Letter: Newsday editorial on Huntington and power plant was off base

It was certainly not surprising to see yet another one-sided piece by the Newsday editorial board on the Long Island Power Authority’s court challenge to the Town of Huntington’s assessment on the Northport power plant [“Huntington should make a deal,” Editorial, April 28]. What did surprise me were the personal attacks against my town board colleagues and me.

The editorial described me as “all but invisible” and said that I am floundering in my job as supervisor. There were no facts to support these defamatory statements. I am proud of the many accomplishments of my administration in less than 18 months in office and the fulfillment of key campaign promises. We have increased the transparency of town government, passed term limits, approved projects to revitalize Huntington Station, and strengthened both our ethics code and the town’s ability to curb illegal use of property and the abuse of short-term rental permits, protecting our quality of life and improving public safety.

There is similarly no basis for the over-the-top assertion that the town board “is stupidly chasing its own tail, terrified of grassroots agitators from the Northport-East Northport school district . . .” The town board has devoted significant resources to the defense of the case, actively engaging in settlement discussions. The editorial board’s reference to residents as “agitators” is demeaning and beneath a serious journalistic newspaper. Residents are rightfully worried that what school district officials have carefully built over decades will have to be dismantled. They're also concerned that a tax increase will force them to abandon a community that has been their home for generations.

While the Newsday board is entitled to its opinion that the Northport plant is over-assessed, I resent the editorial board’s continued attempts to browbeat Huntington into accepting a bad deal. The editorial board praises the deal accepted by Brookhaven, but conveniently ignores the fact that the Northport power plant is capable of producing four times the power of the Port Jefferson plant. The Northport plant is vital to the generation and supply of electricity on Long Island.

The editorial board also incorrectly portrays Huntington as irrational and unwilling to compromise. Actually, it is LIPA and National Grid, the plant’s owner, that refuse to negotiate in good faith. The town has made several settlement proposals. Not only have LIPA and National Grid rejected these generous offers, they stubbornly refuse to make a counteroffer and have not lowered their demands since I took office in 2018. I understand the editorial board’s opinion that a settlement is preferable to continued litigation, but Huntington cannot negotiate against itself.

Chad Lupinacci, Huntington