The way it ought to be

While they slug it out in Washington, in a most uncivilized way, a very noble thing occurred here in Riverhead yesterday, when Vince Tria dropped his lawsuit against the Town of Riverhead. Vince was the President of the BID [Business Improvement District]. Vince was replaced last year when the new administration came in. They would say they wanted new blood. Vince would say it was politics. Whatever the reason for Vince’s departure from the board, he was angry and decided to sue Riverhead for $10 million.

The Vail Leavitt Theater, of which Vince is Treasurer, has had an ongoing difference of opinion with the BID over events being held downtown and most specifically the now defunct Blues Festival. You may have seen Bob Barta’s columns calling me every name in the book. I know that conflict added to Mr. Tria’s anger.

I sit on the board of The Riverhead Business Improvement District and I am writing as a citizen and blogger here at Riverheadlocal and not as a member of the BID.

We should learn from Vince dropping his lawsuit and canceling events he had scheduled to conflict with events already planned by the BID. The lesson we should take is, that when good people finally resolve to put people first, instead of their own interests…we all win. Right now in Washington, the tempers flare and the heels are dug in. The “leaders” worry about their turf, their re-election and their personal agendas. Here in Riverhead, it is good to see that egos got checked at the door and the town and downtown will be able to move on.

One of the first people I met when I came to Riverhead some eight years ago was Vince Tria. I have always known Vince to be a hardworking, honorable man who wants what is best for Riverhead. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Vince and I have been known to butt heads and we certainly have had our share of political disagreements, but, in the end it isn’t about Vince and Tony because we are just cogs; it’s about Riverhead.

Maybe John Boehner and Barack Obama and Harry Reid and Eric Kantor should learn a lesson from the corner of Peconic and Main and that is, when we compromise, work together, care about our community and care for each other we can do amazing things. What’s important for my kids and yours is that we get America moving again. What is important to all of us here in our hometown, is that Riverhead continues on its current path and in small steps becomes a better place each day.

This is an election year, Vince will be on one side. I will be one the other. We will fight, no doubt; I’m sure we will call each other names. That’s America, that’s life, that’s family. We wouldn’t all fight so hard if we didn’t care so much. Hopefully we can chart a new path downtown and differences can be put aside so we can move Riverhead forward.     Vince took an important step yesterday to show each of us that it isn’t about ego or vendetta, I hope this breaks the gridlock and gets people working together and putting differences aside. It is about the family of Riverhead.

Hopefully, someone in Washington is watching and listening and will get how it works in our small town.