Bye Winter! Sunset 3/16/03

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Question For The Day.

Does anyone have a satisfactory understanding as to why the Supervisor was the only person who advocated for Hamlin's joining the Brockport-Sweden Community Center?

Virtually every private citizen, and the Hamlin Recreation Committee, were opposed to joining this plan. Warner had been elected on the promise that he would create a Community Center, yet he did a 180 on his position.

The first, "trial period," membership fee would have been $10,000! He wanted to yank this out of the recreation budget- just before the start of spring/summer programs. Ten thousand bucks! I wonder how many new architectural concepts for our building that would have bought.

Mr. Supervisor, why were you willing to turn your back on your promise, gut the Recreation budget and send the residents ten miles south to a Rec. Center where they'd all be treated like second class citizens?
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CONFIDENTIALITY

I want to restate my policy on confidentiality. I have received many nice letters from people, some of which I would like to post but I can't because the writers haven't given me permission.

Here's my policy:
1) All correspondence is confidential UNLESS YOU REQUEST THAT I PUBLISH IT.
2) All email addresses and identities are confidential. THEY ARE NOT RELEASED TO ANYBODY.
3) All conversations are confidential. I always verify. Things which are important to the community have to be checked out. It wouldn't be fair or responsible if I merely repeated something from a single source. The reasons for this policy are: A person who told me something might feel betrayed; the information could be wrong or biased; the public deserves credibility.
Please be assured, no one person should feel that they are the only source for anything I post. I always confirm it with at least one other.

Thank you everyone who has written or talked to me. I couldn't do this by myself. If we continue to work together eventually we will make our little local government accountable. We will succeed!

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NOTICE OF MEETING

The Hamlin Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Code Committee is meeting tomorrow in the town hall. The meeting usually starts at 7PM but it might be 7:30. Call the Supervisor's office at 964-8981 or the Town Clerk at 964-2421 for the time and location.

This meeting is "by invitation only." Maybe if people show up, they'll be invited to stay.

Sorry for the late notice, this committee is not required to post it's meeting times and dates. Remember, they want to work in secret!

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Question For The Day.

Wouldn't it have been better for the public if the money now being used to expand and glorify the Supervisor's office had been spent in some other way?

Perhaps as seed money to explore options for a Community Center?

News Flash: Hamlin, NY- Hamlin Republicans Placed on Double Secret Probation for Gross Incompetence.
Party Headquarters- Republican Dean of Discipline Chewing Out Hamlin Republicans. Shown here is "Wormer" Minarik reading the riot act to the honchos in the HRP. They were on-the-carpet for, "the usual stupidity" said Wormer. Associated Press

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Cowardness is not an American Value

I wonder if the individuals who comprise the Hamlin Republican Committee ever do any introspection. I wonder if they ever ask themselves, as individuals, if they are acting responsibly. The Republican Party claims to represent a lot of "American Values." Things like truth, honesty, personal responsibility and integrity. President Bush ran with a pledge to "return integrity to the White House." Maybe the leaders of the HRC should adopt a similar concept. "Return integrity to the Town Hall!"

I pose this question because of what happened in the HRP meeting last week. It was during this meeting that Austin Warner's war with Kathi Rickman was finally fully revealed. Warner's hand-picked candidate for Rickman's job, Linda Hoffman, presented her credentials for the office. My loyal readers will recall that I shared this with the public a few weeks back.

Yet, even with my forewarning, NOBODY stood up and asked Warner why he was sabotaging Rickman. Incredible.

Warner is forever spewing the Party Line gobbledygook about being a "Team Player" and "the value of Teamwork." He did it at this meeting and nobody- nobody at all- had the guts to challenge him on it. I know that plenty of people were acutely aware of the hypocrisy in his words, but nobody would speak up.

Why is that? I can't answer, only the individual members of the HRC can. Maybe people are just scared to speak up in public. Maybe people are afraid to challenge authority. Maybe they're afraid they'll be bullied later by Warner. Any person who feels this way ought to ask themselves if they have what it takes to be a responsible member of the Committee. This is the group that makes all the decisions about our community. If you can't speak up and challenge one another how good can it be for the rest of us?

When the public looks at the disaster of local government, with its incompetence and absence of vision, the blame can be spread among lots of people. More of it belongs to those individuals on the HRC who won’t speak up when they confront lies, hypocrisy and abuse of power. Cowardness is not an American Value.

