09.27.2022
Featured Story
Consulting
Agency Frequently Hired By Southold Town Faces Criticism Following NIMBY Clause
In Recent Southampton Town Contract
By
Brianne Ledda
A sign
outside of Southold Town Hall (Credit: File Photo)
Locals
raised concerns about the credibility of Nelson Pope Voorhis, a consulting
agency frequently hired by Southold Town, at a town meeting last Tuesday.
The
consultant came under fire in late August after it presented a contract to
Southampton Town that included a clause stating, “As we go through the
process of meeting with the community and the various stakeholders, we will be
able to further clarify any of the opposition’s hot-button issues. We will seek
to neutralize this by having them appear as traditional NIMBYs who consistently
present misinformation to promote their own limited agendas and present a
positive message through community leaders.”
The
contract, which Southampton Town signed, was for NPV to redo an environmental
review after a local lawsuit for an overlay district in Hampton Bays, according
to 27East, which reported the issue and posted a picture of the contract
clause. The Suffolk Times filed a Freedom of Information Act request for a copy
of the contract, which was not easily available online or in person from
Southampton Town.
Southold
resident Nancy Butkus raised concerns about Southold Town’s continued use of
the consulting firm, just ahead of a Town Board vote on a resolution to
transfer funds to pay NPV for its work on a plan for housing solutions. NPV was
hired by the town to work with a community advisory board on drafting a plan to
spend funds generated by a half-percent transfer tax on real estate purchases,
if it is approved by local referendum in November.
“I
don’t understand why Southold is moving ahead with this firm that’s proved to
be compromised. They are working for developers and really have a vested
interest in the developers, and not listening to all of us, who have been
complaining about various issues,” Ms. Butkus said. “One of our local civic
leaders went through and did this incredible traffic study. She’s got a
master’s in engineering, she found all these mistakes, and yet, Nelson Pope
stood behind it even though she’s an expert.”
NPV
affirmed the accuracy of a study evaluating the potential traffic impact of the
proposed Enclaves Hotel and Restaurant earlier this summer, after a local
engineer and civic leader raised multiple concerns about accuracy. The town
Planning Board accepted the report.
Councilman
Greg Doroski said NPV was the only firm to respond to a bid for work on the
housing plan and emphasized that the Southold Town Board reviews contracts
closely before signing.
“We
draft our own contracts with these consultants. So what they are agreeing to
are our terms. I don’t know what happened in this case,” he said, referring to
NPV’s contract with Southampton. “I can
agree with you that I do think we need to take a hard look at what we’re having
them do for us.”
Councilwoman
Jill Doherty said she’s never personally encountered issues with the firm and
is satisfied with the town’s contract for the housing plan. Supervisor Scott
Russell said, in reference to the Enclaves traffic study, that both parties
have expertise and it was “a disagreement between experts.”
“It’s
not the consultant that accepts their own study. It’s not the consultant that
accepts input. It’s the Planning Board that ultimately chooses to accept the
findings,” Mr. Russell said.
Ms.
Butkus asked that the Town Board review their contracts with NPV, questioning
the agency’s credibility. Another local, Robert Dunn, reiterated her concerns.
“The
fact of the matter is, if you pass this, and I want to see that half-percent
[transfer tax], I really do … but I think you’re kind of diminishing its value
when you use a consultant who has a lack of credibility,” Mr. Dunn said.
“Clearly, that’s a lack of credibility. They were stupid in putting that in
writing. It’s bad enough that they thought it … They were wrong. They were
stupid and we shouldn’t hire stupid people.”
“With
due respect to the elected officials who signed this contract, it’s not Nelson
Pope Voorhis that did this for their own reasons. They were hired as a
consultant for a municipality to do this,” Mr. Doroski responded.
Councilwoman
Sarah Nappa added that Southampton accepted the NPV contract as written, and
reiterated the care the Southold Town Board takes in signing agreements.
27East
has reported the controversial clause was on the first page, under the first
heading of the contract. NPV estimated the cost of community outreach would be
$25,000 out of the more than $200,000 charged to redo work struck down in court
last year.
Southampton
town officials apologized and struck the clause from the contract, denying any
plan to discredit opposition. Town supervisor Jay Schneiderman said he only
scanned the scope of the proposal and did not see the clause. Multiple town
offices similarly said they missed the clause.
The
contract was also signed by a partner at NPV, who also denied intentionally
including the clause. A town official said it was added by a public relations
subcontractor that specializes in getting approvals for developers.
Brianne
Ledda
Brianne
Ledda is a staff reporter for Times Review Media Group. She graduated with a
bachelor's degree in journalism, along with a minor in history and
environmental studies, from Stony Brook University in May 2021.
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