The Post has heard that an angry group of East Hampton residents is launching a six-figure advertising campaign to hold the “incompetent” town council accountable for its “failed leadership.”
Members of “Stop the East Hampton Town Board” claim that their local government has failed them repeatedly and is destroying life on the East End.
One Hamptons business owner told The Post, “I’ve never seen a bunch so absolutely out of touch with the sentiments of the local people.” These individuals are tone-deaf, incompetent, and eager to lie to your face because they have their own agenda.
The group is spending more than $100,000 on print and digital advertisements that target the town council and encourage locals to speak out. One of the advertisements, which was shown exclusively to The Post prior to its release, states, “The town board is tearing the East End apart.”
The “Stop the Board” group is infuriated that the town attempted to close the East Hampton airport despite widespread local opposition; that it refuses to improve cell service in certain areas, making emergency services inaccessible to many residents; that it wastes millions of their tax dollars on fruitless litigation; and that it makes it difficult for small businesses to recover from the pandemic.
“Residents of East Hampton no longer have faith in the Town Board. In an open letter to town supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and other members, the group stated, “We chose you to serve our community.”
Although a judge ruled against the town board’s plan to close and reopen East Hampton Airport under its authority, the group is furious that elected bureaucrats spent more than $2.5 million battling for a scheme that 77% of East Hampton residents opposed.
Citing The Post’s exclusive investigation, the organization accused board members of “deliberately lying to the FAA in order to further your privatization scheme.”
It also criticized the board for incurring a $239,000 fine after a Suffolk County judge stated the board exhibited “indifference and willful disobedience” by refusing to give over sought evidence in a beach access lawsuit. “You humiliated us all,” the group wrote.
“Enough is sufficient. The incompetence of the East Hampton Town Board is costing us millions. We want answers. Who does the Town Council work for? Not East Hampton residents,” the letter states.
Von Scoyac was reelected in 2021, but according to the group, he ran on a platform that differs from his actual conduct. The local business owner and group member stated that removing the board is a last resort.
He stated, “All we want is to be heard and represented.”
The Town Council did not promptly respond to a request for comment.