HUGH O'BRIEN
217 Atlantic Walk
Saltaire

May 2003

I'm writing to tell you of my candidacy for Mayor of Saltaire, and why I've chosen to run.

Traditionally, Saltaire's affairs have been managed by a Board united in one purpose, to best serve our community. People put aside personal differences to work for the good of all. A job well done was their only goal -- and sole reward. Unhappily, this is no longer the case.

Granted, the present Board has been through some difficult times with Mayor Berger's passing, and individual members have of course made some contributions to the Village. But the overall performance of the Board has been disturbing. Personal agendas, hidden issues, efforts to gain favors for friends, have become commonplace with some members. Instead of open discussions and timely decisions, too often we have had spin, delay, public relations gimmicks and inaction from a Board sometimes mired in personal accusations between each other. The results have frequently been bad for Saltaire.

The Board canceled our ferry and parking contracts 17 months ago and new ones have yet to be signed. As a result, discount ferry books have not been available, and in any case the new contract allows us to purchase only 900 books, instead of the 1200 under the former contract, a loss to Saltaire residents of $8,700. The Board raised parking fees by an amount triple the highest previous increase, a raise which will be cycled through the ferry company's bank back to the Village as the increase in their franchise fees to us. Simply put, the Village will get more money because Saltaire residents are paying more.

There was no need to cancel these contracts. Nothing positive has been obtained that could not have been gotten from a few weeks' negotiations, something the Board did not even attempt. Almost no work was done on these contracts for the first 10 months after they were canceled, and at the first meeting with Fire Island Ferries last October only Mayor Berger and Trustee Markus chose to attend. In fact, the contracts were canceled as a first step in shifting them to a personal friend of a trustee who urged the cancellation, a person with little experience or equipment who at the time had made no commitments to us. I do not believe you should cancel a vital contract when you have nothing to replace it.

There have been other missteps. The Village had no contract with the Fire Company for one year and has yet to begin negotiations for the new one due in a few weeks. We had no agreement with Bary Wetherall for almost two years. Trustees acting on their own accord maneuvered Nancy Schoen out of her job as the Camp's arts and crafts director so they could free her house for rental this summer, to one Board member's relative. Some trustees continue to press for Board members to be allotted two parking stickers each "because of all the work we do." Too little has been done to enforce noise or vehicle laws and other quality-of-life issues.

And all too often the Board, rather than confronting, discussing and voting on a matter, dodges it or plays politics — inflating agendas to give the appearance of action, keeping critical issues as quiet as possible, or conducting "polls" (as with outdoor cooking last fall) to avoid actually having to study the merits of an issue and reach a decision. Trustees are supposed to decide issues based on their own honest judgment, not by what some poll tells them. Besides, if you take a "poll" on one issue, what excuse do you have for not taking one on every other issue?

As Mayor, and with the help of new trustees, I will put an end to this. Issues will be tackled forthrightly, openly, with full public input, and decided responsibly and expeditiously. You'll get straight answers to honest questions. There will be no more public relations ploys, evasiveness or spin. Issues will no longer be politicized for individuals' political benefit. There will be no perks or favors handed out. Public service should be its own reward.

A mayor should be accessible. I will hold informal office hours in the Village Hall every Saturday morning during the season when the Board is not in session. I will also institute community meetings, separate from Board meetings, to allow for full, uninterrupted discussion of major issues and, thus, expedite Board action. I will hold such a meeting in my first weeks in office to discuss the outdoor cooking issue. I promise a full exploration and discussion by the Board on this issue and an up-or-down vote on a responsible proposal this summer. Pro or con, you deserve the courtesy of a fair and reasoned decision on this matter at long last.

I will work to restore the 1200-book limit for the purchase of discount ferry tickets, and to revise the proposed contracts to make sure any additional funds we receive come out of Fire Island Ferries' pocket, not yours. I will install a permanent Security presence in east Saltaire and beef up patrols along Lighthouse Prom to better control bike and vehicle traffic. We will investigate ways to enhance our enforcement powers. We will continue efforts to restore our beach.

And I will oppose anything that threatens to reduce the quality of services we have enjoyed, that make Saltaire the unique and desirable place it is. We must preserve a full-time staff to maintain these services and a stable winter community to help protect the Village year-round. I do not look at Village assets and see simply dollar signs. Our greatest assets are our people, especially those who work so well because they too call Saltaire home.

Most important, with the help of new trustees and a fresh approach, we will be able to restore to Saltairians a Board where civility, honesty, ability and selflessness prevail.

I served as a Trustee for 14 years, overseeing at various times Security, Fire, and Maintenance, with a stint as Deputy Mayor. About half the Village Code was written or rewritten by me, alone or in collaboration. I represented the Village at perhaps a dozen conferences, including meetings on beach restoration, the Fire Island Interim Project, bay and estuary control, the New York State Conference of Villages, and various FINS matters. I've been chairman of the SCAA for the past two years where among other contributions I helped get their fiscal house in order. (I was also on the SCAA board in the 80s.) As SCAA chair, I'm a member of the Fire Island Association executive board and have been involved in many of their meetings. I've been a member of the Fire Co. for 12 years and served 16 years on the Yacht Club board, includingtwo as Commodore. I know the people and the agencies the Village deals with. I have been a hands-on manager and my experience has prepared me to step into the job of Mayor on day one. Because I am self-employed, I have the time to devote to the heavy work load being an involved Mayor entails.

I hope I have earned your confidence. But electing a new mayor and new trustees, as crucial as that is, is only part of what is needed. The success of our community depends most of all on -- you. Come to Board meetings. Ask questions. Visit me at my Saturday morning office hours. Volunteer to serve the Village in any way you feel best able. Run for office yourself -- no candidate has a monopoly on talent or ideas. Get involved, not to receive some favor in exchange, but because your work will make Saltaire a better place.

That's why the election on May 23rd shouldn't be seen as the culmination of something. Rather, it should be viewed as a beginning — a renewal of our commitment to one another; of our faith in the basic goodness of Saltairians; and as a sign of our determination to revitalize our civic life and rekindle that sense of pride which has always infused and guided our belief in Saltaire and everything our community means to us.

Thank you for your time. I shall be pleasedto discuss anything with you at your convenience.

Sincerely,

Hugh O'Brien
(914) 793-3809
(631) 583-5962