Media, Westhampton Fight Power of Web

Westhampton Beach, as well as most of the media covering it, by ducking the threat of multi-millions in costs related to the proposed eruv Jewish religious boundary, are failing to acknowledge the power of the web.

They are like Major League Baseball, which resisted until last year the power of video replays to be the arbiter of baseball plays—taking decisions out of the hands of the one umpire on the spot. Below is the first sentence on such reviews in the rules of MLB.

"Video replay review in Major League Baseball (hereafter, "Replay Review") is designed to provide timely review of certain disputed calls in all Championship Season, All-Star and Post-Season games played in the 30 Major League ballparks (and, beginning in 2015, in any ballpark at which a Major League Championship Season game is played)."

The section on replay review is 8,343 words long. You can read it by clicking here.

The ability of web stories to link to complete documents upstages print media. Web stories also incorporate the action and sound of video.

While baseball has accepted technological umpiring for many plays, it resists it in one key area—balls and strikes. We still see many an aggrieved batter being called out on strikes when the pitch was a ball, as proven by replays. Arguing balls and strikes can get a player thrown out of the game.

Media Skip Eruv Topic at WHB Meeting

This reporter attended the organizational meeting of the WHB board July 6 and after listening to 37 procedural items such as "Authorize check signers," "Accept minutes of board of trustees meetings," and "Appoint marriage officer," was allowed to speak for ten minutes.

We applauded the board for ending medical/dental benefits for trustees, saving hundreds of thousands in future costs.

But we noted that WHB, Southampton and Quogue face millions in penalties, court costs and legal costs if they lose their battle against imposition of an eruv Jewish religious boundary in the three communities.

Westhampton Beach board left to right are Rob Rubio, Charles Palmer, Mayor Marie Moore, Ralph Urban, Brian Tymann and attorney Anthony Pasca

Leading the battle vs. the towns is Robert Sugarman of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a $1.3 billion law firm that extracted more than $300,000 from Tenafly, N.J., when it lost to the Tenafly Eruv Assn.

Legal Costs are Soaring

WHB has already paid $125,118 to its law firm on this while SH has paid $675,860 and Quogue, $103,859. Counting legal fees of Jewish People Opposed to the Eruv puts the total over $1 million. Years more of arguing are predicted in the 6,000-word conference conducted by Federal Judge Kathleen Tomlinson Feb. 24.

She exclaimed, "God help us all!" when informed the case is now in its fifth year with no end in sight. The Hampton Synagogue initially proposed an eruv in 2008 but withdrew it.

A lawsuit was launched in 2011 by the East End Eruv Assn.

The point we’re making is that a click of a mouse puts the 6,000 words on the screens of WHB residents. They should print out this document and study it because it shows all sides making their best arguments.

It’s indefensible that the document is not on the WHB website. Last entry under "Eruv Litigation" is dated Dec. 22, 2015. When will WHB officials let technology do its thing? Press avoidance, as noted by Lanham, Md. Counselor Pamela Vines, is a trend that has to be reversed.

We gave our speech Monday night to about 50 residents but the speech is a pale substitute for what can be accomplished in a web story.

NJ Federal Court Has Best Decision

The Federal Court for New Jersey, headed by Judge William Bassler, gave the most reasonable decision on this issue in 2001, saying that public property should not be permanently allocated to a religious purpose.

Readers can access the entire 23,424-word decision by clicking here.

A poorly reasoned 16,981-word decision by Appeals Judge Thomas Ambros over-ruling the Bassler decision is here.

Ambros compared eruv markers on utility poles with signs for lost pets, house number signs, orange ribbons put on by high school students, and seasonal decorations. The eruv markers are of an entirely different nature--permanent religious symbols that have profound meaning for believers.

We reached Judge Ambros by phone a few weeks ago and told him our opinion. We wanted to talk to him but he said he was busy and would call back. He never did. Reaching a sitting judge by phone is not an easy thing to do.

Media Falls Down on This Issue

Local media coverage of the Hamptons eruv battle has been spotty. Best job so far is by the Southampton Press/27east.com.

The New York Times has not touched the subject since Feb. 4, 2013.

Southampton Press/27east.com covered the July 6 organizational meeting but did not mention this reporter’s ten-minute presentation. Newsday covered the WHB election but not the organizational meeting.

Moore leaving meeting (photo by Debora Giammarco)

The progress4whb.com blog operated by lawyer Thomas Moore, husband of lawyer Mayor Maria Moore, covered the 40-minute meeting but made no mention of this reporter’s speech.

Moore’s website noted the swearing in of Rob Rubio and Brian Tymann, the elimination of health and dental benefits for trustees (excepting those who already have such benefits), and described the appointment of various committee members.

The final part of the report said: "After a brief public comment period the meeting was adjourned and many in attendance headed to the Great Lawn for the second Movie Night."

Moore left the room just as we got up to talk, according to O’Dwyer staffers in the room who captured his departure on film. The meeting was videotaped and is now on the WHB website. The link brings up meetings starting in January, 2015. Click six times on the arrow on the right side of the video to reach the July organizational meeting.

Moore is the clerk for Acting Suffolk Supreme Court Judge John N. Rouse, who was elected in 2012. Rouse was previously Brookhaven Superintendent of Highways. His election was noted by the May 25, 2012 website of Dean Speir.

A comment was sought from Moore on why our presentation was not allowed on his website. A message was left with his assistant, who declined to give his email. A posting of the question was made to a comment box on progress4whb.com but it never made it past "moderation."

Speir, in covering the July 6 meeting, said, "In the public portion of the meeting, part-time resident and full-time Eruvim-obsessive Jack O’Dwyer made a ten-minute discursive and marginally coherent pitch for residents’ unity in opposing the contentious symbolic religious boundary which may or may not be in place surrounding Westhampton Beach."

At least Speir recognized our presence at the meeting. Our presentation mentioned a half dozen links to legal texts and other coverage and is more effective as a web entry than something that is spoken.

Local website East End Beacon, operated by 2007 Columbia J School grad Beth Young, covered the June 19 "upset" victory of Rubio and Tymann in WHB but not the organizational meeting. We have sent it to her.

Also skipping the initial board meeting, although it linked to an O’Dwyer article on the day before the election, was the local patch.com website, which is part of a national network.

Dan’s Papers, the freebie with wide circulation throughout the Hamptons, did not cover the WHB election or the organizational meeting. A column in the paper Feb. 20 predicted a boom in WHB real estate prices if an eruv gets established.