Dan's Papers - December 14, 2007 - John White's Decision

It was a wonderful day in Sagaponack. John White and his wife Elizabeth sat in chairs on the lawn behind Sagaponack Village with their five children, about to receive an array of awards because they turned over the development rights to 88 acres of their land to the village to insure that the land remains open for farming. The action handed the Whites and their descedents the opportunity to keep farming on the land that Ebenezer White settled in 1695. Rising tax rates and higher costs of farming left the Whites with two options: Selling off their land for development, or making an accommodation with town and village officials to arrest the rising real estate tax cost hindrance to farming.

Sagaponack Deputy Mayor Lee Foster read the wonderful Proclamation of Appreciation. Town of Southampton official Nancy Graboski, from farming roots herself, spoke of being good to the land and the land will be good to you. John Halsey of the Peconic Land Trust congratulated the Whites on doing what was right. Mary Wilson and Becky Wiseman also spoke kind words.

Tom, Jeffery, John N. and Barbara White watched speaker after speaker congratulate their parents for preserving a large slice of Sagaponack from ever being developed. The Whites were polite and never stood up out of their chairs to applaud. They knew they had just sacrificed perhaps $50 million, just to keep farming. They never said this, as they are polite and genteel, but neighbors and friends are thrilled that the Whites are paying this price to preserve their views of the ocean, their farming tradition and the vistas.

Every speaker noted that the Whites' decision to take this route was tremendous for the Town, for the Peconic Land Trust and for the future. The truth is everyone in the Town is lucky none of the Whites' children have any "Donald Trump" in them, because they just traded away desirable property to honor their forefathers. They did this by preserving a way of life no longer economically feasible in the richest zip code in America. The proclamations were well earned and paid for by hard work, tending the soil for over 300 years and living modestly in the same main house for over 100 years. The Whites did not sell off acres for some of the luxuries so many around them take for granted. To preserve their way of life John and Elizabeth White did not make a deal with the devil, but instead with town officials.

So, with large posters of the valuable land displayed on easels in the background, the political leaders read the proclamations and citations and made remarks about what Sagaponack was gaining due to the Whites' action. Their speeches were sincere and their gesture to the couple genuine.

John White made a huge decision for his whole family and their families. The decision is great for the Village of Sagaponack and the Town of Southampton. Kathleen White, a daughter-in-law said, "It was a great day for the family." After the festivities were over John and Elizabeth White rose to go into the small Village hall for coffee and baked delights. John was wearing his Bridgehampton Fire Department jacket, something he is very proud of being a part for all these years. Most of the crowd, about thirty people, lingered and sipped coffee and sampled the baked goods. Everyone shook John White's hand and said well done. One hundred years from today those 88 acres will be either farmland or open land. That is an amazing thing to be able to say and it is only because of the generous actions of the White family.