No Need To Bully

Hampton Bays resident Gayle Lombardi deserves credit for her “pandemic project” this past year: She taught herself the mechanics of writing an Article 78 lawsuit, then filed one challenging the Southampton Town Board’s decision last year to approve a new zoning code for the Hampton Bays downtown. Her first try turned out okay — she got a court to rule in her favor, halting, at least temporarily, implementation of the new zoning regulations.

What Ms. Lombardi, a respected citizen activist, did not deserve, though, was to be bullied by Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and other town officials in a scathing press release issued this week that called her out by name and charged her with single-handedly attempting to derail the town’s plans to improve and beautify the downtown area. Mr. Schneiderman noted in the release that Ms. Lombardi was also, years ago, a vocal critic of Good Ground Park, which he said has now become a popular community facility.

Shame on the supervisor and his administration for not recognizing Ms. Lombardi’s desire to simply shine a light on the town government and to use the system to ensure that plans for her hometown are in the best interest of its citizens.

Certainly, the supervisor and other community members and officials may disagree with her views and ultimately push on with the plans, if they conclude that they are, in fact, the best way forward. But it should be noted that Ms. Lombardi was not a lone wolf — there were numerous community members who were not fans of the final overlay district and its potential impact. She’s the only one who sued, but winning the case suggests she’s not just a gadfly, and she didn’t deserve to be swatted. Rather than demonize Ms. Lombadi, the town should save its arguments for court.

Mr. Schneiderman’s criticisms aside, the issues that Ms. Lombardi raised with the Hampton Bays Downtown Overlay District, which was approved unanimously by the Town Board in February 2020, were mostly technical concerns about the way the legislation was approved. State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Santorelli agreed and ordered that the zoning district be annulled. The town plans to address the concerns raised and reapprove the code.

The decision also put on hold a controversial plan to create the Good Ground Road bypass, a planned new road running from the end of Flanders Road south and then east to Springville Road, purportedly to lessen the impact of traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The many opponents of the plan have Ms. Lombardi to thank for that pause, as well, as the town addresses the inadequacies in the overlay law’s adoption.

Rather than criticize Ms. Lombardi for exercising her rights as a citizen activist to challenge the legislation, Mr. Schneiderman and the other town officials cited in the noxious press release should be applauding her for her love for and concern about the community that she holds dear. They should also be grateful for the opportunity to address any flaws in the legislation pointed out by Ms. Lombardi in the lawsuit, before some future developer was able to shoot down the zoning code, or to drive a truck through a loophole, perhaps literally.

Mr. Schneiderman’s press release eventually takes on the tone of campaign literature, pointing out that “the [Town] Board has worked hard during the Schneiderman administration to improve Hampton Bays” and listing its accomplishments. Perhaps so, but it’s every citizen’s right, and some would say obligation, to challenge the actions of government at all levels when it has concerns. It’s a right that can only improve local government, keeping elected and appointed officials accountable to their constituents.

People who exercise that right, like Ms. Lombardi, should be celebrated by those officials — and the rest of the community, whether they agree with their stance or not. Local leaders should resist lobbing grenades at them. After all, they’re put in leadership positions by members of the community because they are expected to be the adults in the room.

Gayle Lombardi’s court victory means that town officials have an opportunity to take a second look at the overlay district — and bypass plan, for that matter — and ensure that they are approving the best possible plan for the people of Hampton Bays. Whether or not they’re happy with the outcome, they should applaud her initiative, and leave the bullying to the kids on the playground.