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Thanks Marty for the great "artwork."
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Correction: Justice Paul Rath's name was mispelled in
the 3/25/03 article. I spelled it Wrath, it must have been Fruedian!

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I Wonder Where?

It's well known that Austin Warner hasn't fulfilled many, if any, of his election promises. His promise to "improve communications" turned out to be a cruel joke on the citizens. There is no public accounting, no Hamlin Post and no web Forum. Now he has embarked on a Nixon-like program of barring the public from public meetings. When paranoia sets in, the end is in sight.

Most adults recognize that if a person fears and refuses scrutiny it's because they have something to hide. We know this from experience- from being kids, and raising them.

What does Austin Warner have to hide?

Probably many things.

For example, I'm sure the public recalls the gleeful rush by the Supervisor to buy into Time-Warner's consumer tax rip-off. You remember the plan whereby TW imposes and collects a "surcharge" on your cable TV bill, then hands the money over to the town. Hamlin was the last community in the county to adopt this scam. Politicians like it because it doesn't appear that they are raising your taxes (actually, it's just cable consumers,) while TW promotes the pilfer because the money returned helps "influence" local government. If you're a secret tax collector you're not likely to get hassled renewing your franchise.

TW imposes the tax on your monthly invoice with the hope that you will just accept it as "some government thing." There is no indication that it's your local town hall who set it up. There is no link back to the fact that the Supervisor, almost drooling over the prospect of "free money," pushed and lobbied and promoted this limited "vice" tax. That's not on your bill.

But, my question to the public, and the Supervisor is this, "Where's the money?" Who got it? How was it spent? Was the public included, even to the degree of being informed, about how it would be used? Why don't we know? Why is the information hidden?

Hey Austin, "Where's the money?"

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The Hamlin Ridiculous Party


For years, since at least 1994, I have been describing the Hamlin Republican Party as a closed, secretive and self serving organization. While there are people, both old and new, who are trying to bring about change in the party, it is still dominated by the same old in-bred mentality. This core group is so out of touch, so old fashioned and frightened, that their reactions are annoyingly simple to predict.

Take tonight for instance.

Tonight I tried to attend a very important meeting of the HRP and, shockingly, I was refused admittance! This meeting was significant because every person who was seeking nomination from the HRP to be a candidate in this fall's election had to address the committee. Each prospect had to explain their credentials and qualifications. They had to sell their individual benefits and persuade the committee to select them as the official candidate at next month's meeting.

There was bound to be some good political fireworks! So, God forbid, any of the rest of us taxpayers should know about it!

I went to this meeting actually expecting to stay. The Hamlin Republican Party has always advertised that it's meetings are open to the public, this pitch is in all their literature. I expected to stay, but I wasn't surprised that I was prevented from it. Austin Warner is fighting for his political life, and he obviously had prearranged the mechanics of kicking me out with the committee Chairman.

Here's what happened.

I knew how important tonight's meeting would be, but, because of family obligations, wasn't sure I could make it. Several friends urged me to attend. A while back I had revealed (on this site) that Austin Warner was planning to attack Kathi Rickman by sponsoring an opponent for the Clerk's job. Now that the plot was out in the open, both prospective candidates would have to address the group. The political battle lines would be drawn. Warner's empire building would be revealed and his gradual stacking of the Republican Committee would become obvious.

I arrived at the Town Hall late, but the presentations were just beginning. I was greeted at the door, graciously, by Justice Paul Wrath who stood so I could pass and pointed me toward the only open seat- to Austin Warner's left! I squeezed down the isle until I was just in front of the Supervisor when he mumbled (words to the effect,) "Well, wait" and faintly gestured to the head table. I heard someone say, " Um, Excuse me." I looked up to the head table, where the chairman said, "This meeting is closed to the public. It's only for people who are members of the Republican Party. Are you a registered Republican?" "No," I answered. "Well then, you'll have to leave," he said. I shrugged my shoulders, looked at some friends, and walked out of the room.

I went to the bathroom and they returned to work. One the way out, I stopped at the bulletin board and read the public postings. I was there about 3 or 4 minutes when my friend, Ed Wegman, came out into the hall. I was busy reading something so I didn't look up right away. When I did glance up, Ed was gesturing back toward the room, signaling, "I don't know. It looks fine." I started to call his name but he was already reentering the room. In the next half minute, chairs were shuffled and (surprise!) the door was shut! Mind you, It was HOT in that room. Still, it was better to suffer the heat than allow an unregistered resident access to the speeches of prospective town candidates. I'm sure the ordinary citizen would agree.

