Defeated Town Board Majority Plans to Capitulate to Ecogen – Their Last Gift to Prattsburgh
Outgoing (defeated) Harold McConnell has called a special Prattsburgh Town Board meeting for this Friday, December 18th in the Prattsburgh Town Hall to review and discuss a possible settlement agreement in the Ecogen vs. Town of Prattsburgh lawsuit. We hope we can once again crowd the meeting. The final monthly meeting of the current town board was held Tuesday the 15th, and since (defeated) councilwoman Sharon Quigley was not in attendance, the current "Gang of Three" could not pass a settlement with Ecogen. They also failed to pass the comprehensive plan. Harold and (SCIDA and town attorney) John Leyden stated they needed to call an “emergency” special meeting for this Friday the 18th. Councilmen Steve Kula and Chuck Shick both questioned the “emergency”, as the court date is in January.
To recap events, newly-elected town supervisor Al Wordingham and councilwoman Anneke Radin-Snaith, and re-elected councilman Chuck Shick, will be sworn in January 1. Al and Anneke haven't been able to participate in closed Town Board meetings regarding the Ecogen lawsuit against the town because the lame-duck town supervisor, Harold McConnell, won't allow it.
In their lawsuit, Ecogen claims that the town has prevented their project from moving forward. Of course, Ecogen couldn't move forward anyway, as it has 1) no road agreement, 2) no transport route, 3) no contiguous line to the substation, 4) no permit for a substation and 5) no variance for 18 turbines in Italy. The lawsuit was filed immediately after the election, and Ecogen makes it no secret that they hope to settle with the present administration before Al Wordingham and Anneke Radin-Snaith join the Prattsburgh Town Board in January. With current town board members Chuck Shick and Steve Kula in favor of responsible wind turbine siting – and opposed to the Ecogen project as currently planned – after January 1st the Prattsburgh Town Board will have a 4-to-1 majority which, we hope, will put in place adequate protections for the town and its citizens.
The present Board Majority is ready to settle with Ecogen (exempt Ecogen from any future windmill laws), and the Board majority voted for John Leyden (who is also the attorney for SCIDA, the lead agent for the Ecogen project) to represent them. However, Chuck Shick and Steve Kula are protesting this decision, and if the Town Board resolves on Friday to accede to Ecogen's demands, a judge in Monroe County, will rule on it before the resolution becomes law.
The current 3-to-2 Prattsburgh town board majority wants another chance to sell our town to the lowest bidder, before they leave office! Please attend this critical meeting this coming Friday, December 18th. Tell "the Gang of Three" what you think of this parting "knife in the back" to the town they had sworn to serve. |