People First in Orangeville

Dear Fellow Orangeville Citizens,

As all of you know by now, we are about to hold an election that is of great significance to our town. In this election, you voters are provided with real choices. The current Town Board and the People First candidates have totally different views on how our Town Board should operate and how out town will look, aesthetically. My observations of our current Town Board in action is the reason I find myself participating in this election.

On May 7, 2009, all citizens were provided with three minutes to share concerns about the redrafted zoning law including the board's decision regarding industrial wind turbines being constructed in our town. The vast majority of the citizens that spoke asked the board to please consider the health and welfare of the people who live in Orangeville while making decisions about siting 450-foot turbines. At that time the setbacks were set at 700 feet from property lines and 1,250 feet from your residence. After the hearing the only real change they made was to increase the setback from our home to 1,320 feet. A 70-foot difference. The Vestis wind system safety regulations for operators and technicians, dated Nov. 11, 2006, states do not stay within a radius of 1,300 feet of the turbine. It will be unsafe for our families to garden or hike on our own property.

There are hundreds of pages given to the Town Board to verify and document concerns about potential illness and health problems caused by living in close proximity to wind turbines. The board claimed they took all of this information into consideration as well as recommendations from the county Planning Board. At a Wyoming County Planning Board meeting I discovered that our Town Board had also ignored their recommendations.

Well, all of the citizens who packed the town hall that night might as well have stayed home because they did not listen or take anything under consideration when they voted to pass the zoning law. The Town Board did not even listen to the consultants they had hired and spent thousands of our tax dollars to assist them through the process.

I can assure you that if you elect the People First candidates, your concerns will always be held in high regard, whether you own hundreds of acres or just a few acres. You will be given the time you need to voice your issues and concerns and you can expect an answer.

The physical and mental health of the people who live in Orangeville will always be given greater priority than financial gain for a few.

You see, there is an answer to this problem that all of us could live with. However, we have a Town Board that sold out to the first wind energy company that came to town, rejected the concept of district overlays, rejected incentive zoning and refused to take any ideas of town residents into consideration. Is there any wonder that a viable solution for this problem has not been reached?

It is not only the wind issue, but every issue that this town faces in the future. We need a Town Board that will serve all of the people. We need a Town Board that will put "People First."

Thank you and I would appreciate your support.

Mary Jo Hopkins

Orangeville