To the average Southampton Town resident, trash is a topic given little thought. Many locals choose to bag their household waste and leave it on the corner of their properties for a private waste hauling company to pick up and cart away. Others participate in the town’s “green bag” system and bring their trash to one of the town’s four dumps, or waste stations. Once those trash bags travel down the chute or are thrown into the back of a truck, the Southampton Town resident’s role in disposing of their household waste is done.

For members of the town board, however, how best to manage the town’s waste is a subject of lively debate. Since last year, the board has explored the idea of privatizing waste management operations, or in other words hiring a private company to run the town’s trash disposal service. Privatization could be the key to lowering costs associated with the town program and ease its deficit. However, some members of the board are weary of the plan and believe privatization might fail to accomplish this goal.

In December of 2008, the town hired Cashin Associates, a business consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive study on current operations of the town’s waste management system and the viability of hiring a private company to take over the reigns of this town service.

“Historically, the town has run its [waste management] operations as a traditional governmental service rather than as a business that must balance its costs and revenues. This approach, in conjunction with providing a high level of service for a relatively limited number of users, has contributed to operational inefficiencies and a general imbalance of income and expenditures within the Department,” wrote the consulting firm in its opening comments. At a work session held Friday, July 10, members of the board estimated the department’s deficit at around $2.8 million, but comptroller Tamara Wright added that this figure was based on unaudited financials. Kabot added that the town is waiting for the year end 2008 numbers, but said “waste management is in deficit condition.”

Based on Cashin’s analysis, around 11 to 14 percent of the town population use the town’s waste stations, however, councilman Chris Nuzzi argued these figures were debatable. Although the number of participating locals may be small, the costs savings are substantial for residents who take advantage of the program. Cashin estimated the average household paid $215 annually for disposal of their household trash at the town waste site. The average annual price for a private trash hauling company was estimated at $521. However, larger families who live farther from waste stations see only 17 percent savings compared to private hauling services.

In recent years, the town has experienced success with its green bag and bulk waste program. Cashin estimated this leg of the waste management program garners an annual revenue of around $819,000, while the expenditure for the green bag and bulk waste service is approximately $790,000. In addition to positive revenues for these particular services, the waste management department has also worked to cut down on expenses. Closing the Westhampton and Sag Harbor stations one day per week has helped lessen costs.

However, Cashin claims the amount of waste disposed at a town facility steadily decreased from 2004 through 2008. They pointed out that the department has almost 25 employees and over the next eight years will need to pay around $4,000,000 for new equipment and vehicles.

Based on their findings, Cashin advised the town to issue request for proposals, or RFPs, “to gauge vendor interest in taking over transfer station operations, handling transport and disposal of most of its solid waste stream.”

Cashin theorized the town could potentially save money by leasing or selling their equipment. The report added that based on prevailing New York State wages, a private contractor could potentially pay around 10 percent less than the town for labor and staffing.

“In recent years, Southampton had experienced a marked improvement in its overall solid waste management operations, including and especially control of labor costs, better tracking of expenses and interdepartmental charges, and phased upgrades to the North Sea Transfer station …,” the report determined. “[T]his study found that the town-run transport and private disposal of green bag and bulk waste currently costs the town approximately $141 [per ton]. This number is substantially higher than what most other Long Island municipalities pay for similar service. Therefore the major recommendation of this Privatization Study is the town of Southampton issue a request for proposals RFP.”

Both Nuzzi and town councilwoman Anna Throne-Holst were reluctant to entertain bids from private companies before the town receives fully completed and solid figures on the waste management’s financial status.

“I still have a lot of analysis to do,” contended comptroller Wright.

Throne-Holst held firm on waiting for the financials before deciding to privatize the waste management program.

“We are having this discussion without the numbers,” argued Throne-Holst, and it appeared the board was at an impasse again on the viability of privatization.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The 15^th annual Oz Trophy race was hosted by Breakwater Yacht Club on July 8th. A critical eligibility requirement was that all yachts have a female helmsman from the warning gun to the finish line.

First place prizes went to Tiffany Skinner (Gossip) in Division 1, Sharon Horn (White Lightning) Division 2 and Andrea Bourel (Plurabelle) Division 3.

