DA: Charges against East Hampton Town Board 'baseless'
Democrat Zachary Cohen decided over the weekend not to run for the East Hampton Town supervisor post again this fall. Credit: David Pokress
Charges that the owners of a Montauk motel received favored treatment from the East Hampton Town Board because of political connections and that the town building inspector illegally issued a permit to allow renovations at the Ronjo Motel have been found to be “totally baseless” by the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
The allegations made by Zachary Cohen, who ran for town supervisor as a Democrat last year, were first made in a letter to a weekly newspaper, and repeated again at a stormy town board meeting last month.
After the charges were made at the town board meeting, Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson ordered town attorney John Jilnicki to ask the district attorney to investigate all allegations of illegal conduct.
The DA’s office reviewed documents, interviewed several town officials, and gave Cohen a chance to provide additional information, according to Division Chief of Investigations Christopher McPartland.
In a letter sent to Jilnicki on Tuesday, McPartland said: “each and every allegation of illegal conduct or misconduct in the letter is totally baseless. Specifically, there is no evidence at all to support the claim that the building permit issued was illegal.”
McPartland told the town the investigation has been concluded.
Above: Zachary Cohen
