Saturday, June 10, 2006

June 10, 2006 letter regarding Cohocton Town Board by Bonnie Palmiter

When elected officials of Cohocton are NO LONGER NEUTRAL on the Wind Turbine Projects, community members need to step back and assess why these officials should still be in office representing the Town of Cohocton.

Wednesday evening the Planning Board had a meeting on Local Law #2 and decided to table until August, giving them more time to go through recommendations and do more research. I want to commend the Planning Board on this! The Planning Board has taken the heat on more than one occasion and yet they are doing the job they are to do to uphold the health and safety of the community. Sandor Fox has taken his position more serious since the community has started attending more meetings and stating their concerns and now it is the Town Board that is putting the pressure on him and the committee to get this Local Law # 2 completed and ready to put before the Town Board so they can approve it and get the Industry started.

My point of Neutral starts here, Wednesday night Judge Graham commended the Planning Board and said that if it weren’t for CWW this Law process would be completed. Trashing a group of Cohocton residents that pay property taxes and are concerned about an industry coming in their neighborhood and disrupting their freedoms of owning property and along with their health seems to hit hard coming from an elected official. Where is Neutral in our Government in Cohocton? Is this a judge we want when he sees only his side and no other side, isn’t he suppose to be opened minded, not closed-minded!

Another point of being Neutral on this Industry coming into Cohocton, CWW had a question and answer period Thursday night at the Cohocton Elementary School. Community members were asked to sign in under Pro, Neutral, and Con if they would like to speak. Wayne Hunt stated he would like to read a short statement from the Town Board. When directed to sign in to speak, he was guided to the sheets, he said he WASN’T Neutral and signed the Pro sheet. A red flag went up when I heard him say this for I thought; An Elected Official SHOULD BE NEUTRAL. It didn’t take long and I understood why he signed under Pro. He stood up to declare that the Town Board is NOT POSTPONING THE PUBLIC HEARING OF JUNE 14TH to August as stated by the Planning Board the night before, they are not taking into consideration the PLANNING BOARDS point of doing more research to implement a LOCAL LAW #2 that will protect the Town and it’s residents. After that statement he left without sitting through the rest of the communities input. It is obvious that the Town Board has made up their mind.

After the meeting ended, around 9:30 pm, I was on my way home, passing the UPC office, I was surprised to see lights on in the building. Front door open, lights on, stood Wayne Hunt, Rick, Jane, Ron Towner and Gene Drum and his wife. Conflict of Interest???? Why was an elected official, a landowner that was leased for Turbines and a worker for UPC in a gathering that late at night in UPC’s Building? One really needs to do some soul searching too. Ask yourself just who are our elected officials really protecting?

COHOCTON TOWN BOARD OFFICIALS ARE NOT looking out for the community, they are working for certain landowners and UPC. ( in my opinion - Bonnie Palmiter)

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