The 2009 race was sponsored by Dear Plum, a fashion company specializing in beach/boat bathing suit cover-ups. First place winners in each division received a gift from Dear Plum.

Sailing conditions changed dramatically during the course of the race. At the start, winds were out of the Northwest at 5 knots with an ebbing tide. By the finish, winds had increased to 30 knots out of the Northeast. The change in conditions was not without incident. The Race Committee’s boat, stationed at the finish line, began dragging its anchor as yachts were finishing. When their engine would not start they were rescued by the committee boat at the other end of the line and towed back for re-anchoring.

As with all sanctioned sailing races, a cardinal rule is that yachts must finish with as many crew members as they start with. Loki was forced back to pick up crew Madeleine Kiss after a gybe sent her into the water. Loki did a 720 degree penalty round to pick Madeleine up. 

Further confusion forced Purple Haze and Roxanne to withdraw after rounding one race marker to port rather than to starboard.

Summer Series Rescored

The first four races of Breakwater’s Summer Series were re-scored as one yacht changed Divisions and another’s rating was revised. In the June 3^rd race, Skoot took honors in Division 1, Wave Equation in Division 2 and Plurabelle in Division 3. In the June 10^th race, Gossip placed first in Division 1, White Lightning in Division 2 and Plurabelle in Division 3. On June 17^th, Skoot again finished first in Division 1; Osprey finished first in Division 2 and Plurabelle again took first in Division 3. The June 24^th race saw Ice-Nine in first place in Division 1, Osprey in Division 2 and Plurabelle in Division 3. The July 1^st race was won by Gossip, Division 1, Kingfisher, Division 2 and Loki, Division 3. The Summer Series continues July 15^th, 6 p.m. in Major’s Cove.

Popularity: 4% [?]

By Andrew Rudansky

The Sag Harbor School Board appears poised to let the public vote on a $6 million dollar plan that they say would solve many of the district’s most pernicious problems including bringing the two buildings up to state code and other safety issues.

A Long Range Planning Committee report by Larry Salvesen and Fred Seeba, of BSS Architects and Engineers compiled the combined cost of many construction and maintenance projects that have been discussed in previous years. Some of these projects are required to bring the building up to state and federal code, while others are simply beautification projects.

The first number that Salvesen and Seeba presented to the board was $5,781,670, a figure they say could be brought to a referendum vote as early as December. This number was broken up into three sections; the bulk of the money — $4,311,229 — would go to the “projects list” – filled with the construction projects to improve and bring the building up to code, such as ventilation improvements in the elementary school, roof replacement on the high school gym, and replacement of all door knobs with levers — a provision of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Another  $434,441 would go directly to what Salvesen and Seeba call the maintenance list, projects in both the elementary and middle/high schools which require urgent attention or create a hazardous situation. The final $1,035,000 would be relegated to the creation of additional parking. The report points out that currently the Sag Harbor School District is 39 spaces short of what is required by state code.

“You can see there is a shortage of parking,” said Salvesen.

The report recommends expansion of the elementary school Hampton Street “U-lot” by 25 stalls, and expansion of the Atlantic Street lot at the elementary school by 26 stalls. The report also recommends expansion of the middle/high school Jermain Avenue lot  — which Salvesen says is currently “a bit of a free for all” — by 17 spaces.

The creation of these parking spaces would bring the total on school grounds to 231, well over the state’s required number.

“I am very optimistic about this [proposed referendum] because this project will address many long standing problems in the school for about $50 a year for the average homeowner,” said Dr. Gratto citing the committee report saying a home valued at $1,000,000 in Southampton would see an impact of about $50 a year ($48 for a similar home on the East Hampton side of the district).

The long range planning committee also came up with a $12,131,263 proposed auditorium plan to create a modern 415-seat auditorium for the Pierson middle/high school in the school’s current courtyard. The new auditorium would meet code requirements and include cat walks, a 27-foot deep stage, downstairs storage space and a lobby. The current facility is not handicap accessible nor does it have proper egress routes.

“Passing the $6 million dollar plan is feasible now, the auditorium plan is not feasible,” said Wilcoxen who believes it is, nonetheless, good to have plans on hand that could be used in the future.

