People get thrown together in unusual circumstances. A few weeks ago, I was waiting in line Saturday morning for the hearing on the Ecogen wind project. I was telling some friends that the noise from the wind turbines Ecogen plans to site on my neighbor Fran Hall's property might make my house unlivable, when I hear a shout, "You're lying!" I turn around, and right in front of me is Fran's son, David Hall, the unelected Prattsburgh deputy supervisor.
Taking exception, I said, "Wait just a minute. Remember six years ago when we were leaning against your tractor, I asked you how close those wind turbines would be, and you pointed in the distance and said 'two miles'. All while your dad was writing a sweet deal with Ecogen. Who's lying here?" Hall's response, "I don't know anything about my father's business."
"Then, Dave, you, Andy Moesch and supervisor Harold McConnell steered the Prattsburgh Town Board to make life real comfortable for Ecogen and First Wind. And what happens? Your dad gets $439,250 for allowing Ecogen to site three 400' turbines above Ingleside. That's many times the rate most folks will be paid. And it looks like he got his money in advance, because the $439,250 easement is already filed in Bath." Dave's response, "My father hasn't been paid yet." So Hall says he knows about it, but doesn't know about it. Pretty amazing.
Hall added, "Your problem is you only care about yourself, while I care about the town." I just couldn't let that slide. I told him, "Yes, I and a lot of folks in Prattsburgh care about the hundreds of people potentially damaged by this project, and we care about them more than we care about the dozen or so landowners who've done these deals. And since you say you care so much about the town, why didn't you speak up when Harold pushed through the agreement with Ecogen which ripped-off Prattsburgh? $10 million less that the deal Italy cut for about the same number of turbines for the same project! I offered three times to negotiate for the town for free. We left MILLIONS on the table, and not a peep out of you. What's up with that?" What was Dave's response? He turned his back on me. Well, OK. But by his actions and inaction, and through these transactions, has David Hall turned his back on the town?
Maybe he'll tell you, the voters. When Dave Hall comes up with a handshake and a big smile asking for your vote, ask him for the straight story. Just follow the money. "What's this about the $439,250 for your dad, many times what most of us would get for putting turbines on our property?" Ask David Hall about the colossal $10 million "gift" to Ecogen, a catastrophic loss for the town – which went down with nary a peep out of him. Ask Dave what's up, and why this don't stink.
John Servo
Prattsburgh, NY
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