality of life on the Island that residents treasure.

Mr. Kohn began asking for more than three minutes to make his case, which was denied. He said many people have told him they are reluctant to speak publicly against the referendum, afraid they will be labeled “cruel or elitist.”

Mr. Kohn rejected that argument, saying water quality for all would suffer dramatically if “high density housing” is built. “This is not about elitism,” Mr. Kohn said. “It is about public safety, protecting the environment and preserving the character of an island we have all come to know and love.”

After he had passed the three-minute mark, he was told several times his time was up but insisted he was almost finished and continued on. Patience wearing thin, Mr. Siller reached for the gavel, and for those watching the live feed remotely, and those who later watched the meeting on video, the sound cut out for less than two minutes on two occasions.

Some speculated later that a Town official had silenced the audio feed. But Mr. Siller explained when it was brought to his attention near the end of the meeting that the sound was cut inadvertently when he hit a switch while grabbing the gavel.

Asking for an explanation after the meeting, Town Attorney Stephen Kiely, who attended remotely, told the Reporter that it was “nothing nefarious … Apparently, with the new mics, if you tap the top they have a feature that mutes them. If you watch the video you can see it muted at the time Gerry went to grab the gavel. It also happened another time as well when they were trying to resolve it. I experienced it first hand and in real time asked for it to be remedied.”

Mr. Siller finally asked Officer Spinelli to escort Mr. Kohn from the podium, but after Mr. Kohn said he wasn’t moving, Mr. Siller said, “O.K. John, let Mr. Kohn have his moment. His claim to fame.”

After Mr. Kohn wrapped up his remarks, speaker after speaker followed. Maria Maggenti urged citizens to vote “yes” for “the future of the Island,” and Virginia Girardi countered Mr. Kohn’s assessment that it wasn’t government’s responsibility to provide housing. Government should help small businesses who employ people, she said, and “governments are obligated to help the disadvantaged.”

Nell Lowell, a science teacher, was in favor of the Town being involved in funding affordable housing projects, and noted that the idea of new housing potentially polluting the aquifer was not an issue because all new housing must be approved by Suffolk County, which in all likelihood would make recommendations and changes before approvals.

Jonathan Russo said he “was embarrassed, shocked and appalled” by those standing in the way of affordable housing, labeling them “social Darwinists,”  which Webster’s Dictionary describes as those who believe that “socially elite classes (such as those possessing wealth and power) possess biological superiority in the struggle for existence.”

Gina Kraus spoke of the volunteer work done by Islanders and “the community should support those who support the community.”

Several others, including Valerie Levenstein, Barrie Silver and others made brief cases urging the Board to pass the resolution.

Near the end of the meeting, Councilwoman Amber Brach-Williams brought up the fact that many of those who oppose using the transfer tax for housing say it is far down on the list of issues Islanders care about, citing a survey earlier in the year. Speaking about November’s referendum, she said, “This will be our survey. This is where we’ll hear directly from the public.”