In addition to these two proposals, an Energy Performance Contract was submitted to the board by Seeba containing recommendations for energy conservation measures totaling $1,866,005 such as installation of energy-saving windows, use of energy efficient light bulbs and the addition of solar panels. If included in the proposed December 1 referendum vote, Seeba and Salvesen estimate that EPC construction could be completed as early as October 2010.

In total the Long Range Planning Committee Report includes $19,778,938 in proposed spending.

“Having this number is quite helpful, because we need to budget these things over time,” said Wilcoxen.

Some people in attendance voiced concern over the recent salary increase of Dr. Gratto. His 13.5 percent raise increases his salary by $25,000, to $210,000. Wilcoxen repeated what he has said earlier about the increase, noting that Dr. Gratto performed admirably in his evaluation and that “we started him at below market salary…even with the raise we are getting a little bit of a discount here.” The evaluation has not been made public, but Wilcoxen maintained that Dr. Gratto, “met or exceeded our expectations.” 

Still, several community members took the opportunity to express their anger over the raise during what some called “this tough economic time.”

“Why did the board go about the salary increase of superintendent Gratto in a way that kept it secret from the public?” asked former board of education president Walter Tice. He went on to say that he learned about the raise not from the board but from an article in The Sag Harbor Express.

“You owe the community an apology on how it was handled,” Tice added.

“It was a consensus decision,” responded Wilcoxen. I am not going to apologize for it. It wasn’t a secret.”

The board also introduced Montgomery Granger, the new director of physical education, health and athletics/ supervisor of building and grounds. Granger replaces Bill Madsen, who recently resigned, and will serve a three-year probationary term beginning in August at an annual salary of $125,000. Granger was the athletic director at Comsewogue School District from 2000 to 2004.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the team,” said Granger.

The board also addressed several administrative chores and returning board member Walter Wilcoxen, newly elected board member Gregg Schiavoni, school superintendent Dr. John Gratto and district clerk Mary Adamczyk were each administered an oath of office in turn. Wilcoxen and board member Theresa Samot were unanimously reelected board president and vice president respectively

Popularity: 5% [?]

On Sunday, July 12, a head-on car accident occurred on Montauk Highway near Poxabogue Lane in Bridgehampton at around 8:30 am after Fred Slaughter, 43, of Hackensack, New Jersey fell asleep at the wheel. According to Southampton Town Police, while asleep Slaughter crossed over the eastbound lane and onto the shoulder of the road when he awoke and swerved sharply to his right, striking an eastbound vehicle head-on near the center of the road. Police say the car that was hit was driven by a 41-year-old male resident of Watermill, whose name is being withheld pending family notification.

When police arrived at the scene they found the 41-year-old seriously injured and trapped in his car, while Slaughter suffered only minor injuries. The Bridgehampton Fire Department responded and extricated the 41-year-old from the car and transported him to a landing zone where he was transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital by way of a Suffolk County Police Medi-Vac helicopter. Slaughter was taken to Southampton Hospital for his injuries.

It was later determined that Slaughter’s driving privileges had been suspended eight times for numerous traffic infractions dating back to March 2008. Slaughter faces charges of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and failing to maintain his lane, a traffic infraction.

Slaughter has already been treated and released from the hospital, but police say the 41-year-old is still in critical condition and suffering from life threatening injuries.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Tastefully renovated 1890s Traditional home on fully landscaped property with expansive lawns and bluestone patios ideal for summer enjoyment. Chef’s kitchen, central air, double sided fireplace, large covered porch, 30′ swimming pool and pool house are just a few of the many amenities of this rare find only two blocks to Village shops and restaurants. Sotheby’s International Realty. 631.324.6000.

Â

Popularity: 10% [?]

On Sunday, June 21,  Lancha Dupont, 51, of Sag Harbor, driving a late model SUV in the early morning hours collided with a tree on Madison Street in front of the Corcoran Real Estate office in Sag Harbor. Police arrived around 1:49 a.m. and found the front end of the vehicle destroyed, and about 12 feet of the newly-restored historical wrought-iron fencing that surrounds the Civil War monument torn up.  

