Mr. Gold, 85, a retired builder, said, "I'd love to participate in anything that will save money."

Herb Humble, 74, a retired builder, said: "I don't like it one bit.

That guy's nothing but a retired builder.

He was particularly fond of Mr. DeForest's father, a 63-year-old retired builder.

"As a civic leader, it's been hard to get the attention of the town board members," said Thomas Berger of East Patchogue, a retired builder.

A retired builder, he initiated the idea of building Peconic Landing because of his mother's experience with a nursing home.

And he said he believed the only way the town would fill the position would be to find a retired builder who wanted to earn a few dollars.

"We're not pulling away," said Roy Downing, a retired builder who is the leader of the new party in New Jersey.

A retired builder, Norman Read, said he felt "bitter and cheated" by the verdict against him and vowed to save his garden at all costs.

A local retired builder offered to build the very first building, but the Christian mission, Mobile Mission Maintenance, stepped in and helped too.