JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Dering Harbor Village Hall was the site of a closer than close election Tuesday.

Dering Harbor, the smallest municipality in New York State, experienced an unexpected turn of events in Tuesday’s election.

What looked like an uneventful re-election of long-term Mayor Tim Hogue and two incumbent trustees turned into a horse race at the 11th hour when three write-in candidates stepped in to try to turn out the incumbents.

Only new Trustee Brandon Rose, appointed in December to fill the unexpired term of Linda Adams, who resigned, survived unscathed, garnering the highest number of votes of any candidate at 28. He was the only trustee to respond to a series of emails questioning how voting was handled in the village and calling for an investigation.

Would-be insurgent Elizabeth “Betsy” Morgan is out of the running with the lowest number of votes at 21.

If the numbers hold up on a recount in Yaphank, Mr. Hogue, mayor for 21 years, and Patrick Parcells face a runoff, with Robert Ferris and long-term Trustee Mary Walker also slated for a runoff. Each of the four candidates pulled in 25 votes apiece.

What motivated 51 people to cast ballots Tuesday — when only 26 did so last year — appears to be a flurry of emails circulating among village residents in the last five days, not only announcing the write-in candidacies, but raising issues about how the village is being run.

The charges of voting impropriety in past elections sparked the lively debate. Reading the email blitz was like sitting in on a virtual public meeting.

Two cases of voting irregularities became public: Deybis Rodriguez, a banker with a Columbia University MBA, whose vote wasn’t counted in 2013, and Ms. Morgan and Jonathan Cary, whose votes weren’t counted four years ago.

“No one in the government, including the Village Clerk and Village Attorney, ever notified us or offered any explanation as to why our votes were deemed invalid,” the couple said in an email to their neighbors. Inquiries to the mayor about why the ballots were refused was met with silence, Mr. Cary said.

Ironically, Ms. Morgan said, Mr. Cary, an Australian who had hesitated to change his citizenship, had cast his first legal ballot as an American that year in Dering Harbor, only to have it discounted.

No matter how those individuals had voted, it wouldn’t have affected election results. But by denying their votes, Village officials raised the wrath of a number of residents who brought forth complaints about not only how elections were being conducted, but what they said is a lack of transparency in how their local government is run.

The emails circulating among villagers revealed concerns from some that decisions were being made on the basis of personality, not consistent policies.

Others were just as outspoken, supporting the work of the Village Board. Even critics of Mr. Hogue have given him high points for his fiscal management.

Kenneth Walker, husband of Trustee Mary Walker, accused Mr. Parcells of “hypocrisy and self interest” in mounting a candidacy for mayor.

Mr. Parcells told his neighbors his candidacy resulted after he questioned Village Board decisions and was told by Mr. Hogue that if he didn’t like how Dering Harbor was being managed, he should run for office.

Mr. Ferris said he got into the race not to defeat anyone specifically, but to open the door to change.

“Change requires action,” he said. “No one should fear their government. Something is wrong here and we have finally started to talk openly.”

Mr. Walker said he doubts most in the village understand “the complexity of how state and county government really works” or “how well the budget of the village has been managed.”

He credited Mr. Hogue with putting in “thousands of hours over the past 20 years to keep the village as one of the most beautiful places to live on Shelter Island.” And he said if people prefer looser regulations than those Dering Harbor imposes, they could live elsewhere.

The various emails appeared to have started with resident Kate Moxham who offered her neighbors information that should dictate how elections are conducted, saying it appeared it was mishandled by village officials.

“Mayor Hogue and the trustees appear to have assumed a defensive and divisive posture which is sowing mistrust and reinforcing a sense among some residents that our laws are being applied unevenly, arbitrarily and with intent to alienate,” she said.

“If you’re unhappy that this issue has come up, blame their sloppy election tampering, not us for being outraged,” Ms. Moxham said.

REPORTER FILE PHOTO | Dering Harbor Mayor Tim Hogue.

Village Hall was crowded Saturday, June 21 with about 20 residents there to listen and respond to a discussion on the results of the village election held last week, which ended in dead heats for mayor and one trustee slot.

Also in the mix were the prospects for future run-off elections for the seats, and the on-going controversy sparked by the rejection of Deybis Rodriquez’ ballot in the 2013 election.

Mayor Tim Hogue reviewed the outcome of the recent election, which resulted in him and write-in candidate Patrick Parcells splitting votes right down the middle, and the same result occurring in the balloting for trustee Mary Walker and write-in candidate Rob Ferris.

Brandon Rose, appointed earlier in the year to fill a vacancy, retained his seat.

Fifty-one votes were cast with one absentee ballot disqualified because it did not have the required signature on the envelope.

In discussing the recent election process, audience members brought up challenges made on election day — two calling into question the residency in the village of Bridg and P.A.T. Hunt, submitted by Mr. Parcells. The Hunts responded on site by affidavit to the legitimacy of their address.

Another election consideration had to do with the unsigned absentee ballot, which was subsequently disallowed in accordance with election law.

Run-off election
The ballots have been sent to the Suffolk County Board of Elections to be certified. And if the count holds, a run-off election will be held for the position of mayor and one trustee seat. Until the village hears from the Board of Elections, the timing of the election is uncertain, but the mayor anticipated it would be prior to the board’s reorganization meeting scheduled for July 19, at which time the new board officially takes office.

Mr. Hogue assured residents that notice of the election would be “very publicly distributed” and would be conducted with poll watchers and an inspector on site. In answer to a question, he noted that absentee ballots are counted in a run-off, but write-in votes for other candidates would not be.

Another question had to do with voter registration lists. Mr. Hogue said that the Board of Elections would be providing the village clerk with the most recent list at the time of the election.

The Rodriguez controversy
The mayor announced he had appointed trustee Brandon Rose, who has served on the board for less than a year and is assured a seat on the new board, to serve as a “new pair of eyes” in investigating the rejection of Ms. Rodriguez’ ballot in 2013. Before calling on Mr. Rose for his report, the mayor urged the audience to be respectful of all opinions expressed and to engage in “civil discourse.”

For the most part, that’s what happened.

Mr. Rose said he wasn’t an expert in election law but the fact that Ms. Rodriquez’ ballot had not been counted in 2013 had obviously led to considerable discussion and comment about appropriate procedures. He had done his own research into the law and those procedures and had interviewed Ms. Rodriguez, Village Clerk Laura Hildreth and poll inspector Joseph Cunningham — all of whom were present in Village Hall on election day in 2013.

In summary, Mr. Rose felt the village clerk and inspector had acted within their authority when they questioned Ms. Rodriguez’ vote on the grounds of her residency in 2013, based on the knowledge that her 2012 absentee ballot had been challenged and was sustained at the time because she was registered to vote in two different states and had tried to vote in both Dering Harbor and Bergen County, New Jersey.

At the time of the 2013 election in the village, she was still on the Bergen County, New Jersey voting books.

