Some Candidates Answer Questions on Beach Access, Possible Condemnation

Just weeks after the , the Citizens for Access Rights turned its attention to how candidates feel about beach access in Tuesday's election.

At its last meeting, CfAR leaders urged its members and guests to take a packet containing questionnaires that were distributed to candidates seeking election or re-election. Only some of the candidates returned the packets.

The group did not endorse any candidate. David Lys, one of the group’s founders, said that legally, as a not-for-profit organization, it cannot.  Another of the group’s founders, Tim Taylor, said that he would ask that the members look at the packet carefully and consider the candidate’s answer’s and see how aligned the answers are with the views of the group. “We don’t believe in a settlement but there are some candidates who do,” he said. Taylor mentioned Richard Haeg who although did not return a questionnaire, has said that he would like to see a settlement.

TO READ CANDIDATES' ANSWERS, CLICK ON THE PDF.

“We certainly feel that there are certain candidates that feel more strongly one way or another,” Taylor said. He also pointed out that the questionnaire was not returned by some candidates and said, “Silence is everything in this case.”

Taylor stopped short of naming the candidates who did not return a questionnaire but the packet shows that the following candidates did not return questionnaire:

·         Bill Wilkinson (R) Supervisor
·         Richard Haeg (R) Councilman
·         (R) Town Justice
·         (D) Trustee
·         Steve Lester (D) Trustee
·         Loretta Sears (D) Trustee
·         John Gosman Jr (R) Trustee
·          (R) Trustee
·         Sean McCaffrey (R) Trustee

Wilkinson said on Monday that he simply didn't have time to fill out the questionaire, as it arrived last minute. "I thought we said everything when we stood by our resolution for board support for beach access and beach driving," he said.

Bill Mott, an Independence Party candidate for Town Councilman, also did not return a packet, but he attended the meeting hoping to address the group directly but did not make a formal presentation because he came late. Mott, a current town trustee, said that the group knows that he is a strong proponent of beach access rights for the public.

Of the 18 candidates who returned the questionnaire only two did not answer unequivocally that that would not support a settlement. Peter Van Scoyoc, a Democratic candidate for councilman, said that it would depend on the settlement but he would not compromise on public access and Sam Kramer, a Democratic trustee, said that he would be “extremely disinclined.”

The questionnaire also asked if the candidate would support the use of condemnation should the town trustees lose the current lawsuit. In this case, the Town would use its authority to condemn for public use the more than three-quarter mile stretch of oceanfront for which public access is currently under contention in the New York State Supreme Court. The town would have to pay just compensation to the property owners.

Zachary Cohen, the Democratic candidate for supervisor, acknowledged that if the town condemnation were to take place, the land would be owned by the town, instead of the trustees, but was open to a scenario where the trustees might be partial owners. He said, “I would work closely with the Trustees to be sure that public’s rights would always be protected.”

Deborah Klughers, a Democratic candidate for trustee, said that she would support condemnation, but had concerns about the implications. “Condemnation may commit us to a blank check,” she said.

“What is the fair market value for the highest and best use of the property?” she said. “I would look to public input and a referendum to identify what voters are willing to pay for the beach."