Embattled town official Penny to retire

Larry Penny didn't go to work Friday, but he could have if he wanted to.

Penny, East Hampton's director of natural resources, was reinstated at a town board meeting Thursday. He had been accused of insubordination by the board and was suspended last month without pay from the $95,900-a-year post. In a deal reached recently by both parties, Penny, 76, will retire in the coming months and help choose his successor.

After the board ordered its attorney to prepare charges against Penny and begin a process that could have led to his termination, Penny hired Thomas Horn -- an attorney and fellow Sag Harbor resident -- to represent him and formally respond to the dozen charges against him. That led to what both sides would later call "a frank discussion" about Penny's future, including the fact that he had already been considering retirement.

In a carefully crafted statement agreed to by both sides, the board praised Penny for his work over the 28 years he has held his post. Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said that "while there may have been differences and disagreements over certain issues, the Town never doubted Larry's commitment to preservation efforts."

Over the decades, Penny -- a prominent environmental activist in East Hampton -- has developed a reputation for doing things his own way.

"All through the years people wondered why I never caved to the pressure and criticism," he said in the statement. "My only secret was remembering all the people making demands is really a measurement of my department's success."

No date was set for Penny's retirement, and Penny said he expected to do additional work the town would assign him.