Campaign literature distributed by "The Friends of Oyster Bay Cove" on behalf of Richard Appell, a candidate for trustee, claimed that Mr. Appell was "an active member of Friends of the Bay." While I have had one recent telephone conversation with Mr. Appell, after checking our membership rolls I have ascertained that there is no record of Mr. Appell, or any business with which he is associated, being (actively or otherwise) involved with Friends of the Bay.

On behalf of all of the members of Friends of the Bay, I would hope that this political group would refrain from making such false and exaggerated claims of community involvement by its candidates, and that in the future Mr. Appell would demonstrate involvement before seeking to employ an alleged "active" association with our organization for his own political purposes.

Friends of the Bay is not a political organization and does not endorse candidates for public office. We do, however, endorse truthfulness and accuracy, and take note that "The Friends of Oyster Bay Cove" and Mr. Appell have failed on both counts. We hope that this will dissuade other political hopefuls from attempting to falsely claim involvement with our organization if it is not in fact the case.