The driver was transported by ambulance to Stony Brook University Medical Center. Sag Harbor Village Police say the driver couldn’t be airlifted to the hospital due to adverse weather conditions.

Police investigating did not detect evidence of alcohol at the scene, and, considering Dupont’s injuries, determined a blood alcohol test unnecessary, said Sag Harbor Police Chief Tom Fabiano. The cause of the accident remains unclear, but police say it is still under investigation and expect unspecified charges to be filed. 

Photos by Chris Jackson (top) and Jeff Carr (above)

Popularity: 5% [?]

Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot announced on Friday, June 19, that the town will hire a new external auditing firm, Nawrocki Smith, LLP, and is ending a five-year relationship with AVZ, or Albrecht, Viggiano and Zureck.
“I and other members of the town board have been calling for a second opinion . . . but what we really meant was a transitioning to a new auditing team,” explained Kabot of the new hire.
AVZ worked as the town’s external auditors during the years, from 2004 to 2007, when several errors occurred within the town’s capital fund, causing an overstatement of the town’s general fund by around $8 million. When completing their audits for the town, AVZ failed to notice discrepancies in the general fund and the capitol fund.
Last week, FTI consulting was brought in to begin a forensic audit of the town’s reconciliation of the capital fund. According to Kabot, FTI was hired to validate the information already gathered by the town’s financial team.
Nawrocki Smith, a Melville based firm, first interviewed with the town regarding the reconciliation of the capital fund. Both Kabot and town comptroller Tamara Wright said they were impressed with Nawrocki Smith’s qualifications, but opted to hire Manhattan based FTI consulting for the forensic audit of the capital fund. FTI consulting, however, isn’t an auditing firm and cannot certify financial statements for the town.
This Monday, Nawrocki and Smith started the audits for the 2008 financial statements with AVZ helping during the transitional period. One of Nawrocki Smith’s chief duties at the moment is to restate the 2008 year end financial conditions – to reflect the reconciliation of the capital fund.
Wright said Nawrocki Smith and FTI consulting predict they will finish the restatement of the 2008 financial reports and the certification of the capital fund database by July. She added that it is imperative for the two firms to work cooperatively in order to finish these projects.
Kabot added that East Hampton Town recently retained the services of Nawrocki Smith as their transitional external auditor. She said the transition to a new auditing firm was based on recommendations made by Wright, the town services administrator Richard Blowes and the town attorney Dan Adams.
The town is also in the midst of wrapping up an audit of the Community Preservation Fund, but because of state law the town was required to hire an additional auditing firm – BST advisers – to complete this audit.
Councilwoman Anna Throne-Holst thanked Wright for her part in bringing in the new auditing firm.
“It hasn’t been easy piecing together this puzzle and trying to keep everyone doing what they are supposed to be doing . . . There is a real thought process here that will bring the history in order and certify this history,” said Throne-Holst.

Popularity: 4% [?]

After a tumultuous last couple of months, current Pierson Middle School physical education teacher and former Pierson High School varsity basketball coach, Fred Marienfeld, announced his resignation on Friday, June 12. In a brief special meeting held on Friday, the school board accepted Marienfeld’s resignation. There was no comment from the audience, made up of a few teachers and members of the public. School board president Walter Wilcoxen said the board didn’t have an official comment, but added that “It was Fred’s choice and it was personal.”

In a terse letter drafted to the school, Marienfeld informed the board that he was resigning from his post for personal reasons.

Marienfeld had been a teacher with the Sag Harbor School District since December 2004. He also served as the Pierson varsity basketball coach since 2005 and led the team to three consecutive playoff berths. In 2006, Marienfeld was named the League VIII coach-of-the-year. However, Marienfeld was released from his coaching position by the school in late January, 2009, after a series of much-publicized conflicts between himself and two players and their parents.

In a Sag Harbor Express article by Benito Vila dated February 4, Marienfeld referenced the “shortcomings of those players, in their preparation and emotional make-up.”

At the time, Pierson’s athletic director, Bill Madsen, who also recently resigned from his position, said, “‘Our expectation is that our coaches will treat our student athletes with dignity and respect and Coach didn’t meet that expectation.’”

Madsen’s resignation is unrelated to Marienfeld’s.

