by Mary Bess Phillips
Kelly Ferraro’s recent opinion piece raises concerns worth discussing, but many of its central claims are not supported by Greenport’s history, our data, or the lived reality of those who actually manage this village day to day. Because the article presents assumptions as conclusions, I feel compelled to respond directly.
The author writes: “I am writing this because this is my home… Speaking up felt less like a choice than a responsibility.” I respect that sentiment. But I, too, am writing because this is my home — and I write not from the sidelines, but from decades of living, working, and serving here. I am a longterm village resident, a business owner, and a lifelong observer of Greenport’s evolution. I have watched this village transform from a quiet working waterfront into a summer destination that now hosts millions of visitors. That reality brings opportunity, but it also brings strain — and unlike the author, I am responsible for addressing that strain.
As a Village Trustee, I hear the daily complaints about crumbling sidewalks, aging roads, overflowing trash cans, and infrastructure pushed to its limits. These are not abstractions. They are the practical, urgent responsibilities of governing a village whose population is dwarfed by its visitor load. Pretending these pressures don’t exist — or that they can be solved without revenue — is not responsible leadership.
“A parking fee is not just a fee. It is a message.” Yes — and the message is that curbside space is for customers, not for all-day parkers. Every successful, high-traffic downtown uses managed parking. It is not punitive. It is basic operational management.
“It tells a family coming for lunch, a worker commuting in, or a resident supporting small businesses that showing up now costs more.” There is no evidence that a modest, seasonal parking fee deters families or workers. What does deter them is circling endlessly because employees, ferry users, and longterm visitors occupy every space. Paid parking increases access for the very people the article claims to defend. And the Village already has — and can expand — worker permits, resident protections, and offseason adjustments. The law is flexible by design.
“It adds friction to a village economy that needs less of it.” The friction in Greenport’s economy does not come from parking fees. It comes from high commercial rents, longterm vacant storefronts, seasonal business models, and infrastructure strain from millions of visitors. Paid parking reduces friction by improving turnover and funding the sanitation, safety, and maintenance that businesses depend on.
“Anyone who lives or works on the East End understands the seasonal reality. Winter is hard.” Correct — and that is exactly why the Village can suspend or reduce fees in the winter. The opinion piece treats the policy as if it is year-round and inflexible. It is neither.
“The businesses and workers who keep Greenport alive through January, February, and March… every sale matters.” Absolutely. And that is why winter parking fees are not part of the plan. The article argues against a burden that does not exist.
What the article gets wrong:
- It assumes paid parking is year-round. It isn’t — and won’t be.
- It assumes paid parking deters visitors. There is no evidence of this in comparable waterfront villages.
- It ignores the real sources of economic strain: unmanaged congestion, infrastructure decay, and longterm vacancies.
- It treats the policy as fixed. The Board can adjust hours, seasons, rates, and exemptions at any time.
- It frames paid parking as a threat to winter survival. Winter fees are not planned and have never been proposed.
Greenport deserves a conversation grounded in facts, not fear. Paid parking is not the cause of our challenges — those are structural and longstanding. What paid parking does is ensure turnover, reduce congestion, and fund the infrastructure that keeps this village functioning for residents, workers, and visitors alike.
We cannot maintain a destination village on the tax base of 2,200 residents alone. Pretending otherwise is not responsible governance.
Mary Bess Phillips is a five-term Trustee of the Village of Greenport Board who has served as the village’s Deputy Mayor. She is the proprietor of Alice’s Fish Market and runs a family fishing business.
Just an opinion. Paid parking in Greenport will cause people to park there cars in front of residents home sevral blocks from the village to avoid paying the fees. People will have cars in front of their homes all day .