Advocacy committee proposed to fight for the little guy

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The Village of Sea Cliff board of trustees met to discuss an array of issues facing the town — short-term rentals, subdivisions, traffic safety — and the respective regulations of each to ensure a better quality of life.

One proposal, however, stood out among the rest — the formation of a research and advocacy group.

The proposition came from Trustee Deborah McDermott, who joined the board in April with a campaign for open government. Two of the founding principles of open government are participation and collaboration, which are also key features of McDermott’s committee.

“This committee would focus on researching issues external to the Village of Sea Cliff that are affecting, or have the potential to affect our quality of life,” she said. “Further, the group would advocate for the interests of the village to outside agencies, governments, media and corporations.”

McDermott said the group would comprise residents, and advocate for Sea Cliff to outside companies such as New York American Water and RXR.

“Both the village and a citizen’s group have current lawsuits against the Garvies Point development,” she said. “If Glen Cove takes on too much debt and defaults, the negative consequences will reach Sea Cliff.”

“Folks are concerned about our relationship with American Water,” she added, “because there are some outrageously high water bills, and people believe we are being treated unfairly.”

In addition, the committee would conduct research on high-density development, mandates for consolidation, and decreasing state aid to villages, all issues that could potentially threaten the character of the community.

“A research and advocacy group would understand the processes and players, find effective leverage points, and organize appropriate responses to protect our rights [from these external forces],” she said.

McDermott said that although there’s strong internal engagement within Sea Cliff, more could be done externally in negotiations with private companies to ensure the interests of its residents are protected.

She was inspired to model the research and advocacy group after North Shore schools’ Legislative Action Committee. She proposed the idea to the board at a conference meeting on Oct. 2. She initially faced some objections, however, McDermott is still determined.

“Having an officially sanctioned group would empower its members to serve the interests of the village,” she said. “I believe in this town, and I believe we should give the people a chance to do what’s best for Sea Cliff.”

Sea Cliff Mayor, Edward Lieberman, said the village already has a process to deal with such external forces, and that the move to approve McDermott’s committee is still on the table. “When an issue comes up, we appoint an ad-hoc committee to address it, give recommendations on how to solve it, and apply an action plan,” he explained. “We’re initially considering [the research and advocacy group] to see how it applies to the village.”

The board will vote on this action, as well as regulations for short-term rentals, subdivisions and traffic safety measures, at a public hearing in Sea Cliff’s Village Hall, 300 Sea Cliff Ave., on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.