The Suffolk County Water Authority has decided it doesn’t want to ask permission anymore. It doesn’t want to sit across the table from the people who live here, who deal with the traffic, the trenching, the noise, the disruption that lingers long after the ribbon-cutting photos are forgotten

We should look closely. We should name things honestly. And we should remember that once land is lost in practice, no label can save it later. Guest column by Robert Gass

The place we thought we’d spend the rest of our lives is now a testing ground for someone else’s profit margins. The town calls it progress. Guest column by Robert Gass

The current actions and rhetoric of President Donald Trump signal a profoundly troubling moment in American history. Guest column by Robert Gass

The great American tradition of asking forgiveness instead of permission is a tradition that, like my aunt's holiday fruitcake, nobody particularly likes but we've all somehow agreed to accept as normal.

The Republican Party of old wasn’t without its flaws, but at least it had an identity beyond one man’s hunger for the spotlight. What’s left now is a hollowed-out shell, and all that rattles inside is Trump’s name, repeated endlessly like a mantra, echoing in a once-grand hall that’s starting to look more like a funhouse.

Allowing resorts and spas on the Sound is just the latest bad idea advanced by the current Town Board, which seems more interested in enriching developers than protecting the town and its taxpayers.

There are countless ways to honor the land, to keep the North Fork’s heartbeat steady and strong, without selling its soul for short-term gain. Let’s not hand over the keys to the highest bidder. Let’s protect what makes this place special.

Guest column: The incident at the June 21 meeting is a grotesque caricature of what public service should be. It's time to paint a new picture of what our town's leadership should look like, a picture filled with respect, understanding, and an unwavering commitment to serve the public interest.

Guest column: Make no mistake. This is no ordinary warehouse. This is a mega-warehouse, the kind that stretches for acres and dwarfs everything in its surroundings. Some may see it as a sign of progress and economic growth. I see it as a harbinger of doom for local residents.