This incident, these silly little events, bring into sharp focus what is wrong with the HRP, its leadership and the out-dated culture of Hamlin Politics.

I believe that most of the people present at tonight's meeting would have overruled the Supervisor/Chairman's set-piece, and permitted me to stay and observe (and report my observations if I wanted.) I think they would have allowed it, if they had been given an opportunity to chose. Instead, events took on their own momentum. The men who had preplanned for the situation were able to direct the outcome. By being prepared, and the rest unprepared, they achieved their goal. They blocked me from observing. Not to prevent the observation, but to block the reporting.

The culture of the HRP is disturbingly out of date. We live in the 21st century. Things move fast. The conditioned impulse of blind obedience or acquiescence to authority no longer works. A difference of opinion is not to be feared or suppressed. We have to chose, and, sometimes, chose quickly, when the party's integrity is perverted for personal advantage.

When the Chair of the HRP directed me to leave, I scanned the room. I saw- by body language, by the confused expressions, by the quiet of vague shame- that the mainstream committee member wasn't comfortable. I'll bet that, if I had been quick or smart enough to ask someone to demand a vote, the majority of the HRP would have supported an open meeting.

Tonight's events demonstrate, once again, the childish unsophistication of the Warner administration. Barring me from the meeting is not going to prevent me from reporting on it! Allowing me to attend would have been gracious and sensible. First hand reporting is always better than second hand.

Tonight's events also showed that the mainstream member of the HRP is still too prone to blind obedience. The party has rules and traditions which should not have been so easily overturned by the political paranoia of the Supervisor and a few cronies.

NOTE: This letter expresses the sentiments of many Hamlin residents. What are we, the dissatisfied voters, going to do about it?

I like your website and appreciate your efforts to keep us advised. I have
heard from a couple of sources, including your website, of the possible
formation of a "Hamlin First Party." I like the sounds of that! As a life-long
(50+ years) Republican, I could never support the Democratic party, yet I find
myself more and more turned off by the actions/inactions of the current Town
regime. Although I am satisfied with the Republican party from a national
standpoint, I am totally embarrassed by how it is represented in this Town. I
am ready to support a party that is made up of local people - Republican and
Democrats, Conservative and Liberal - who are interested in improving our
wonderful town. Is the Hamlin First Party just wishful thinking or is there
really some interest in creating a party - comprised of Republicans, Democrats,
Independents/non-aligned - that is truly interested in the future of Hamlin. If
it's the latter, then where do I signup and what can I do to help? I know there
must be a lot more people than just me and you, who are as tired of the
cronyism, ineptitude and short-sightedness that has been the hallmark of our
current Town administration. I for one am ready to desert my national party of
choice, for a local party comprised of people who really want to make a
difference in the future of our wonderful town. Please sign me,

"Town before Party"

The "Woody" statuette.

NOMINATIONS WANTED!

Please submit your nominations for the First Annual H.C. Worden Ethics In Government Award

This prize is awarded to the person or deed which best demonstrates the worst in local government ethics.

Hurry! Nominations close on April 1st, 2003. Citizens will vote for a winner during April.

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Good Ideas

At the town board meeting on 3/10/03 there was an excellent presentation made by three members of our Recreation Committee. Diane Hennekey, John Stoia and Al Ritchie presented two ideas to the Town Board.

Mr. Stoia requested that the town inaugurate a New Construction application fee of $250 for residential, and $500 for commercial buildings, to be collected and dedicated to the Recreation Capitol Reserve Fund. The revenues would be used to help develop a plan to build a Community Center and for long term Recreation goals.

The second idea, presented by Al Ritchie, was a request that the town board create an exploratory committee to determine the level of interest and desire in the community for the construction of a Community Center. Mr. Ritchie made the request because the Recreation Department believes that any survey undertaken by them might be viewed, by the public, as biased in favor of construction. They want a committee made up of citizens separate from Recreation and chaired by a Councilperson.

Both of these ideas are excellent. The Recreation Department is perhaps the most successful, efficient and organized of any Hamlin agency. Since it was taken over by Patty Batty several years ago it has shaken off it's antiquated, outmoded methods and become as modern and comprehensive as any Rec. Department in the County. Ms. Batty and the others who helped build the organization have never received the attention or recognition they deserve for their contributions to Hamlin's quality of life.

