Dan's Papers - June 13, 2008

Dear Dan,
As we are approaching our first contested election since West Hampton Dunes became an Incorporated Village I can't help feeling mixed emotions towards the vibes I am getting amongst our residents. In some ways it's productive that these people have a focus and are not busy calling the constable for what they may think is an infraction in the law. On the other side I'm saddened that a village that stuck together through the toughest part is now becoming divided. There is no doubt our village had changed drastically from when it was incorporated to now and it may be time to re-evaluate; but a complete overhaul? I hope not.
One of the many issues I hear about is our constable. Are we over policed? Probably. Could we cut some fat and restructure? At what cost to the comfort level of what people have become accustomed to - a nearly 0% crime rate. Can we eliminate the building inspector and have an agency oversee the smaller amount of construction going? Most likely, but we need to do an accurate cost analysis. Did we need a building inspector in the past? Absolutely we were a town with over fifty building permits out, with three lunch trucks constantly rotating. If we didn't have an inspector, this village would look like Disneyland. Is the current Mayors salary excessive? I don't think so, not for his proven track record. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
I can honestly say as a resident of forty-five years at my address, I don't think a percentage of residents have a clue what took place down this beach. And if you don't think it could happen again, your are naïve. If you said that three hundred homes would wash away and roads would be washed out in the 1960s and 1970s when we were complaining how far it was to walk down to the water, we would have called you crazy.
There is a documentary film based on our tiny village by a talented man Yale Nelson. I think it should be a prerequisite to voting to watch this film. If after you don't have some respect for Gary and many other residents and what they accomplished, you should watch it again. I believe in both my personal and professional life that competition makes us all step up our game to another level. Our current administration will probably have to re-evaluate things; I am not saying that in the past things were done wrong, only that our village has changed so rapidly it may require restructuring to adapt to our growth spurt. I commend the new party for stepping up to be heard and they may have some good ideas, but honestly I haven't heard their platform only their vicious attacks against the current administration and even their families too.
As a third generation resident to my Dune Road address I think it's hard to fathom to most people what this area has persevered. You talk about getting blind-sided by a wave, I hope not again. I would personally like to see our current Mayor re-elected and maybe some of the wave issues addressed.

This place has completely resurrected itself. - DR

Dear Dan,
I was shocked to see there was no mention of the fact that the article "West Hampton Dunes Trouble in Paradise" in the previous addition of your publication was inaccurate. Any person can print a rumor but it takes someone with guts to admit they were wrong. Years ago you printed a story with incorrect facts. I sent you a letter, which you quickly published with an apology. The article remains on the Internet and continues to cause us harm. Are you going to address this? If not we are prepared to purchase a full-page in your publication as well as others. This way the facts can be brought to the attention of the public. We have already direct mailed to 300 homeowners copies of your article and a letter from us explaining the actual facts. Sincerely,

Brian Hennig - President
West Hampton Dunes
Police Constabulary Assoc., Inc.
Westhampton Beach
www.whdpca.org
Via e-mail

I believed a press release and I apologize. It is addressed in this issue. - DR

Dear Dan,
I wanted you to know that because of your article we had an incident during the weekend. A simple violation has been turned into a complex incident and your paper was to blame. Throughout the weekend we had to explain that our summonses carry consequences if not answered and our authority is in tact. Our safety has most certainly been compromised. I sincerely hope when you publish a retraction you place it on the cover. Again, I respectfully request that you remove the article from the Internet or add the retraction to it immediately.

Sincerely,
Brian Hennig - President
West Hampton Dunes
Police Constabulary Association, Inc.
Via e-mail

We published the retraction in the subsequent issue. - DR

Dear Dan,
Re: Candance Liegh 1942 -1993; p.12 Dan's Papers 10/1/93, by SK. Remember! Of course Candance Liegh was not her real name. Neither was Josita Lipinsky.
Her real father was Frank Capp who died from Strep throat in 1939. She never knew him. I am Ernie Giordani, a first cousin of Candy (we called Little Jo when she lived with us in Brooklyn and then in Binghamton, NY).
My story "They Called Her Little Jo Then" is in my collection of short fiction, Pocket Full of Tales. I can print out the ten-page story and forward it to your office if you are interested. Or you can go to www.giordanipockettales.com to obtain a copy of the text. 607-724-0060.