Dan's Papers - June 20, 2008

East Hampton Town is now facing more unrest with the resignation of Town Attorney Laura Molinari, whose last day was Friday, June 13. It's been purported that Molinari, who has worked for the Town since April of 2004, resigned because her legal advice has gone ignored. But to the press, Molinari has simply stated that she feels she "can no longer effectively" serve as the Town's attorney and gives no further details.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Town Supervisor Bill McGintee had borrowed more than $7 million from the Town's Community Preservation Fund to cover payroll, as well as other town expenses, behind the backs of Molinari and the rest of the board. A year earlier, Molinari had advised McGintee and Town Budget Officer Ted Hults against borrowing from the CPF for anything other than preservation.

More recently, as East Hampton sought financing for town bonds, a statement was released about the town's financial status, which was supposedly reviewed and approved by the town attorney. As it turns out, Molinari had never actually seen it, so recalled the statement and reissued it after making corrections.

Molinari's resignation comes on the heels of the Town Board calling for the resignation or dismissal of Hults - who many feel is half-responsible for the financial mess in East Hampton. McGintee has refused to consider this issue.

The Commuter Connection, a combination of Long Island Rail Road trains and shuttle buses originally designed to reduce traffic during the construction on County Road 39, will end for the school year on June 26, with no definite plans for its return in the fall.

Because teachers in the area relied heavily on the shuttle system - which serviced not only area LIRR stations, but local schools and businesses as well - they reached out to the local state representatives which led to the June 26 extension. Funding has been an issue for maintaining the shuttle service, which costs about $100,000 monthly. The extra LIRR trains coming to the Hamptons cost about $84,000, while the bus service costs between $20,000 and $30,000. While Assemblyman Fred Thiele found state grants to fund the additional month of service, money is the major issue blocking assurance that the Connection will return in the fall.

Those relying on the shuttle service for transportation, particularly now that gas prices have hit a record high, are encouraged to reach out to their local representatives, including Thiele, Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot and East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill McGintee. If local legislators found the money once, they might be able to find it again.