Initially, Marienfeld was suspended from his coaching duties for criticizing and cursing at his players during halftime at a January 6 game between Pierson and Mercy. The incident was followed by two players, Nick DePetris and Jake Federico, leaving the team after “a grueling practice” on January 7. These episodes prompted East Hampton Star sports reporter Jack Graves to report on the conflict between Marienfeld and the players. In the article, from January 27, one parent accused Marienfeld of “demoralizing” the members of his team. While Marienfeld contended that one of the players, DePetris, had a history of quitting the varsity team. After receiving a disciplinary suspension from his coaching duties, he was subsequently let go from this position and Christian Johns was named interim coach for the basketball team. But Marienfeld was able to retain his post as the middle school physical education teacher.

It is unclear whether these previous events affected Marienfeld’s decision to resign from this job, as Marienfeld did not return phone calls seeking comment.

According to school superintendent Dr. John Gratto, the school has already begun to look for someone to take over Marienfeld’s position.

“We are currently looking for a replacement and that was a good reason to accept his resignation quickly,” explained Wilcoxen.

Dr. Gratto said the position is currently posted on an online application system for educators on a website in partnership with the Putnam and Northern Westchester BOCES. He added that the school will advertise the job in next week’s issue of the Southampton Press and the Sag Harbor Express. Dr. Gratto will also send out the position information to colleges in New York State which allow students to major in Physical Education.

Although, several members of the community have complained about Marienfeld’s coaching, others say they will be sad to see him leave as a district teacher.

“There is a lot of speculation about what happened [to make Marienfeld resign], but the fact is that the district is losing a good teacher and a good coach,” said Vila.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Sag Harbor Express sits down with the new Southampton Town Comptroller, Tamara Wright, to discuss her background in finance, the state of the town’s finances and why she loves accounting.

What is your background in finance?

I have a masters degree in accounting, or a masters of accountancy. My first job was working for a liberal arts college, Guilford in North Carolina, as an assistant comptroller. After that I worked for [the professional services firm] Price Waterhouse, before their merger with Coopers and Lybrand, for six years.

I detect a slight Southern accent. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. I did my masters at Virginia Tech and then I moved to New York City to work for Price Waterhouse.

What did you do at Price Waterhouse?

I was in the management consulting division. At that time there weren’t industry specialties. I worked in a number of different industries, but my area of expertise was in financial management and strategic planning. Now things are organized in such a way where you might be an expert in the financial sector or the manufacturing sector, or you might be an expert in government.

One of my first projects was for the New York City Fire Department. There had been a lawsuit against the city because the cost of the fee for fire inspections was exceeding the cost of completing the inspection itself. I developed a cost allocation model, [which meant] I had to figure out what it really cost [to do the inspection.] I had to watch how they inspected a how and how long it took them to do it.

I did a similar kind of job when they were building the World Financial Center. The city of New York and Olympia & York were my clients. They had a joint agreement with the Port Authority. They had four buildings, but when they were selling their first building they didn’t know how much it had cost them to build it. So I had to put on a hard hat and go out and see how they had built the building . . . see how much steel they had used.

Was that one of your favorite aspects of the job, to go out and see how these financial projects existed in the real world?

I think I have always loved learning new things and I have always been drawn to improving things, so management consulting was a really good place for me. I was able to learn a lot and develop different skills in financial planning, budgeting systems and improving financial functions. I learned how to make them more efficient and effective.

What else did you at Price Waterhouse?

I specialized in transfer pricing, financial planning, financial reorganization and financial records reconstruction, [among other things.] I did this across a number of sectors. Air Canada was one of my clients.

Mostly my work was involved in financial and strategic issues. The job really allowed me to develop my financial management skills.

I also did a little “tour of duty” developing continuing education classes in management consulting at the national office. I wrote a couple of courses and taught new managers. I taught them how to manage profitability. That experience gave me a whole other dimension into how adults learned. It really helped me as a manager to know how to educate adults and understand how they learn.

Where did your career take you after Price Waterhouse?

At Price I felt like I was a jack of all trades, but a master of none so I decided to work inside a company. I became interested in the financial sector and I ended up in the world of Wall Street. I left Price Waterhouse to work for Prudential Financial first as a risk analyst, then moved on to a variety of other roles, including business unit controller and budget officer, director of strategic and financial planning, and chief operating officer for the international business.

