Southampton - On October 10, 2011, former Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot published a statement in "Local Voices BLOG" blasting the 2012 Budget Process orchestrated by current Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst as one that is politically-motivated and deprives the public from speaking out on the 2012 Budget until after Election Day. Kabot intends to speak at the Town Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 11 at 1 p.m. during that portion of the meeting when the public is permitted to address the board on any matter of concern.

According to Kabot, "In July of this year, the current Supervisor pushed through a resolution that falls to allow the public an opportunity to speak about the proposed 2012 Budget until November 9, the day after Election Day. Resolution #765-2011 purports to be 'an effort to make the 2012 Budget process more transparent and participatory, to allow for earlier input from the Town Councilpersons for comment and suggested revisions, and to allow the public to have more of a voice in the budget process.' However, this is not the case and it is clearly an attempt to quash the voice of the people to avoid controversy in an Election Year!"

"After learning of this outrageous situation on October 7," Kabot continued, "I called upon the Councilpersons to right this wrong by rescinding that July 23 resolution and instead to follow the tradition of holding the first Budget Hearing before Election Day with continuation hearings to follow. State Law requires that hearings for the ensuing year's budget be closed by November 15 and the final amended Budget be adopted by the Town Board no later than November 20. Accordingly, under the current Supervisor's process, it seems there would be time for only one public hearing on the 2012 Budget and only after Election Day and how 'transparent and participatory' is that? The past practice of converting the Tentative Budget to the Preliminary Budget in early October and scheduling the hearing soon thereafter worked best for public input. I submit that this departure from long-standing practice is disingenuous if not contrary to Public Officers Law and threatens to violate participatory government ideals."

Kabot also called Throne-Holst's budget a "political budget" and one that is "fiscally-irresponsible." Noting that many of Throne-Holst's proposals include "many of the very same cost-cutting strategies that I proposed as Supervisor back in 2008 and 2009, which Throne-Holst blocked at the time as Councilwoman. "Better late than never - she has now seen the light," opined Kabot, "Why did she not support these reforms when I proposed them? It's because of her opportunistic style and political posturing."