Lessons To Learn

It might well turn out to be true that East Hampton Village is getting “back on track,” as Mayor Jerry Larsen said last week, after taking over control of East Hampton Volunteer Ambulance after 50 years of self-management. “Nothing is going to change in the volunteers’ life,” the mayor said, except that a new EMS Department, and the chief, will have more direct authority.

That said, there are lessons to learn from the way the village handled this transition, and no amount of dismissive language can erase the damage — about a quarter of the ambulance company’s volunteers have resigned in protest of the move.

So often, with decisions made by local government, the process matters. The goal, the destination, could be the right one. But how you get there makes all the difference.

Credit to East Hampton Village Trustee Carrie Doyle, who recognized that. As some of those affected registered their final notes of dismay before the unanimous board vote took place, Doyle took the time to say that she wished it “hadn’t happened like this … I’m very sorry that this was not handled better.” She added, “There’s been a lot of emotions — we didn’t hear each other.”

She’s right, on both parts. Volunteers, including some who have been part of the volunteer ambulance for decades, deserved to be part of the process from the beginning. When you can only watch the wheels of government turn, it feels like they are rolling over you. If village officials truly believed a change was necessary, and they had the power to enact it, giving the volunteers a seat at the table, and a voice, was the least they could have done.

Larsen has been headstrong as a mayor, which can sometimes be very beneficial, but this is the downside. The mayor currently has a 5-0 Village Board vote to wield as he chooses, which can be interpreted as a mandate. That can make it tempting to shove through decisions, even controversial ones, without much public dialogue. This is a clear example to help identify the line between efficient and bullying.

There is a real world concern here, beyond the morale of the volunteer ambulance force: The loss of so many volunteers, plus the recent resignations of two paramedics, makes the coming summer surge look frightening. Those who are left will be forced to shoulder a heavy burden while the company tries to find more volunteers — or turns to expanding its paid staff.

“We are where we are,” Larsen said. Will the new structure provide a viable path forward that provides a necessary service to the community? We don’t have an answer just yet — that’s where we are. Fingers crossed.