How long did you work for Prudential?

For 16 years. I did a lot of different things for them, but I thought I would only be there for a few years, then return to consulting. After that, I started my own consulting firm on the East End in 2006. Most of my consulting work was with not-for-profits and some start up ventures. I didn’t want to travel too far from home.

How did you become involved with Southampton Town?

Councilwoman Anna Throne-Holst knew me because our children went to school together. She knew that I had a financial background. In the spring of 2008 she asked if I would submit my resume [as an outside financial consultant] to the town since they were going through a financial transition after the resignation of Charlene Kagel and appointment of the new comptroller, Steven Brautigam. My resume made its way to Human Resources and then I received a call from [former deputy supervisor] Richard Blowes and interviewed with the Town Board.

What were your main responsibilities when you started consulting for the town in July 2008?

Mostly, I was involved in two things: looking at how to redeploy the town’s financial system so that it would provide better financial controls and better reporting; and then the other part was helping to re-establish and organize the comptrollers office.

When Charlene left, two senior people — the deputy comptroller and the senior auditor — left with her. Another person retired after working here for a very long time. The office manager transferred to the water district. The payroll officer was transferred to the parks department. By the time I got here in July, there were only two people who had been in the department at the beginning of 2008. The office was pretty decimated and Steve Brautigam was struggling because he didn’t have the staff. The first thing I focused on was recruiting individuals, working with the human resources department and Steven to rebuild the comptroller’s office.

You were recently named town comptroller. Why did you accept the position?

I think my appointment was the least disruptive to the town when it found itself in need of a new comptroller. There had been so much disruption here, and since I had been part of recruiting and training the new staff, it was a bit easier for me to step in. This is an appointed position [that runs concurrent with the supervisor’s term] and my appointment will end in December. I think it wasn’t going to be easy for the town to find someone who would want to work for only six months as the comptroller.

I was already here and working with the town. I understood what was happening at the town, so I made the full time commitment.

Originally, my work was only supposed to be a 90-day project. My plan had been to move back down to Virginia. I had agreed to do a mid-July to mid-October project; but, while I was in the midst of it, the project took on a life of its own.

You were part of the team of town financial officials who discovered significant problems in the funding of the town’s capital projects and the inaccurate tracking of these projects from 2003 through 2007. How did you make this discovery?

Well, it wasn’t like we had a sudden epiphany. It slowly revealed itself over time. In the beginning, as we were redeploying the town’s financial systems. We wanted to have the cash for the projects and wanted to allocate the necessary funding. There were a combination of projects. Some were almost complete and some were just about to be completed. We had to decide if we wanted to carry these projects forward. Those kind of questions lead us to not really being able to reconcile the funding.

We realized that the cash in the bank and the amount left to spend [for each project] wasn’t equal. We did know that there were bonds that hadn’t fully been issued, but we knew something else must be at play.

Where does the town’s corrective action plan stand?

I think it is fair to say that we are still working on it. It is still in progress and we don’t fully know project by project where we stand. We are just beginning to understand the over- and the under-funding. We had to go back all the way to 2002 and look at how much cash was in the bank, how the money was borrowed for each project and we had to develop a database [with all of this information].

Richard Blowes has been heading the effort to see what was actually happening with these projects. He is looking at what money was going out and what money was coming in.

[Current deputy supervisor] Bill Jones is going through each town board authorization because the resolutions tell you how much spending was approved for each project, and how that project was supposed to be funded.

This week our forensic auditing company will begin a project to review all of the data. They will help validate what we have collected to make sure the information is accurate and complete. We need this independent audit to make sure that we have identified everything. It should be complete in a month and then we will have full understanding of how each project stands. Then, the draft corrective action plan will be updated and completed.

What are some measures the town is taking to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Certain new controls have been implemented, but improving the controls was a decision the town made before [discovering the errors in the capital fund.] It was through the process of improving [the town's finances] that we discovered the problem. I have to give the town credit, because they understood that they needed to improve their accounting for the capital projects almost a year ago. There was a recognition that there needed to be better accounting.