In a subsequent follow-up email, answering questions from the Reporter, Mr. Rose wrote, “Based on this information, no one should be surprised Ms. Rodriguez was challenged in June 2013 when she came to vote.”

But it’s not necessary, when a voter changes locations, that she inform local election officials, and Cathy Schatzger, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Board of Elections, has said that Ms. Rodriguez is a registered voter in Dering Harbor and her name was never flagged for any violations.

Mr. Rose said there is a difference of opinion among the three individuals involved — the clerk, inspector and Ms. Rodriguez — about whether the procedure for challenging her right to vote was administered properly. “Regardless, as a village we absolutely have a responsibility to administer elections ethically,” he said, “and in full accordance with the law and related procedures … Nothing less than this is acceptable.”

He explained that while the village clerk has a responsibility not only to protect the rights of the individual voter, she has a larger responsibility to protect the integrity of the election for the community as a whole.
Mr. Rose’s report was received with numerous comments from the audience including the question: If and when Ms. Rodriguez appealed the process.

She said she did, indicating the “the process wasn’t done properly” and that she had subsequently written to the Board of Elections about the situation. There appeared to be a difference of  opinion about whether Ms. Rodrigues had followed an appeal process following the 2013 election.

There were some questions from the audience about both the 2013 and 2014 elections that were, for the most part, unanswered: Why weren’t the Hunts’ right to vote being investigated, one audience member asked. Why single out Ms. Rodriquez’s residency? Why not question all village residents? Is an affidavit adequate evidence of residency, even with the threat of perjury? Can a decision on an unsigned absentee ballot be appealed?

At one point, it was mentioned that the Board of Elections and the New York Conference of Mayors are available as consultants about election matters. As a clarification, Village Attorney Joe Prokop said, without commenting on whether consultation took place in the 2013 case or not, that NYCON will help with questions at the election site; the county board does not.

The mayor also commented that the voting lists themselves are not without fault and gave as an example an individual on the village’s list at one time who owned property but didn’t have a residence.

One villager commented that whether proper procedures were in place or not in 2013, “this discussion could go on forever. The village is up to speed now,” he said. And Mr. Rose commented, “It is important to note that the village clerk and inspector handled voter challenges during the 2014 village election without any procedural issues and that Ms. Rodriguez voted unchallenged in the 2014 village elections …”

The mayor thanked the audience for “a healthy discussion” and was about to adjourn the meeting when Rob Ferris asked that a letter be read into the record on behalf of Helge Skibeli and Clora Kelly. The mayor did so.

The letter said, in part, “How can we have faith in the integrity of our elections, if votes are illegally discounted without explanation? … We call for the state to investigate.”

REPORTER FILE PHOTO
Dering Harbor incumbents were reelected in a runoff election Tuesday.

Dering Harbor Mayor Tim Hogue easily won a runoff election against Patrick Parcells Tuesday after a contentious campaign with charges of impropriety from both sides.

Results from Village Clerk Laura Hildreth had Mr. Hogue with 43 votes and Mr. Parcells with 29.

In the other runoff election, Village Trustee Mary Walker defeated challenger Robert Ferris by exactly the same tally as the mayor’s race.

In the election last month, the race for mayor and one trustee spot ended with all candidates receiving 25 votes apiece, which triggered Wednesday’s runoff.

According to Ms. Hildreth, 72 votes were cast yesterday, of which 32 were absentee ballots.

There were 18 ballot challenges, 10 brought by Mr. Ferris.

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | The ceremonial launch of the 100-year-old Little Kittie on June 16.

Tucked amid stately yachts and towering cruisers anchored in Dering Harbor, is a wooden 12.5-foot dinghy named Little Kittie discreetly rocking back and forth. Unremarkable at first glance, this boat, which is now fully operational, was built in 1914 and has been restored by the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm in celebration of the craft’s centennial year.

Todd and David Williamson, grandsons of Andrew and Alice Fiske, donated the boat to Sylvester Manor this spring. Islander Jim Pugh, along with farm apprentice and recreational sailor Jocelyn Craig, have refitted the boat for the summer season.

After spending 10 years in storage at the Manor, Little Kittie’s wooden hull was in danger of cracking. “All sorts of bad things can happen when a boat is out of the water for that long,” said founder and special projects adviser of the Educational Farm Bennett Konesni, who also was involved in the restoration.

The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Rhode Island built Little Kittie in 1914. Brothers John and Nathaniel Herreshoff formed a partnership in 1878, selling steamboats to the growing American Navy. While creating these technological masterpieces, the brothers also spent time developing recreational ships, including a 12.5-foot dinghy that became a staple of local regattas. The Herreshoff’s sold the boat known today as Little Kittie to W.O. Taylor, the publisher of The Boston Globe, on November 14, 1914. According to the Herreshoff Registry, it was just the third “H12” ever sold.

According to the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol praises the H12 boat, noting, “This design has long since established itself as one of the foremost examples of yachting genius, for no other type of boat has acquired a more enduring popularity. The mere fact that no significant modification has been made in the design testifies to its perfection.”

The boat features main and jib sails and employs a traditional gaff rig, which allows the sail to catch 25 percent more wind than a common Bermuda rig.

Augustus Fiske bought the boat, at the time named Peggy, in 1936. His children sailed for the Cataumet and later Buzzard’s Yacht Clubs while summering in Cape Cod. Augustus’ youngest child, Leila Ostby, sailed Little Kittie (renamed in honor of Leila’s older sister) as a youth. “Every Saturday, we would race across Buzzard’s Bay to Beverly Yacht Club in Marion,” Ms. Ostby recalled. “That boat won many, many races in her day.”

Sailors praised H12 boats for their safety and simplicity. Each boat has a 735 pound lead keel, which serves the role of a centerboard to steady the boat during rough weather. “Capsizing this boat is incredibly difficult,” Ms. Ostby said.

Yacht clubs throughout Massachusetts saw H12 boats as the optimal vessel for instructing young sailors: the boat’s official name was “The Buzzard’s Bay Boy’s Boat.”

The Herreshoff Company went out of business in 1943, having produced just 360 H12 wooden boats. As the H-Class boats were nearing extinction, a Massachusetts shipbuilder used measurements from Nathaniel’s boat to craft an identical vessel made of fiberglass, known today as Doughdish boats.
Little Kittie came to Shelter Island in 1974 at the bequest of Andrew Fiske, the eldest child of Augustus.

When his friend bought a new Doughdish, Fiske was reminded of the boat he sailed as a youth. He had Little Kittie shipped to Sylvester Manor so he could race against other Doughdish owners at the Shelter Island Yacht Club. The boat has remained on the Island ever since, with the exception of a trip to Maine for refitting in 2004.

