Who is looking out for the citizens of Prattsburgh?

Posted with the permission of The Naples Record, originally published Wednesday April 22, 2009

To the editor,

Last Tuesday's Prattsburgh Town Board meeting left me with more questions than answers. Most importantly, does the majority of the Board really have the people's best interests in mind?

Until recently, I thought they did (though I often disagreed with their tactics). Why then, did Supervisor McConnell and the majority of the board refuse to change the location of the meeting to accommodate the people who were not allowed in the room due to lack of space? Is it still considered an open meeting when people are forced to stand out of sight and, for some, out of earshot?

Why does the majority of the board continue to refuse to write and pass regulations that would address citizens' health and safety concerns regarding the proposed wind farms, despite mounting evidence that regulations are needed? The board has heard opinions from people including current wind turbine lease holders, town governments with current wind projects, an independent sound specialist, and a lawyer who has worked on other wind projects. The common thread in all the opinions is that noise is an issue everywhere and it can and should be addressed through regulation and/or increased setbacks.

Whose interest is the majority of the board watching out for -ours or the developer's? As I sat through the meeting, I couldn't help but wonder why a board member's young daughter was chatting comfortably with the developer's attorney. We know the developer is looking out for himself, but who is looking out for Prattsburgh citizens?

Anneke Radin-Snaith,
Prattsburgh