Delaware meeting spurs more gun talk

TOWN OF DELAWARE, NY — An unusual number of people turned up at the Town of Delaware monthly meeting September 11.

If the supervisors expected a heated discussion about the new short-term rental regulations, they would have been wrong. More than half of those gathered had come to comment on the town’s recent decision to allow justices to carry guns in the courthouse.

The gun issue

Nine years ago, Paul Hemmer was working as a pharmacist tech in Jeffersonville when a man showed up wearing a ski mask, wielding a spear and demanding drugs. Hemmer took out his gun and asked the robber if he was “sure he want[ed] to do this.”

He wasn’t.

“The reason I wanted to tell my story is because I carried a handgun until that point for 25 years. No one ever knew, until that moment that I had to draw it to protect the customer at the register standing next to me, the techs in the pharmacy and the pharmacist in attendance,” he said. “I hate to think what would have happened if I wasn’t able to do that.”

Hemmer was one of several people who showed up to argue that anyone with the proper license should be allowed to carry guns into the town courthouse.

Alfred Steppich, Supervisor Ed Sykes pointed out, had the right to be a little smug.

Steppich was the only supervisor who opposed last month’s motion that a law restricting gun use in the courtroom be amended to exempt town justices. If anyone is allowed to carry, Steppich said, everyone should be.

Harold Roeder, the Upper Delaware Council representative, gave a speech about why he feels it’s necessary to carry a gun. Holding up a recent copy of the Sullivan County Democrat, he pointed out a front-page story about the murder of Lorraine Gempler last year in Kenoza Lake, next to a headline about a threat called into the hospital. “What in the blazes is happening to our society?” he asked. “We have to be protected.”

Several others chimed in. “What about ‘shall not be infringed’ don’t you understand?” asked Steppich of the board.

Supervisor Ed Sykes brought an end to the discussion. “I’m not going to get into a conversation with you guys about gun control. We all agree to the same damn thing,” he said. When someone responded that that should make it easy to again amend the law, Sykes said, “I’m not gonna do it tonight... But we’ll get it done.”

Short-term rentals

Before the gun discussion, the board held a special meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m., to allow public comment on the draft of a set of regulations that would apply to all short-term rentals in the town.

There are nearly 600 Airbnb units in Sullivan County, and roughly 50 within the Town of Delaware. The law will require short-term rental owners to acquire a license within 90 days of its passing and allows the building inspector to inspect short-term units for safety. 

The draft of the law prohibits the rental of tents, campsites and yurts. This was concerning for those who use “Tentrr,” a company similar to Airbnb that installs floored tents on private property and pays owners for use of the land. Michael D’Agostino, the founder and CEO of Tentrr, showed up at the town meeting, along with several local hosts, to argue that the campsite provision in the law be eliminated.
Turns out, the night was just “a pleasant evening in the country,” for D’Agostino. Tom Shepston, a consultant to the planning board who spoke first, said the board had already planned to remove that provision from the law and allow Tentrr properties to exist.

“I want to make it very clear, this is not anti-short-term rentals,” Shepstone said. “If anything, we want to promote this kind of activity, but it needs to be done correctly.”

Most people who had come to comment on the short-term rental law were there specifically about Tentrr. There were a few questions about terminology and if there is a process for short-term-rental owners to address grievances. It was suggested that the word “working” be added into a paragraph requiring fire and carbon monoxide alarms.

The planning board will make changes to the new law and republish it for public comment.