Jocelyn Craig, a native of New Hartford, Connecticut, arrived on Shelter Island in April and was immediately captivated by the antique boat resting in Sylvester Manor’s barn, where it had been berthed since its refurbishing a decade ago. Ms. Craig, a sailor since her childhood, pushed the Educational Farm to return the boat to its mooring Dering Harbor.

Jim Pugh took charge of the newest restorations this spring. His engineering company, Team McPugh, outfitted the boat with a solar-powered bilge pump, a new boom crutch and new blocks. It also provided a jib sheet cleat custom-made to Little Kittie’s unique size.

With the boat in pristine condition, the Educational Farm has entered Little Kittie into the H12 Race Series. “She distinguished herself by beating much newer boats,” Mr. Pugh said.

After 100 years, Little Kittie’s name, home, and owner have changed numerous times, but at least one characteristic remains constant: In the words of Ms. Ostby, “She’s a winner.”

REPORTER FILE PHOTO
A 4-poster in use on Martha’s Vineyard back in 2004 when Shelter Island was first considering what to do about fighting its deer and tick problems.

50 Years Ago

Goldfinger, the latest in the James Bond series, debuted in movie houses

Bewitched starring Elizabeth Montgomery broadcast its first show on ABC

Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway

Country singer Trisha Yearwood was born

Irish dramatist Sean O’Casey died at age 84

And on Shelter Island …

50 YEARS AGO
Passing up opportunities
A Reporter editorial this week in 1964 noted a list of potential acquisitions of land for the town to acquire to expand recreational opportunities for all residents. The Reporter  noted that in case after case, although the prices were more than reasonable, voters had turned thumbs down, only to see the properties go to private owners.

One  deal was all of Crescent (Louis’)  Beach) and 12 acres of land lying across Shore Road. The asking price at the time was $7,800. The editorial encouraged residents to think about upcoming land for sale and to cast ballots favoring acquisition while prices were reasonable and before  land became the bastion of private owners.

POSTSCRIPT: Today, a 2 percent Community Preservation Fund continues to provide money for public acquisition of open spaces and has been a driving force in ensuring more land remains available to all on Shelter Island, not just those with deep pockets.

30 YEARS AGO
Residents oppose pool fence law

In September 1984, swimming pool owners were fighting town efforts to require that pools be fenced. Among the arguments was that many pools were out of sight from the street and had plantings that provided natural barriers. Arguments that fencing was for safety purpose met with objections from people citing cases in other communities where there were drownings despite the presence of fences.

POSTSCRIPT: Today, in compliance with New York State requirements, fencing must be at least 48 inches high and totally surround pools with latches on gates and alarms systems in place for any access to the pool.

Shelter Island requires temporary fencing once excavation begins and within 90 days from the start of excavation, permanent fencing must be in place.

20 YEARS AGO
Dering Harbor focuses on Greenport

It was September 1994 when Dering Harbor Village Board members focused on a retroactive application for Claudio’s Restaurant and Clam Bar to maintain its pier structure that serves as a platform for its tent-enclosed bar.

At issue for Dering Harbor residents was loud music emanating from the site that residents said was ruining their enjoyment of their weekend respite on Shelter Island. Claudio’s supporters argued that steps had been taken to quell the noise and that the decibel level was hardly high enough to disturb residents across the water in Dering Harbor.

POSTSCRIPT: Claudio’s continues to have live bands on summer weekends and complaints about the way music carries both to Shelter Island and parts of Greenport continue to be voiced to this day.

10 YEARS AGO
Anti-tick deer feeders in use on Vineyard

The town was beginning to focus on the growing issue of tick-borne diseases in the fall of 2004 and exploring what other municipalities were doing to fight the infestation that was causing so many to become ill. It would be four more years before Shelter Island became a site for the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Cornell University study that would result in saturating the Island with 4-posters to determine their efficacy in tackling the problem.

POSTSCRIPT: The units are still being used on the Island in a three-pronged approach that includes use of 4-posters to coat deer necks with the tickicide permethrin as the animals feed; culling the deer herd on which the ticks feed; and educating the public. Today’s questions revolve mostly on how to spend limited money in the all-out attack on the problem.

j.lane@sireporter.com

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Reverend Stephen Fearing became Shelter Island’s newest firefighter Monday night.

Shelter Island Fire Commissioners took another step forward in their efforts to see a cell tower erected at the Manhanset Firehouse on Cobbetts Lane.

They have signed a letter of intent with Elite Towers of Deer Park, starting a 180-day clock running that would allow the district to back out during that time for any reason.

At the same time, they disclosed that in response to a second cell tower company seeking the project, Elite had agreed to raise its initial payment to the fire district to $150,000 from $100,000. Both Elite and the second company, Diamond Communications, based in New Jersey, offered to split annual profits from companies putting antennae on the tower on a 50-50 basis with the fire district.

That’s something Highlander, the initial company seeking the job had turned down, maintaining that the split would be 40-60 with the town getting only 40 percent.

The choice of Elite over Diamond is because that company sent a representative to an open meeting to discuss its plan, while Diamond only had telephone conversations with Commission Chairman Keith Clark.

Also, Elite is based on Long Island, while Diamond’s nearest base is in New Jersey.

During the 180-day period, Elite will be conducting tests to determine what height it would recommend for the tower and moving forward with the process to obtain a special construction permit from the Town Board.

Once an application from Elite Towers is before the board, it will schedule a public hearing on the matter.

In July, Cobbetts Lane resident David Harms asked the board to hire an independent engineer to evaluate the proposal to determine whether it’s necessary for emergency communications or an alternative solution might suffice. He also wants the engineer to advise about what height would be needed if a tower is critical.

It was subsequently learned that the town had already taken a step to identify an engineer to assess the proposal.

Mr. Lechmanski pointed out that during what turned out to be a bogus call about a boat sinking off Dering Harbor last month, communications for those in the fire boat were reduced to using cellphones.

Had the boat been forced to go just a bit further from the area it was searching, the cellphone communication would have been dead as well.

BUDGET
Taxpayers will see a decrease in their taxes to support the Shelter Island Fire District in 2015 despite a proposed 2.93 percent increase in spending. The increase doesn’t pierce the state-imposed 2 percent tax cap because the district spending for the current year was less than 2 percent, Treasurer Amber Williams said.

The amount to be raised from taxes would be $818,804, as compared with $795,492 raised to support the 2014 budget.

An owner of property valued at $640,000 would pay $174.49 in 2015 as compared with $175.36 paid to support the 2014 budget. An owner of property valued at $1 million would pay $272.64 in 2015 as compared with the current $274 bill.

Small increases in spending are in the areas of equipment, insurance, repairs and maintenance and fuel oil. Some of the increases are offset by decreased spending, including a small savings in wages resulting from combining the treasurer’s and secretary’s jobs into a single job held by Ms. Williams. She has long been the district’s treasurer, but took over the secretary’s responsibilities last year upon the retirement of former secretary Jackie Tuttle.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, and likely vote to formally adopt the budget at their October 27 monthly meeting.

