UPDATED: Dems Gather Over 600 Signatures To Fight Alleyway Sale

The East Hampton Democrats said on Wednesday that they will present the town clerk with its petition to try and force a vote, as well as up the price, of an alleyway that bisects the in Montauk this afternoon.

According to chairwoman Jeanne Frankl, the petition is 46 pages and has 630 signatures of town residents requesting that the town board's March 6 resolution authorizing the sale of the alleyway be submitted for permissive referendum.

Also, the Democrats had an appraisal of the property completed by the East Hampton firm that revealed the property is valued at $184,000, a difference of $149,000 at which the town board agreed to sell. The Democrats appraisal is based on $50 per square foot.

A majority of the town board approved the sale to for $35,000. They plan on opening for the summer season as The Montauk Beach House. When pressed about how he came up with the price, Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said he “plucked out of the air.”  No appraisal had been done, which was not legally required with a majority board vote.

Democratic Councilpersons Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc "voted against it on the grounds that selling public land without an appraisal violates the fiduciary duty of town government under the provision of the State Constitution forbidding gifts of public property," Frankl said. 

"In accordance with section 91 of New York State Town Law, filing the petition will compel the town board either to repeal the resolution or to hold a vote seeking the public’s approval within no less than 60 nor more than 75 days," Frankl said in a statement. At least 5 percent of the total number of local votes cast for governor in the last election had to be submitted in order to compel a referendum. The Democrats voted to pursue that avenue at its March 21 meeting and have since collected well over 50 more than the 405 signatures required.

Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said he wants to see the Democrats' appraisal before he will reconsider his position. "Based on attorney recommendation we did everything that we're expected to do," he said.

He said he hasn't seen Jones' appraisal, yet, but he understands it was between $22,500. "I'm not going to take it just from a Democratic press release," he said.

A copy of Jones' appraisal has been uploaded, courtesy of CurbedHamptons.

“The discrepancy of $149,000 between the sale price and appraised value corroborates our conviction that the sale was a gift, violating the State Constitution," Frankl said in the statement.

In a statement to CurbedHamptons, Jones said, "Sadly we did not anticipate the current political controversy over a sliver of land that for over 50 years was utilized by the previous owners of the property. We have no desire to be involved in controversy and regret the fact that this very positive project is now embroiled in what seems to be a political dispute over which we have no control."

But, Wilkinson pointed to a sale at the opposite end of the property in the former Caswell's, where a Democrat-majority town board sold a piece of property where a deck had been built for $2,500.

He also pointed to a conveyance done earlier in his administration where 7,000 square feet of Blue Jay Way was sold for $7,000.

Frankl said it was a non-partisan effort with members of all parties, as well as unaffiliated voters, went out looking for signatures.

"The people who signed the petition and probably many more among the public, hope the board will rescind and repeal the decision in accordance with their option under the law, avoiding a costly election," Frankl said. "Certainly any sale should be based on the appraisal."