Now, each capital project has a cash account and a fund balance. It has an actual balance sheet. We are recording the funds received for each project, as well as for the spending. [Before, the funding for each project was coming from one fund, or “pool of money,” and the funding wasn't separated for each project.]

On a different note, what is it about finances that interests you? What do you love about finances?

I think when the financial function is performing effectively it provides information for good decision making. Accurate information is the corner stone of efficient and effectively running any kind of business, whether it be a municipality, private cooperation or a not-for-profit. You have to make good decisions. When a company fails the customers get hurt, and likewise when a municipality fails the taxpayers get hurt.

In my career I have enjoyed developing information that can be relied upon and helps management make good decisions.

Popularity: 4% [?]

By Benito Vila

With so many storms this spring, it was only a matter of time before some sort of lightning would strike. There was tingling excitement in the air after last Thursday’s late game, the Sag Harbor Hysterical Society outscoring Beyel Plumbing and Heating, 18-17.

The win was the first for the Hysterical Society this spring and it sent the reeling Beyel team, last year’s third-place finisher, into the league basement in seventh place at 0-3. The shocking win was enough to quiet talk of Sag Harbor Liquors’ 8-5 take down of T & S Mott in the season’s first game between the league leaders.

In that match-up last Thursday, Liquors’ catcher Alex Tekulsky lined a home run deep to center in the top of the seventh to give his team an 8-4 advantage. Although Mott posted a run in their last at-bat, it was not enough to get back into the game, giving the defending champions early-season bragging rights.

The electrifying late game turned on a defensive play, according to Hysterical first baseman Kevin Major, who reported, “It was the bottom of the sixth, Beyel batting, up 17-14, with runners at first and second, no one out. There was a line drive towards the middle and Scott Brooks made great stab and threw to second for a double play. The next batter flew out and we were out of the jam.”

In the top of the seventh, the Hysterical Society, sparked by the base running of Jeff Warne, scored four times to take an 18-17 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Beyel went down one, two, three, Hysterical pitcher Frank Venesina happy to get high fives, fist bumps and the win.

Results and Re-caps

Last Wednesday. Publick House hustled past the Hysterical Society before Jeff Peters pitched the Scrubs past Pilinko 18-7. Cory Cass and George Kneeland lifted long home runs for the Scrubs to roll up the win.

The Scrubs’ win-streak ended quickly at one Monday, Publick House pitcher Bruce “Sandman” Sanders powering a pair of home runs, including a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at eight. Aggressive baserunning by Danny Rowe in the Publick House eighth drew a throw that skipped into the outfield, bringing in the go-ahead run.

The Mott-Pilinko match-up in Monday’s late game was decidedly one-sided, Mott making off with a 19-3 win. Sean Mott led the attack hitting three home runs for the second time this season.

Hysterical held off Liquors early Tuesday until a barrage of long home runs led the champs to an 18-3 win. In one game changing at-bat, Jeff Hand, Joe Sullivan, Jeremy Karl and Billy Schmitz hit four home runs, one after the other, to put Liquors ahead for good.

Mott met the Publick House late on Tuesday and left the park with a 13-2 win. A Mike Semkus bases-loaded triple in the fifth closed out the Mott scoring; a pair of seventh inning errors and a two-out base hit broke up Bob Burden’s bid for a shutout.

Who’s Playing This Week

Once again wet weather could be a factor tonight and into next week, the league already having lost two nights to soggy conditions. Should the rains hold off this afternoon, Beyel is due to play Liquors early and Hysterical meets Mott late.

On Monday, the Scrubs get Hysterical early and Liquors hooks up with Pilinko late. Tuesday’s schedule has the Publick House at Beyel early and Mott at the Scrubs late.

The Publick House and Liquors are early on Wednesday; Pilinko is at Beyel late. Next Thursday, Hysterical has Pilinko early and Beyel takes on Mott late.

Liquors, at 5-0, remains atop the standings, followed by Mott, 4-1. Pilinko, 3-3, and the Scrubs, 2-2, are vying for third and fourth with the Publick House, 2-3, close behind. Hysterical has improved to 1-5 while Beyel awaits its first win at 0-3.

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