NEWEST FIREFIGHTER
Reverend Stephen Fearing became a Shelter Island Firefighter Monday night. He’s the new minister at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church who was ordained in July. In taking the oath to uphold the policies of the district, he told the commissioners, “With God’s help, I will.”

REPORTER FILE PHOTO | Supervisor Jim Dougherty suggested Tuesday that legislation might be needed to curb the number of large parties at individual residences.

At Tuesday’s Town Board work session, Supervisor Jim Dougherty suggested a new law be put on the books requiring homeowners to come before the board for a permit if they have more than one large event a year, such as a wedding.

The size of the event could be decided by factors such as tents, portable toilets, amplified music and numbers of people attending. In addition, the permit would be applied for by the owner of the property, and not the tenant.

The idea was sparked by a reception earlier this month at 89 Ram Island Drive, owned by Trip McCrossin, and rented to tenants who threw a wedding party. By all accounts there were several large tents and up to 300 people. It had “all the energy of a rock concert,” Marc Wein, president of the Ram Island Association, told the board Tuesday.

Mr. Wein asked the board to consider legislation that other towns had on the books limiting parties that put huge burdens on neighborhoods with noise, traffic and general disruptions.

Building Inspector William Banks told the board that cars were parked at the Menantic firehouse on Cobbett’s Lane for the reception and buses took the guests on to the reception. Mr. Wein said there was a Hampton Jitney coach, three school buses and two minivans to take people back and forth.

No complaints were made, said Police Chief Jim Read.

The board and neighbors of Mr. McCrossin have been in this territory before. Mr. Banks and Building Permit Coordinator Mary Wilson have both said there is no doubt the McCrossin residence has been advertised and used as a commercial venture as a short lease wedding house for years.

Zoned residential, it is illegal to have a commercial use for the house.

Mr. McCrossin has said recently, and on several occasions in the past, that his motivation to rent out his house is “he loves weddings.” In an email to Supervisor Jim Dougherty Tuesday, Mr. McCrossin wrote: “I continue to be true to what I’ve committed to, which is to have the occasional use of my property for weddings … [not accepting] remuneration of any sort.”

Town Attorney Laury Dowd said that sounded “like he intends to continue, though he will not take money for it.”

Proving that Mr. McCrossin is making money by giving short leases — some as short as a week — for wedding receptions is extremely hard to prove, Mr. Banks mentioned, where profits could be hidden in any number of ways.

One resident suggested looking at Mr. McCrossin’s tax records.

“Would you want us to look into your tax records?” Ms. Dowd countered.

On top of the problems of neighbors bearing large blowout parties several times a summer, there is also a public safety factor, said resident Larry Winston, with the possibility of fire and road accidents. “The town should take a role in limiting the size of gatherings,” Mr. Winston said.

In other business: The board continued to review draft legislation for a new irrigation law. There will be a public hearing on the matter October 3 at Town Hall. The draft legislation, plus a map and a flow chart are posted on the town’s website.

Dering Harbor Mayor Tim Hogue said that historically villagers’ dock applications have gone through the town, but now the village would like to handle the process itself. This would make it more efficient and quicker when dealing with the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Mr. Hogue said. There was no opposition from board members.

The Chequit asked the board to waive a waiting period required by the state liquor authority for a renewal of its liquor license This has been done by other establishments in the past, said Supervisor Jim

Dougherty, and there was no issue preventing the board agreeing to the waiver.

DONA BERGIN PHOTO

Dona Bergin took the photo above at about 5:30 p.m. on the evening before Halloween in Dering Harbor.

It’s her boat, a Herreshoff 12.5. “I had been aboard with two of my sailing students, Connie Fischer and Danielle Hamilton,” Ms Bergin worte to us, “when I surprised them by getting off the boat and letting them sail it without me. A momentous occasion for them, so I used my dinghy to document it and give occasional moral support.’

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Planning Board member Emory Breiner told the Town Board Tuesday he’s not sure it understands that Shelter Island is a resort community.

How big is too big for development on a residential property? Should the Planning Board’s role be expanded?

Those were issues the Town Board faced at Tuesday’s work session. The discussion also turned to questioning if Shelter Island is a resort community.

Councilman Peter Reich came armed with figures. There are 2,382 residential lots on the Island, with 589 waterfront properties. When you subtract properties in Dering Harbor and the Heights, the number drops to 2,210, with 205 of those with more than 10 percent lot coverage.

Planning Board member Emory Breiner wanted to know what problem the board was trying to solve.

“There’s no pressing problem,” Councilman Paul Shepherd responded.

But Ken Pysher, who serves on the Water Advisory Committee, expressed concerns about large houses affecting placement of wells and septic systems that lead to overloading water resources and potential chlorination of well water.

“I don’t think it’s a hardship to ask people to live in a smaller house,” Councilwoman Chris Lewis said.

Mr. Pysher agreed, noting that it’s up to the Town Board to set a course for the future to protect water.

But Mr. Breiner noted that a big house could be more environmentally sound than a smaller one. He pointed to the recent approval of a spacious house on Charlie’s Lane that recently won approval because of a number of mitigating factors designed to protect water resources.

The bulk of the problem resides in sensitive areas such as “the Near Shore,” Councilman Ed Brown said.

There are likely to be more visitors who take more and longer showers and demonstrate no concern for water resources in larger houses, he said.

That raised the issue of the nature of the Island.

“You’re a resort community,” Mr. Breiner said. “Sometimes I don’t think you realize what the Island is.”

“Do we want to turn it into a resort?” Mr. Pysher countered, arguing it’s not like the Jersey Shore. “This is an urban semi-retirement community.”

Councilman Reich suggested one way of controlling inappropriate development might be to follow the lead of other communities where Planning Boards function to review site plans. On Shelter Island, the Planning Board deals with subdivisions and lot line changes, but usually doesn’t get involved in individual site plan approvals.

The Board was in general agreement to talk with both the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board members to get input. But Mr. Dougherty cautioned that the issues should be addressed by the Town Board.

“We have an obligation to get out in front of this” and not pass the buck to the other boards, Mr. Dougherty said.

RICHARD DENNING

With due credit to Cliff Clark, our 10K/5K course is spectacular.

As a walker, runner or biker, you should always make sure to enjoy scenic beauty and a variety of terrains. From the view of Tut’s Hill to the shoreline of Dering Harbor, you will not be bored. This week’s article offers you an appetizer of the race for both our 5K and 10K audiences. We are about six weeks out from Race Day. Yes, you can still be there with some effort.

Did I say, variety of terrain? I meant hills. Despite repeated requests, Commissioner of Pubic Works Jay Card Jr. does not have the budget to flatten the course. So running or walking hills is an important success factor for your June 20 run/walk.

