Codger’s Column: The New Prospects
Codger has been so taken up lately by COVID, the Jan. 6 hearings, climate change, Ukraine (remember?) and the Supreme Court, that he lost sight of himself.
He failed to check his legs, to ask Crone to survey his back. He forgot what Shelter Island was once best known for. He forgot about ticks.
But the ticks hadn’t forgotten about Codger, a ripening field they had reserved for decades, like Federalists plotting the judicial take-over. This season, after cruelly concentrating on Crone last year, they finally came after Codger. There were more ticks picked off Codger these past few weeks than in his entire life. Why now, asked Codger, who is too narcissistic to ever ask: Why me? But not too paranoid to ask: Who sent the ticks after me?
Codger hasn’t a clue. He considers himself basically moderate on most of the big local issues, taking a wait-and-see attitude for example toward the new Island oligarchs, the restaurant and hotel owners that may turn the town into the buzzy resort Codger calls Shelhampton.
He knows for sure that the ticks were not loosed on him because of his stand on affordable housing. Codger doesn’t have a stand on affordable housing because he doesn’t completely understand how the concept — which he thinks is wonderful, like world peace and health care for all — is supposed to work here and who is supposed to be its beneficiaries.
Codger recently began asking random Islanders who claimed to believe in affordable housing who they thought should live in the subsidized dwellings. He was careful to avoid any discussion of where they might be built, what they might look like or how they might affect the aquifer, home values and taxes.
There was little consensus. There was someone who thought first generation immigrant families should have priority and there was someone who thought a teacher should have first choice. Several thought that people who had grown up on the Island, then left for college, the military or early jobs and were now priced out should be given the chance to return.
Someone thought that a person who agreed to serve as a volunteer firefighter or EMT should go to the top of the list. Several seniors thought seniors should get preference.
Codger thought these all were worthy, but wondered how such choices could be made without addressing the bigger questions: How would community housing affect tax rates and environmental concerns, especially about water? And would accepting federal funds cancel local control?
Some of these questions were discussed at an informative public open house two weeks ago at the library, but the foundational issues were not. Codger cannot understand how we are supposed to ultimately vote on this issue without a comprehensive plan for the town and an environmental impact study.
Codger does not hate cliches so he is willing to say that the cart is being placed before the horse and the devil is in the details. More work needs to be done before November’s referendum. Nevertheless, Codger thinks that Supervisor Gerry Siller’s obsession with community housing as his legacy is admirable and should be supported.
Codger also thinks that opposition to community housing is suspect; especially among those who raise the banner of “if you can’t afford to live here you don’t deserve to.” They are mostly fools and greedheads and don’t deserve to live here. Helping neighbors and trying to maintain diverse communities have always been part of the American dream.
When Siller accused his opponents of wanting “gated communities,” Codger thought he was being diplomatic (Siller?). What they really want is apartheid, a “sundowner” community with most of the servants off the Island by cocktail time.
Meanwhile, Codger noticed that the new oligarchs were taking matters into their own hands buying houses for their employees. Does that count as affordable housing? The Gardiner’s Bay Country Club tried to build staff housing on its own property but were stymied by zoning regulations (remember?).
Codger thinks that community housing is too important and decent an idea to be dismissed or jumped into hastily. It’s like democracy and religion — can we do it right this time? The alternative is a world of ticks — especially the human ones — pervasive, annoying, intimidating, even life-threatening.
There is hope. Last week on the History Center lawn, his bare legs tick-sprayed by a friend, lost in the past of Lisa Shaw’s latest musical gift, “The Prospect of Summer,” Codger realized that un-affordable housing, expensive hotel rooms, class divisions, oligarchs, grifters and illegal substances (“Rum, by Gum!”) not only existed 100 years ago on the Island, but could be funny and hummable and even survivable.
From the New Prospect Hotel to the new Pridwin Hotel and Cottages, the Island still floats.
Let’s stay cool.
