Angry East Hampton group launches ad-buy attacks on local city government

A group of disgruntled East Hamptonites are launching a six-figure ad buy to hold the “incompetent” councilman accountable for his “failed leadership,” The Post has learned.

Stop the East Hampton Town Board members say their local government has repeatedly failed them and is ruining life in the East End.

“I’ve never seen a group of people so completely lost touch with the feelings of the local people,” a Hamptons business owner told The Post. “These are unmusical, incompetent people with their own agenda who are willing to lie to your face.”

The group spends over $100,000 on print and digital ads that attack the City Council and encourage residents to stand up and make their voices heard. One of the ads, exclusively shown to The Post ahead of its launch, declares: “The City Council is tearing the East End apart.”

Stop the Board group is furious that the city has tried to close East Hampton Airport despite widespread local opposition; that it refuses to improve cellular service in certain areas, making emergency services inaccessible to many residents; that it squanders millions of their tax dollars on fruitless litigation; and that small businesses are finding it difficult to recover from the pandemic.

“The trust between East Hampton residents and the city government has been shaken. We elected you to serve our community,” the group wrote in an open letter to City Warden Peter Van Scoyoc and other members.

Although the city government’s plan to close and reopen East Hampton Airport under its control was rejected by a judge, the group is furious that elected bureaucrats have spent more than $2.5 million fighting for a plan , which 77% of East Hamptonites polled disapproved.

Citing the Post’s exclusive coverage, the group also called out the board, accusing its members of “deliberately lying to the FAA about anything to advance your privatization scheme.”

It also knocked on the board for being fined $239,000 after a Suffolk County judge said it showed “indifference and willful disobedience” in refusing to turn over requested material for a case , which dealt with access to the beach. “You guys have embarrassed us all,” the group wrote.

“Enough is enough. East Hampton Town Board is incompetent and costing us millions. We want answers. Who does the borough really work for? Not the residents of East Hampton,” the letter reads.

Von Scoyac was re-elected in 2021 but the group says he had a different agenda than his current actions. The local business owner and member of the group said ousting the board was a last resort.

“We just want to be heard and represented,” he said.

The city council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.