Your body, as opposed to your mind, approaches hills from the viewpoint of least effort. That means, positioned 90 degrees over the surface. On flats we are straight up, on down-hills we should lean down the hill — the steeper the hill the more the lean. For those nasty Cobbetts Lane hills, leaning back will reduce the effort.

That said, up-hills are never easy. Practice is the only real answer. But this tip gives you the insight to resist doing the exact opposite position.

Tip of the week: For 5K participants, when you train, run the first mile from the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church to Johnston Road (see the detailed race course map at ShelterIslandRun.com). Rest and then run back to the start. For 10K runners, start at the second mile point, the Cobbetts Lane firehouse, run to mile four, where Winthrop Road and Cobbetts Lane connect and return.

See you June 20.

Richard Denning is a member of the Shelter Island Run Board.

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Dering Harbor Village elections once again is attracting controversy.

There will be an election on June 16 featuring four candidates seeking two seats on the Dering Harbor Village Board.

Non-incumbent candidate Robert Ferris complained that his neighbor, John Colby Jr., tried to knock him off the ballot and that there were questions about whether the other non-incumbent candidate, his running mate Alfredo Paredes, and Mr. Ferris’ wife, Karen Kelsey, were registered to vote in Dering Harbor.

It was determined that both Mr. Paredes and Ms. Kelsey were registered to vote after Village Clerk Laura Hildreth inquired about several names on nominating petitions to establish that they were registered to vote. She needed to act to ensure that those who might request absentee ballots were eligible to receive them.

A list of specific reasons for Mr. Colby’s challenge to Mr. Ferris’ residency was sent to the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Commissioner Nicholas LaLota said Monday he and Commissioner Anita Katz had signed a statement on May 22 indicating that a petition from the Shore Party listing Mr. Ferris as its candidate, would be “valid” as long as Mr. Ferris was registered in Dering Harbor on election day.

The Board of Elections records show that Mr. Ferris has changed his registration between Massachusetts and New York State seven times between 2007 and the present.

But the practice of moving registrations back and forth is both legal and engaged in by many residents of New York villages. It’s a way of voting by residents who own property and pay taxes in more than one place. Village elections typically occur in the spring, not during November when state and national elections traditionally occur.

But Mr. Ferris denies he’s been registered in Massachusetts for at least five years, while acknowledging he has “unregistered” after elections in Dering Harbor without declaring an alternative place to vote “as a matter of convenience.”

“Any ruling on the specifications of objections is not within the authority of the board,” the resolution issued by the Board of Elections stated.

Ms. Hildreth, who works at Village Hall only on Thursdays, couldn’t be reached for comment. But her role in submitting the challenge and the questions about voter registrations to the Board of Elections is in line with her job.

As for the man who challenged the candidate, Mr. Colby said, “I’m not the nominating police.” But what had bothered him was that while Mr. Ferris was passing his petition around for signatures to get on the ballot, and on the day he submitted that petition to Village Hall, he was still not registered as a Dering Harbor voter.

This year, Mr. Ferris and Mr. Paredes are to face off on June 16 against incumbents Heather Brownlie and Richard Smith. The winners will serve two-year terms.

In last year’s hotly contested Village Board election, Mr. Ferris sought a trustee seat, while resident Patrick Parcells tried to unseat long-time Mayor Tim Hogue.

The two men tied the mayor and incumbent Mary Walker in the June election, with 25 votes for each of the four and in a special election, Mr. Hogue and Ms. Walker prevailed handily.

At the same time, there were unsubstantiated charges from the pair who lost the special election that the voter rolls had been packed with new registrants who had no legitimate ties to Dering Harbor.

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Dering Harbor Village elections once again is attracting controversy.

Incumbents Heather Brownllie and Richard Smith will retain their seats on the Dering Harbor Village Board of

Trustees with 38 and 40 votes respectively in the Tuesday, June 16 election.

Challengers Alfredo Paredes polled 27 votes and Rob Ferris, 25.

A total of 66 ballots were cast, 21 on site at Village Hall and 45 by absentee ballot. One absentee ballot was disqualified.

Two challenges were made by resident Patrick Parcells, compared to 11 in the village’s run-off election last year for the position of mayor and one trustee seat. In the 2014 election, there were 50 ballots cast, resulting in the tie vote; 72 ballots were counted in the special run-off election.

The two-year terms for the re-elected trustees begin at the village’s reorganization meeting in July.

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO
Dad John Quinn with his daughter — and our Reporter Halsey — at the finish line of  Saturday’s 10K.

The 3-mile marker of the 36th annual Shelter Island 10K Run Saturday was a lot more than just a milestone, much more than a sigh of relief as I approached the halfway mark.

The white picket fence and green grass of the golf course, the rush of the race and the thud of sneakers on concrete were all familiar. For years I stood by that fence, handing out high-fives and words of encouragement to the racers, but I was always waiting for one person — my dad, John Quinn. Sign held high above my head, brimming with pride and excitement as he emerged from the woodsy road, that was all I ever knew of the 10K.

Until Last Saturday, when I ran by that fence cheering him on as he ran next to me on the day before Father’s Day, rather than cheering from the sidelines. As we passed, the memories became just a flashback, reduced to a second, a moment in time of something that now felt much bigger.

I have never been much of a runner, that’s always been my dad’s thing. He’s finished marathons, countless triathlons, including  a half Ironman. He wakes up every day to the silent darkness of the early morning (shortly after I’ve gone to sleep) to spend hours in the gym before work.

When I was about 10, I stepped up to the starting line of a local 5K, confident that I could keep up with the stride of my 6-foot 2-inch partner. I spent the second half of the race with an angry grimace, walking my way to the finish line, a few fingers pressed firmly into the stitch below my ribcage. Despite my cranky complaining and stubbornly slow pace, my dad walked with me the entire time, crossing the finish line with me well past our goal of 30 minutes.

Standing beside him in the rain at the starting line of the 10K Saturday, I bounced from foot to foot. Adrenaline had kicked in like a shot of espresso. I looked at him as he calmly waited for the gun. He’s done this more times than I’ve laced up my sneakers for a run. For a brief moment, I feared a repeat of the last time we lined up to race together, so many years ago.

But this time was different.

I had trained, starting with short, daily treadmill runs up to longer outdoor runs the month before the race. And even with a constant rain, it happened to be one of those days that you feel like you can run forever. Maybe the feeling came because it was my father at my side, or the excitement of the race, or the cheers of spectators who sacrificed the dry comfort of the indoors to root for friends, family and countless strangers. Or maybe it was just luck.

Along the way I waved to the people I knew on the sidelines. Each time it gave me an unexpected burst of energy and confidence,  even when those crowded along the edge of the road clapping and shouting were complete strangers.

My dad, seasoned runner, racer and triathlete, matched my pace for the first 3 miles. After we passed the halfway timer, he began to slow down. I wanted to run with him and cross the finish line together for the first time the day before Father’s Day. But he refused to let me slacken my pace.

