SAG HARBOR SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWDOWN: The Mayor Digs in After a Scandal

In March, Sag Harbor Mayor Tom Gardella found himself in hot water after leaving a transphobic comment on a video posted by an Instagram user in Texas with more than 22,000 followers. The post gained traction and became the focus of numerous news stories far beyond the South Fork. Though he apologized for the incident, more reports of concerning social media behavior soon surfaced, including from members of the Sag Harbor community. In response, the Village Board retained labor attorney Vince Toomey to investigate Gardella’s behavior. Presented at a Village Board meeting on April 14, Toomey’s report concluded that Gardella had violated both the social media policy and anti-harassment policy. Separately, Gardella was also called out for budgetary missteps, including assigning indiscriminate raises to staff and shifting accountability for his budget fi lings onto administrative staff. At the meeting, all four of Gardella’s fellow board members formally requested his resignation. But Gardella was defiant and refused to step down. This week, the editors are joined by news reporter Cailin Riley to talk about the posts, the heated meeting and what might come next in this story.