East Hampton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) has been under new management after the Town Council voted unanimously in March to terminate its top administrator, dissolve the WPCA board, and assume direct control of the authority amid a wave of resident complaints alleging ethical misconduct and lack of transparency. Now the town is holding a public hearing to amend the six-decade old ordinance that established the WPCA, effectively transferring its authority to the Town Council.
“This ordinance amends the Town Code to establish the Town Council as the Water Pollution Control Authority for the Town of East Hampton with the authority and responsibilities assigned to it by the applicable sections of the statutes,” wrote David Cox, town manager, in an April 2 memorandum. “If approved by the Town Council at this meeting, the ordinance would be considered officially in effect on April 28 in accordance with the Town Charter.”
The public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, at Town Hall. Residents can also watch the meeting and comment over Zoom. Click here for the Zoom link, and click here to read the meeting’s agenda (PDF).
The meeting comes after months of escalating tension that drew dozens of residents to back-to-back council meetings in March, many demanding accountability for what they described as a pattern of deception and disrespect by WPCA leadership.
“We just can’t let this happen again in our town,” said Rebecca Hodge, who lives near the proposed expansion site. “We can’t do this over and over again. It’s always code red here.”
Dean Markham, Town Council chairman, expressed empathy with residents’ concerns at the March 12 meeting.
“Apparently some things have slipped,” Markham said. “We’re finding out at the same time you did in many cases.”
Markham added that “misinformation or lack of information” circulating on social media and during public meetings have further confused and inflamed the situation, which is a main reason for the creation of The Bellringer news website.
The controversy erupted over a proposed purchase of the property at 292 West High Street, a three-acre parcel near to the town’s wastewater treatment plant. The Town Council voted unanimously in October to sign a $100,000 purchase and sale agreement, and scheduled a town meeting vote for March 10 to authorize the acquisition. However, concerns surfaced alleging that former public utilities administrator, Anthony DeSimone, had engaged in backdoor dealings with Griffin Residuals over the purchase of the property, which was slated for a sewage treatment plant expansion. After public outcry, the Town Council unanimously voted to terminate DeSimone, dissolve the WPCA board and return its powers to the council.
The council remains interested in the West High Street property, however it’s now being proposed to serve as a buffer zone to prevent further development. The Board of Finance approved a $105,000 appropriation at a March 16 Special Meeting to acquire the property, the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the purchase on April 1, clearing the way for a Town Meeting vote on April 28.
Questions remain about the full scope of the WPCA’s activities under its previous leadership, what prompted the legal missteps around the land acquisition, and what the council’s review of current WPCA projects will surface. The Bellringer has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to help uncover some of these answers. Read the FOIA in its entirety here (PDF).
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified a East Hampton resident. The story has been updated to reflect the change.
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