“Just like everything in life,” he said through heavy breaths, “there comes a time where I have to give you a push and say, ‘Go for it.’”

For the next two miles I retreated into my thoughts and let my body take over. I climbed up the small but cruel hill before Second Bridge. “Where you start to ask yourself why you signed up for this,” my dad had told me the night before when he took me on a drive through the course.

It took only one look at the view of Dering Harbor — masts of sailboats dark against the horizon, the chop of the water like the texture of a painting — for me to forget about my burning leg muscles.

As soon as I saw the flags that signaled the start of “Joey’s Mile,” with each flag representing a fallen soldier or Marine, my stride turned into a bounding pace. Training for and running a 10K isn’t easy for most and at the 5th mile we were sweating and huffing and hurting. But the flags that line the edges of Joey’s Mile — too many of them – put things in perspective during that final stretch.

We finally answered the question we’ve asked ourselves since the 3rd mile: Why did we sign up for this? Why do we run? Answers: For fun, to relax, to spend time with people or maybe to be alone, for the challenge, to see the beautiful Island, to test our limits and to build strength.

We also run because we want to, and because we can. And, for that, we are so lucky.

I passed the finish line alone, making a time faster than I’ve ever finished. I walked back to the fence where I waited for my dad to run in just a few minutes later, cheering him on, just like I used to.

It took nearly 19 years for me to finally follow in his footsteps. Or, rather, for him to follow in mine.

JULIE LANE PHOTO
Water Advisory Committee member Ken Pysher announces the Dering Harbor well water quantity level is the lowest on record for the month of August.

During a summer when warnings have abounded about drought conditions and forest fire dangers, it comes as no surprise that all Shelter Island test wells, where measurements of water quantity are taken monthly, show decreases for August.

The Dering Harbor test well hit a new August low, nearly 12 inches below its August average.The information was released by Water Advisory Committee member Ken Pysher who receives figures given by the United States Geological Survey.

On the good news side, Mr. Pysher reported that despite the lower August readings, all wells except for Dering Harbor, were above their lowest August levels.

The range of loss is from 1.27 percent recorded at the Brander/Lilliput Lane well to 14.83 percent recorded at the Manhansett well, north of Cobbetts Lane.

He noted that while many of the test wells have been measured since 1974, the Dering Harbor test well has only five years of recorded data.

Conclusion? “We need some rain,” Mr. Pysher said.

The forecast for a strong El Nino effect could be positive for the drought-like conditions, Councilman Paul Shepherd said. But he noted that while there is a correlation between that occurrence and wet weather, it’s not necessarily “direct or proportional.”

El Nino conditions generally shorten the hurricane season, but that’s not always the case, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

Some years, El Nino conditions bring the Atlantic hurricane season to a sharp halt by late September, but others persist through October.

El Nino conditions generally bring more mild winters to much of the country, according to Weather Network meteorologist Dr. Doug Gillham.

But while December and January predictions are for a calmer winter, that doesn’t necessarily carry forward to February, he said.

All of this amounts to “stay tuned” from the forecasters.

Whether El Nino or any other weather force intrudes, Islanders annually see a drop in water usage after Labor Day, when  summer residents and visitors depart, and the population drops from a high of between 15,000 to 20,000 people to about 2,000.

j.lane@sireporter.com

CHARITY ROBEY PHOTO
Jonathan Russo at ‘Sleeping Foxes,’ the name of his and his wife Deborah Grayson’s home in the Heights.

In Genesis when new things were created, they got named. Jonathan Russo, advertising executive, talent developer, entrepreneur, sailor and long-time Shelter Island resident is really good at naming things.

For example, at the Shingle-style home in Shelter Island Heights he shares with his wife Deborah Grayson, Jonathan recounted, “I woke up one morning in January, and saw two sleeping foxes in the snow, spooning together. After that we named the house “Sleeping Foxes.”

Born in Brooklyn to Jack and Miriam Russo, Jonathan grew up in Roslyn with his brother, Seth, and sister, Emily. In 1957, his father brought five-year-old Jonathan to Shelter Island for a boys’ weekend at the Chequit that included a motorboat outing in Dering Harbor. It would take Jonathan a couple of decades to return, but when he did, it was boating that lured him.

In his 30s, with little sailing experience, Jonathan decided, “sailing would be my passion in life.” He bought a boat and christened it Wu wei for the Taoist principle that translates, “Go with the wind and go with the flow.” He is now on his fourth boat, Sachem.

Jonathan graduated from Roslyn High School, but just barely. From the age of six, he was plagued with what he termed “fairly severe learning disabilities,” including attention deficit disorder, for which he took medication. Numbers were not his forte, but words and reading books were his retreat.

While many of his high school friends went off to Ivy League schools, Jonathan enrolled at Suffolk University in Boston, driving a cab at night to help support himself. He also learned out of necessity to cook and feed himself, since his college had no dorms or dining hall, and credits this experience with initiating what would be a life-long fascination with meal preparation, wine and farmers markets.

“In 1969, the markets in Boston were frequented by Portuguese and Italian people, “who would not eat crappy processed food,” Jonathan said. “It was for immigrants, but I was down there every week buying food for me and my friends.”

After graduating in 1972, Jonathan came back to New York. “The call of business was very powerful,” he said. “My father was a businessman.”

From 1973 to 1978 Jonathan was in the thick of the New York advertising world just past the height of its power and licentiousness, but close enough for the 23-year-old to experience the three-martini lunch more than once. An account executive at Foote Cone and Belding, he moved to legendary BBDO and finally to the giant InterPublic firm. “I recognize Mad Men very closely,” he said.

Itching to get away from working conditions he saw as too corporate, Jonathan left advertising in 1978 to represent the brothers Albert and David Maysles, documentary filmmakers whose films, “Grey Gardens” and “Gimme Shelter” had brought them acclaim. Six months later, the business relationship ended in total failure.

“I had no prospects. I was backed into a corner,” he said. “I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me, but it was happening.”

Jonathan said the experience changed his approach to work and life. “I never assume I can’t have a setback,” he said. “I was taught the bitter lesson that sometimes things just don’t work out and you can be punished for that, and I was.”

He landed at William Morris, an agency he called, “the heartbeat of show business,” and where he worked until 1983, leaving to start Artists Agency, Inc. with a partner.

At Artists Agency, Jonathan said, they purposefully concentrated on soap operas and reality TV shows such as “Inside Edition,” “Current Affair,” “Hard Copy” and “Judge Judy” rather than scripted television, which was mainly produced in Los Angeles as a strategy for keeping the business in New York. As soap operas faded from television, the agency shifted to developing programming for the Food Network including Sandra Lee, Paula Dean and “The Chew” with Mario Batali.

“We are still at it,” Jonathan said, although “it’s not appropriate for me to sell television shows anymore because everybody buying them is 28. They say, ‘Grandpa is here to sell something?’”

