Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: Sept. 30, 2026
WORK RECOGNIZED
To the Editor:
On behalf of myself a Shelter Island resident, Jane Aterno and the members of the Eastern Long Island Quilters Guild, I wanted to thank you and Lucy Browne for the lovely story that appeared in last week’s edition about our show. It was wonderful to have our members and former members and their work recognized.
NANCY WALKER, Shelter Island
RUSHED PROCESS
To the Editor
In a dramatic departure from how it proceeded four years ago, the current Town Board is trying to push through a new Comprehensive Plan with as little public input as it thinks it can get away with.
Recognizing the importance of the Comprehensive Plan, which sets the course for the decades to come, the schedule to review the 2022 draft (which can currently be found on the Town website) called for public workshops in August, September, October, November, and December of that year. While not all took place, ultimately there was a forum the following year at the Community Center attended in person by well over 100 residents.
By contrast, the current Town Board has scheduled only two public hearings during the second week of November, when many residents are not here and Zoom not being an adequate substitute for being present with others.
Why is the current schedule insufficient and, frankly, disrespectful to the public? Because the new draft, which was only posted last Friday, runs over 200 pages and covers every important topic one can imagine, including protecting our natural resources and addressing our housing and other problems. It will be a blueprint for zoning and other changes in the Town Code and impact the town’s finances.
Leadership of this effort has not changed since 2022, only its impatience.
A rushed process misses the opportunity to involve the public, improve the plan, and reduce public discord and the potential for litigation.
STEPHEN JACOBS, Shelter Island
JOIN ME
To the Editor:
I’m running for County Clerk because voters deserve both a real choice and a well-run Clerk’s office.
The Clerk’s own website warns that if you purchased a property within the past 8–10 weeks, your new deed may not yet be recorded. Suffolk residents should expect efficient, modern service from an office that handles records affecting their homes, businesses and legal affairs.
There are also legitimate questions about political patronage in the office. Newsday reported that Mike Torres, the Suffolk Conservative Party chair, also serves as chief deputy county clerk under incumbent Vincent Puleo and earned $147k from this position alone.
Despite this poor performance and more than questionable hiring, the incumbent has no challenger. He’s set to win by default.
Why? Well, Newsday reported in August that Democratic nominee Anthony Portesy accepted a Conservative judicial nomination after pressure to leave the County Clerk race to protect patronage jobs. Portesy’s departure left Puleo without a Democratic opponent on your ballot, protecting Torres’ job.
Forcing me, as a Suffolk County taxpayer, to pay this Clerk and his political boss for four more years was too much for me, and I decided to step up and run a write-in campaign.
In each of my 19 years of voting in Suffolk County I’ve witnessed election manipulation by the Chairs of Suffolk’s political parties. Judicial “races” which offer only one name, triply endorsed, for ratification rather than election. “Paper candidates” who don’t campaign, and always lose. Their purpose is giving the party’s most partisan voters a box to check. Voters aren’t really deciding the outcome of the election.
Please join me in rejecting backroom politics by writing me in for Suffolk County Clerk. Make your vote matter. Learn why I’m qualified and how to write me in at WriteInAbigailField.com
ABIGAIL FIELD, Cutchogue
FOR ALBERT
Councilman Albert Dickson has announced he is stepping down from the Shelter Island Town Board on the recommendation of his doctors. The members of the Shelter Island Democratic Committee want to thank Albert for his service and wish him and his wife, Mary, well.
Albert’s dedication to this community shows in the breadth of his work. As the Town Board’s primary liaison to the Licensing Review Board, the Water Quality Improvement Advisory Board, and the Waterways Management Advisory Council, he took on the issues that shape the health of our island and its waters.
He also served as secondary liaison to several additional committees. That work reflects countless hours of meetings, reading, and listening, most of it out of public view.
What stands out most is how Albert approached the work: with steady attention, respect for his neighbors, and a clear commitment to doing right by Shelter Island. He treated every committee as important, because to the residents it affects, it is.
Choosing to step back and put health first takes courage.
Albert, you have given this community a great deal, and it is our turn to support you. We are here for you and Mary, whatever you need.
Please join us in thanking Councilman Dickson for his service and wishing him a full recovery.
SHELTER ISLAND DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE Catherine Brigham Chair, Bill Mastro, Elizabeth Hanley, Kathy Gooding, Lynne Weikart, David Gentile, Reggie Johnson, Greg Toner
