Where
Are We Going?— by
Jim Baker & C. Vaccaro
At last Monday's meeting the Town Board voted to reserve
Kent's old town hall to be used by the Dept. of Recreation.
The vote was placed on the agenda without being discussed
at the previous town workshop! In the past, only emergency
items bypassed the workshop and then only if the board
specifically voted in favor of such a bypass, What the
Supervisor gains is the right to put any item on the agenda
at any time, without approval of the town board. This
permits him to avoid full and open discussion of any item
he chooses. Is this good for the Town? Is it good for
the office of supervisor of our town. One lonely town
board member objected!
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Why would anyone want to
avoid full discussion on this particular issue? (1)
There are empty rooms in our new town hall. They are
there specifically for the recreation offices. No
one bothered to prove these rooms to be inadequate.
(2) The community has not been given an opportunity
to ponder alternatives for our old town hall. |
The Supervisor has also introduced the idea of lawsuits
as a substitute for political persuasion. When the Town
Board did not agree with his definition of the office
of deputy supervisor, he initiated a lawsuit against them.
Who do you think will pay the lawyers fees?
Many Kent residents are familiar with the courts (having
been sued for $64,000,000 while defending the Planning
Board). The first thing a judge asks is ... have you exhausted
all other alternatives? We pay State taxes, right? The
State set up the regulations for local governments, right?
Why not take the dispute to the State? Why this rush into
the laps of the lawyers at taxpayers expense? What kind
of leadership prefers intimidation over discussion?
Any avoidance of open discussion occurs at a very unfortunate
time. Quite soon the Town will be asking for a referendum
for additional funds to complete the town center. We need
to trust the person who is going to make the case to the
public. If the referendum fails, according to one board
member, the town will be bankrupt. This is a time for
mutual trust. We urge the Supervisor to drop his lawsuit,
we urge the Town Board to rescind its actions on the old
town hall. There may be some ideas cuts there.
What is the need to rush? The public also needs to know
why Recreation cannot exist in the rooms planned for it
in our new municipal center.
Comments can be sent to: christopher@ablestudio.com
JOB
WELL DONE— by Jim Baker
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BAD WEATHER!
NO PROBLEM
AT THE
RECYCLING CENTER!
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It has been a pleasure working with our volunteers especially
under the recent unusually harsh conditions It warms the
heart if not the feet! There are still people in this
world who care and are willing to work for a good cause.
I don't know how to thank everyone who pitched in and
helped us stay in operation. You are a real inspiration.
Too bad however that you guys don't go to more town board
meetings!
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