Posted stickers on Town property attack supervisor: Police investigation is underway

Shelter Island Police are investigating political stickers calling for Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams to be indicted.

Words on the stickers posted at Crescent Beach and Volunteer Park on Bridge Street, both areas owned by the Town, allege offenses, referring to sexual innuendo and “hush money,” which are unsubstantiated. The words and the stickers indicate they come from a group — whose members are unknown — called “Shelter Island for Accountable Government.”

A check of the Suffolk County Board of Elections finds no reference to any such group and an internet search reveals no group by that name.

The stickers call for indicting Ms. Brach-Williams, using only unproven charges that point to a $55,000 payment to former Town attorney Stephen Kiely.

The Town Board acknowledged the payment and an agreement with Mr. Kiely, and has made no further comment about it, saying the signed agreement prohibited comment from either side. Both he and the full Town Board agreed there would be no statements made about the settlement. 

At the bottom of each sticker individual words appear with sexual references, also completely unfounded.

The entire Town Board agreed to the payment and to the nondisclosure provision.

“We are aware of the stickers,” Police Chief Jim Read said Tuesday. The department is currently looking into this matter, he said, explaining that Detective Sergeant Jack Thilberg is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the placement of the stickers and applicable statutes to determine what violations, if any, may have occurred, the chief added.

The message may be protected speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution. “But placing materials on public property in a way that could cause damage or defacing Town property is something we take seriously,” Chief Read said. 

Ms. Brach-Williams said of the stickers, “It seems the nastiness is starting.”

Republican Committee Chairwoman Julia Weisenberg said she doesn’t believe the attack came from any active candidates, but the work of someone who simply doesn’t like the supervisor. Democratic Committee Chairwoman Cat Brigham Wednesday morning said she encourages healthy debate in politics, but certainly doesn’t endorse this type of behavior.

Since the two parties announced their slates for November, there has been an open dialogue between the two party chairwomen, with both seeming to denounce and avoid negative campaigning.