Jonathan’s learning disabilities affected him in an obvious way when he was a kid in school. More subtle was the effect on the kind of work he chose to do as an adult. “I’m not in a fact-based industry,” he said. “I was able to use my intelligence and gift of people skills, insight into human nature and business acumen in a way that is entrepreneurial rather than structured because I couldn’t compete with people with real defined skill sets. I left the factual, brilliant part of the world to my wife.”

Deborah Grayson and Jonathan met in the early 1980s when Deborah was between jobs, working at a company Jonathan was doing business with.

“I couldn’t believe she was the new receptionist, she was only there for a week. We fell in lust,” he said. “Later it turned to love.” They have been married for 26 years.

Deborah is a hospice nutritionist for Visiting Nurse Service in New York and is an active supporter of East End Hospice through fundraising and writing about EEH services to raise awareness of the good work it does.

Jonathan and Deborah started to come to Shelter Island regularly around the time he was starting his business. “We were so poor, I had to drive to my parents’ house to sleep at night in Roslyn,” he remembered. “The next year I did a little better and we could afford to stay in Greenport for $29 a night at the Greenporter, and the next year we did a little better and stayed at the Ram’s Head.”

Next, they upgraded to a one-bedroom cottage on Fresh Pond, where they stayed five months of the year for 14 years, until they built the house in the Heights in 2000.

“I came here to go sailing, and I’m on the water every single minute that I can,” he said.

At Coecles Harbor for almost 20 years and the Shelter Island Yacht Club for the past 16, he credits Coecles Harbor and Steve Corkery with turning him into a sailor. “They taught me everything I know,” he said.
Jonathan calls Coecles Harbor “a fair trade marina.”

To him, that means fair pay for the skilled workers and craftsmen that build, repair and preserve the boats. He points out that the mechanics, carpenters and electricians all have pensions and healthcare.

We’ve all heard of community involvement, also known as giving back. The ad man in Jonathan shows itself when he labeled the give-and-take between him and Shelter Island, “The immediacy of the community.”

For example, Jonathan wrote a boating column called “The Float” for the Reporter for many years. When Amanda Clark became an Olympic champion, he asked to interview her and “the next thing I knew, I was interviewing her and working on her fundraiser.”

Immediacy of the community is also when, in the days before 1991’s Hurricane Bob, Jonathan and Deborah worked to protect their boat, as well as the boats of others, at the Coecles Harbor Marina, volunteering to help in any way they could. It was all hands on deck as the marina prepared for the storm and Deborah and Jonathan were with them, tying lines and getting supplies.

Jonathan described how he and Deborah, with four other families in 2002, helped to preserve Hampshire Farms as a rural horse farm by purchasing the property in a deal that was part of the Open Space initiative with Peconic Land Trust.

In March, Jonathan funded a new benefit called “Honoring the Hands” for Hudson River Healthcare, a network of healthcare service providers that works with the poor and uninsured — people who in Suffolk County are very likely to be farm workers, maids and child care workers. The very first event raised about $70,000 to support the health of these workers.

“I wasn’t particularly religious when I came here, but I am religious now. I’ve become an animist,” he said, referring to the belief that was characteristic of many Native American cultures, believing there are spirits in nature. “In October I watch the sunset while I’m swimming, or I sail around the Island and I feel like I’ve had an epiphany,” he said.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am that in my early 60s , I have a dozen friends I’ve made since I’ve lived here, adult friendships,” he said. “There are so many people here who are interesting and talented. I am so blessed.”

JO ANN KIRKLAND PHOTO | Dering Harbor Village Hall.

It took over two hours of discussion on Saturday, October 17 for members of the Dering Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals to come to an agreement on Susannah and Brandon Rose’s application for exemptions to the zoning code.

The couple is looking to enlarge their home by enclosing their porch, which will extend the structure and require a variance for rear- and side-yard setbacks.

There were only two questions from the audience of five in the public hearing portion of the ZBA’s meeting: What factors were cited by the applicants for the exemptions and what were the neighbors’ responses.

Chair John Colby referred to five provisions of the zoning code that the applicants would need to meet  in their application; with regard to the latter question, he replied that two neighbors were in favor of the plans, one was in favor but with provisions and two had not responded.

Mr. Colby and ZBA members (Kirk Ressler, Marian Brownlie and Bridg Hunt) discussed at length the impact of relocating the French doors of the enclosed porch, the addition of a pergola, and whether the steps, not shown in the construction drawings but part of the landscape design, were defined as a “structure” and therefore were part of the ZBA’s mandate.

In conclusion, the ZBA agreed to grant a rear-yard setback but denied the side-year setback application, which included the pergola and doors. The board recommended that the couple submit a revised set of construction plans to the building inspector for doors within the footprint of the existing structure.

As a technicality and matter of procedure, the ZBA will act on two other provisions of the zoning code as they relate to altering the structure at a meeting on Saturday, October 31 at 10 a.m.

In one more item of business, the ZBA unanimously approved a resolution of Kirk Ressler’s 2002 petition regarding the use of a pre-existing, non-conforming structure. The long-standing problem was resolved between Mr. Colby and Mr. Ressler and vetted by attorneys for Mr. Ressler and the village.

COURTESY PHOTO
Freedom of the press? A rare event in Pyongyang, North Korea, where Kenneth Walker, holding a copy of the Reporter, visited last month.

Kenneth Walker has been to the ends of the earth in his travels.

The Dering Harbor resident, an architectural historian, has spent time in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, two of the most out-of-the-way and exotic places in the world. But nothing was remotely like the week of “total immersion” Mr. Walker said he spent last month in North Korea, or, to give the country its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). 

When asked for his immediate impressions of the country when he stopped by the Reporter’s office recently, Mr. Walker said, “No one can really explain North Korea.”

But he tried, noting that the ancient description of Korea as “the hermit kingdom” describes perfectly the northern part of the Korean peninsula.

The DPRK has been partioned from the West-leaning South Korea since 1953 in a deal cut to suspend hostilities in the Korean War. (It’s interesting to note, Mr. Walker said, that a treaty between the two countries was never signed, only an armistice, so both counties are technically still at war.)

Mr. Walker found multiple examples of an authoritarian regime dedicated to controlling every aspect of its citizens’ lives, a country where not only is Big Brother watching, but everyone else has an eye on you.

He also re-discovered a universal truth: People, no matter their nationality, are not so different from each other. “Like everywhere,” he said, “the people are better than their governments.”

Getting there took some doing. A member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) — an international business group that sponsors travel for educational and networking opportunities — Mr. Walker signed on to the group’s tour in mid-October.

After a 15-hour flight from JFK to Beijing, Mr. Walker met his fellow YPO travellers for another flight into Pyongyang, the capital. First impression? “A normal, up-to-date airport,” Mr. Walker said, but soon he entered into a capital city of three million people that was far from up-to-date and the direct opposite of “normal.”

