East Hampton Town Registry Law Hot Topic at Christmas Dinner Table

The new East Hampton Town Registry Law was the hottest topic around the Christmas Day dinner table this year. Oddly no one seemed to applaud it. No one thought it was good government. In fact all thought it was the worst idea since Beach fees for cars stickers for East Hampton residents.

I lived in the Town of East Hampton for 10 years, year round, the last 4 in Montauk before a great marriage has me living up island. I rented in town because due to my divorce, bad investing, and overall stupidity I was living on the underbelly of the Hamptons just getting by. This article however isn’t about my situation or me but about very affluent, successful hard working local homeowners who quite frankly are irate about the new East Hampton Town’s new Registry Law.

The fee and registration of rental deals isn’t what set these fine citizens of East Hampton off, it was the punitive clauses that made the owner of rental homes responsible for punitive actions by the town against renters such as fines up to $10,000 per occurrence. They all watched the aggressive manner that Town officials went about fining bars and restaurants this last summer as if they were issuing parking ticket in the metered town lots. The people around the Christmas table, 14 of them, said the town went too far with zeal to appease a small part of the town population. The consensus was, “Why did those who voted for the registry basically end their political careers for this issue?” They mentioned how concern about overcrowding at the school in the Springs morphed into this law. They wondered what minority was influential enough to make Board members vote for this career-ending proposal. “They cant be that detached to think they will be re-elected between this and the Montauk Dune fiasco. Thanks to these moves, it looks like the Republicans just need three names next election to gain control of the Town Board.” No one at the table accept two former Wilkinson supporters seemed happy about that.

My point was, as a person now living “up island,” I don’t see who this law benefits because it effects every home owner in East Hampton Town who may one day decide to rent his home, short term or long term, It will even effect the South of the Highway Billionaires. LOL! Imagine town officials crashing one of their posh parties to take names and check ID’s.

No one defended the Town Board. Not one person. That’s never good around a random Christmas table of people of various ages, various political persuasions and different financial backgrounds. One thing is for sure, this will be a huge issue come the next town election