Huntington Democrats: the Anti-Innovation Party

The anti-innovation party strikes again: Huntington Democrats Mark Cuthbertson & Tracey Edwards are pushing new legislation to crush the popular home-sharing service Airbnb.

published in The Long Islander, 12/15/16:

The Huntington Town Board at its Dec. 7 meeting proposed two laws that would effectively close the door on the services. The first would prevent accessory apartments from being used as “transient” rental properties, which is a term that would be created by the law and is defined as residential properties rented for a period of less than 30 days. The second resolution would prohibit town-issued rental permits from being issued to owners of transient rental properties...

Councilman Mark Cuthbertson is co-sponsoring both resolutions with Councilwoman Tracey Edwards...

Josh Meltzer, head of New York Public Policy for Airbnb, stated in an email on Wednesday that the service not only assists residents in earning extra money, “but also contributes to spending at small businesses in our communities.”

Meltzer continued, “We hope Huntington follows the lead of municipalities around the state that have crafted clear, simple, enforceable rules that promote public safety and responsible home sharing.”

Public hearings on the Huntington Town Board’s proposals have been set for Jan. 10, 7 p.m., at Huntington Town Hall.