He described a city where it was almost impossible to find a supermarket, but each apartment house had a market on the first floor where the food, although rationed, was free. How was the food? “Basic road kill,” Mr. Walker said. “Something called ‘beef’ that I didn’t recognize. Everything is loaded with kimchi [fermented Korean vegetables]. It’s like eating disinfectant.”

But, surprisingly, or maybe not, Mr. Walker added that no one on the tour got sick.

Not everyone is allowed to live in the capital. “The people in Pyongyang are the elite, or our middle-class version of elite,” Mr. Walker said. “You need a certain status to live there, like being in the military or some kind of manufacturing.”

His group was assigned “minders” who were with them constantly. The minders, he noted also had minders to watch them. No laptops were allowed and cellphones could only be used as cameras.

“There were lots of rules about cameras,” Mr. Walker said “For example, no pictures were allowed of anyone in uniform.”

That restricted a lot of photo ops, since the capital was swarming with uniformed people. The DPRK boasts the fourth largest land army in the world, with about 9.5 million people under arms, or close to 40 percent of the population.

There was not a single trace of advertising in the city, but billboards everywhere with faces from the Kim dynasty; grandfather, father and now son, which have ruled the DPRK for nearly seven decades.

The totalitarian regime has held power through a kind of civic religion called juche, Mr. Walker explained. It’s an ideology that puts a distinctly Korean spin on Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist belief and a cult of personality associated with the Kim family.

The YPO’s excursions included trips to the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas and some rides on Pyongyang’s subway. Here Mr. Walker was able to experience Koreans as simply people and not automatons. He recalled standing in the subway next to a woman holding an infant. When he patted the baby’s head, the mother gave him a brilliant smile.

On bus trips the group was minded by an attractive young woman who spoke English (she had a man who minded her and travelled with them). At one point she sang a Korean folk song in a beautiful voice. The foreign tourists all learned the song and surprised her by singing it to her near the end of the trip.

“She broke down and cried,” Mr. Walker said.

A visit to a high school was strictly choreographed down to responses to the tourists’ questions. “We asked them what their ambitions were and they said, “’To grow up to make weapons for world peace,’” Mr. Walker said.

But it turned fun, he added, when protocol was broken and they asked questions about dating.

After taking in an exhibition of taekwondo — “the athletes were the friendliest Koreans we met” — the group had an awesome, in the old fashioned sense of the word,
experience.

With only a few minutes notice they were taken to an enormous stadium packed for a rally celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state. The YPO group members were the only foreign tourists. The event was three years in the planning and “there were 600,000 people there,” Mr. Walker said.

It took three-and-a-half hours, dominated by tens of thousands of uniformed men and women goose-stepping past a podium where DPRK and foreign officials watched.

But it was the memories of a subway encounter with a mother and child, spending time with some students, and a guide’s tearful emotions that have stayed with him of his journey to the hermit kingdom.

AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO

If you know, let us know. Send your responses to a.clancy@sireporter.com or phone 749-1000, extension 18.

The gleaming, beautiful, antique-style lampost (see below) was identified correctly by Richard Loper as living in Dering Harbor. Others can also be seen shining along the median of Route 114 in the Center.

AMBROSE CLANCY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO  |  Mayor Timothy Hogue (left) with Dering Harbor Village Clerk Laura Hildreth (center) and John Colby (right), a member of Dering Harbor’s Village Board and Architectural Review Board.

Timothy M. Hogue, Mayor of the Village of Dering Harbor, received a Distinguished Service Award on April 13 from the Suffolk County Village Officials Association. Mr. Hogue received the award during a dinner event at the Hotel Indigo in Riverhead. He is pictured above with Dering Harbor’s Village Clerk Laura Hildreth, and John Colby, a member of Dering Harbor’s Village Board and an Architectural Review Board member. Also honored at the event were Suffolk County Legislator Kevin J. McCaffrey who received an Outstanding Leadership Award, and Kevin. P. Walsh, Managing Director of Long Island Operations at VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, who received a Partnership Award.

REPORTER FILE PHOTO

Savings in employee benefits and rising property values combined for a reduction in next year’s tax rate, Mayor Tim Hogue told those attending the April 16 Dering Harbor Village Board meeting, adding that he anticipates the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by three residents.

The village has three part-time employees, all receiving health care benefits, including one who has become eligible for Medicare, a change that lets the village provide secondary rather than primary coverage starting July 1, Mr. Hogue said.

The savings is offset by legal fees from the lawsuit and extra costs for review of proposed construction, Mr. Hogue said in outlining a $316,372 budget, down 2.95 percent from $324,800 last year.

The average assessed value of Island homes, including Dering Harbor, rose about 3.3 percent from 2014 to 2015, assessment records show. In addition to county and town taxes, village homeowners paid $2,643.53 per million of assessed value in village taxes this year; they will be billed $2,491.73 per million next year.

The judge in the lawsuit filed by Brad Golfarb, Alfredo Paredes and Martha Baker, who sued over ownership of narrow strips of land abutting their lots, was asked to dimiss the case, Village Attorney Joe Prokop reported.

A title expert has found records proving the properties belong to the village, Mr. Prokop said, adding, “It is unfortunate that the board had to go through a process that was very accusatory and for the most part lacked accuracy.”

On Monday, Village Building Inspector Al Daniels issued a stop-work order for alterations being made to the Goldfarb/Paredes parcel.

Resident James Goldman spoke at Saturday’s meeting against a proposal to charge those applying for building permits for expenses such as stenography service at Architectural Review Board meetings saying the law would diminish home values. He called property in Dering Harbor “the worst investment on Shelter Island. The reason is the ARB and the costs and obligations we put on people.”

The board unanimously adopted the new law and:

Increased to $600,000 from $500,000 the maximum it will seek in a state grant for the purchase of a generator and the replacement of its aging water tank.

Set village elections for June 21 from 12 noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall; the mayor and trustees Brandon Rose and John Colby are running to keep their seats for another two years.

The ARB, meeting after the Village Board, continued its review of plans by an up-island company to build a spec house. Owners of 1 Dering Woods Lane LLC made their sixth appearance before the board since they first proposed a house on their 3.3 acre lot over a year ago.

They revisited details for their latest plan, a 5,400-square-foot house with an estimated cost to build of $1.7 million. The ARB rejected earlier plans after months of meetings last year. The new plan was approved by the building inspector; the ARB has until May 9 to rule on the plan.

Owners Joel Sunshine and Brian Feinstein and their architects displayed samples of the stone, brick, decking, siding, trim, windows, shutters, gutters and leaders to be used in construction, and two artists renderings of the proposed house, which is based on a mansion that stood in the village for decades before being demolished in the 1960s.

While some questioned minute details of the plan and others the financial capacity of the company to complete the project, including ARB member Rob Ferris, others expressed positive views.

“I think it quite a handsome house,” resident Esther Hunt said.