timwferguson

Fretting Before Long Island Officials Buy the Farm

Farmland and other open-space preservations are becoming more limited opportunities on the East End of Long Island, N.Y., despite abundant tax money now available for such purchases. The main reason is a dwindling number of such parcels, even as competing bids for residential real-estate development escalate. But sometimes the hangup is disagreement over just whatContinue reading “Fretting Before Long Island Officials Buy the Farm”

A Ticket Master Talks Olympics Sense

A few decades ago, I visited Fred Rosen, then the chief of Ticketmaster and–as now–an unrepentant advocate of market or “dynamic” pricing for commercial events. Here in this brief LA Times interview he reappears, defending the steep charge for seats to witness the 2028 Olympics–very much a commercial enterprise. The point he makes also appliesContinue reading “A Ticket Master Talks Olympics Sense”

Republicans Turn Out the Lights in East Hampton

Another epitaph for the “old Republican Party” was written this week in the township of East Hampton, N.Y., where no GOP candidate has filed for the top position, supervisor, in the November election. This story in the East Hampton Star lays out the contemporary context of the party’s demise there, which mirrors what has happenedContinue reading “Republicans Turn Out the Lights in East Hampton”

Socialist Mayor’s Surtax: An Idea for Hamptons-Like Homes?

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push* for a “pied-a-terre tax” on the sparsely used homes of putative plutocrats is not staying in NYC. At least one legislator from the northern Hudson Valley exurbs is seeking allowance for a similar punitive levy on such properties there. That shouldn’t be surprising: Resentments toward wealthy seasonal visitorsContinue reading “Socialist Mayor’s Surtax: An Idea for Hamptons-Like Homes?”

Luckin’ Out With a Morning Joe App

Bloomberg had a story this week about Starbucks seeking to establish a technology base–perhaps outside the U.S.–where it could build out an internal team to (presumably) digitize more of the beverage-cafe business. It’s already doing that–while also following its new CEO’s mantra of re-personalizing the customer experience–but according to the article has wearied of payingContinue reading “Luckin’ Out With a Morning Joe App”

Build But Don’t Park Here? A Town Says No To That

Zoning reformers want to get rid of some strictures that were written into urban and suburban planning laws in the 1900s. Mostly, these changes are pushed by New Urbanists or YIMBY* activists who seek to remove “exclusionary” regulations that deter new housing, especially for potential residents of lesser wealth or income. But, not surprisingly, theseContinue reading “Build But Don’t Park Here? A Town Says No To That”

USPS Running Short of Cash…and Customers

The U.S. Postal Service has flashed another fiscal alert to its patrons in Congress–funds will run dry by next year without relief. The attached brief from the Cato Institute frames the falloff in usage that has precipitated the latest mail crisis. Simply put, even with the various (but limited) efficiencies this public corporation has beenContinue reading “USPS Running Short of Cash…and Customers”

The Passing of a Pine Barrens Partisan

Decades after hydrologists and other Earth scientists had identified the Central Pine Barrens of Long Island, N.Y., as sitting atop a vital aquifer and fostering a complex ecosystem, the 120,000 remaining acres were still being treated as scrublands. By the 1970s they separated the increasingly precious Hamptons and farm belt of the eastern end fromContinue reading “The Passing of a Pine Barrens Partisan”

Chicken or Egg: A Farm May Disturb Hamptons-Adjacent Rusticity

It’s a conceit on the East End of Long Island, N.Y., that the agricultural character of the area should be preserved. Attempts to do that go back half a century, to when land values rose to the point that farm families wanted to sell out to subdividers. But the gloss of today’s version–mostly vineyards andContinue reading “Chicken or Egg: A Farm May Disturb Hamptons-Adjacent Rusticity”

Big Part of Phone Costs Is In the Small Text

Recently I succumbed to replacing my mobile phone. Though I chose one of the simpler Android models, and avoided nearly all add-on accessories, the price jumped up as I got to checkout. The reason: New York’s voracious taxing authorities. Whether it be on monthly usage bills or on purchases of the devices, governments have seizedContinue reading “Big Part of Phone Costs Is In the Small Text”