Its success is also a measure of the dedication and commitment of selfless volunteers such as Mr. Stoia and Mr. Ritchie. Many regular citizens have spent untold hours helping make "Hamlin Rec." an outstanding success.

This presentation also serves to highlight how complete the failure of the Warner administration has been.

Many, many people in this community remember that the development of a plan for a Community Center was a cornerstone of Warner's campaign for office three years ago.

What happened?

If you ask around town the answer most knowledgeable people offer is that the project died from lack of momentum. A lack of motivation is a failure of leadership.

Warner's administration has been mired in childish internecine warfare with the town clerk and others. It has been bogged down by pointless empire building and showmanship. It has bombed because of a lack of vision, or even a little bit of focus, on important issues.

Instead of a plan for a Community Center, Warner gets a nice new office. A bigger, remolded office. And a hefty raise, in the form of benefits, which he gave exclusively to himself. Many people, especially those retired from the Highway Department, think Warner's raise came from their loss of health care benefits. (The two events were simultaneous.)

There can be no clearer picture of the failure of the Warner administration then this. When community volunteers develop and present ideas to the Town Board, which the Board should have originated and implemented long ago, the image of an incompetent local government comes into sharp focus.

When the Supervisor appeared at the recent "Snow Days" event dressed as a penguin it may have been the most important contribution he's made to the Recreation Department during his entire term.

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Beware the Plague


There is a plague spreading through Hamlin. It is a disease which threatens to ruin the character of our community. It is the Two-Acre Disease and the carrier is the Chairman of the Zoning Board, Norm Baas.

Mr.Baas doesn't like 5 acre parcels and he wants them outlawed. No one knows the origins of his hostility. He is no longer a large land owner. Perhaps he represents the interests of others who are.

If Mr. Baas succeeds in eliminating the 5 acre parcel Hamlin will be changed forever, and for the worse. The large parcel of land is essential to the character and rural feel of this community. Five acre parcels are hard to clump together, they give each homeowner a lot of room. When they are well planned, 5 acre parcels have the look and feel of small estates. The owner has a considerable amount of land to do with as they see fit. Some plant orchards, or large gardens or Christmas trees. Many land owners simply enjoy letting the land return to it's natural state after decades of farming stress. These owners enjoy providing habitat for wildlife. They want nature outside their backdoor. They like to see the wild birds, rabbits, turkeys and deer. They believe that restoring a parcel of land to it's natural state is productive. It's good for wildlife, it's good for the environment, it's good for people.


Norm Baas hates it. Norm Baas believes that this land is "wasted." He has used this word repeatedly, he used it in last night's Zoning Board meeting. Baas has a dangerous bias. He thinks that if soil can be used for agriculture than it must be used that way. It is a very strange conviction.

In most other things Norm Baas is a political and philosophical conservative. In general, he believes that people should be allowed to do whatever they want with their property. Except to let it go fallow. This he deems wasteful and won't be tolerated.

He is working hard in local political circles to put a stop to this perceived "waste." For at least a decade he has constantly carped, to anyone who would listen, that 5 acre parcels are bad and should be eliminated from our zoning code. He wants to replace them with a minimum lot size in rural, agricultural areas of 2 acres. Although, next year it might be 1 acre.

He has convinced a lot of people, including the Supervisor and members of the Planning and Zoning Boards. Norm Baas is constantly, relentlessly selling this idea inside the new Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Code Committee. He's like a terrier, he never lets go.

So what's the big deal? What difference does it make to us, the ordinary Hamlin resident? We already got ours, right?

Here's why it matters: Large parcels are an important part of what defines Hamlin as a desirable place to live. It's one of the most important reasons people move here. There are very few other communities left in Monroe County where families of modest means can afford to buy a piece of the American Dream. Who could afford 5 acres in Brighton, or Pittsford, or Greece?

Land has a great deal of significance to many Americans. It means safety, security and success. Land allows people to feel connected. It lets them feel a part of nature and allows them give something back to it. People feel that they own something of real value. People feel safe on their own land, it's a place where their kinds can roam, have adventure and exercise their bodies and their imaginations. Owning land makes many Americans feel whole, complete.

Hamlin is a unique opportunity for many families. Here, a young couple can start life in a modest house or mobile home. As they build their lives and their families they can move up to larger homes and, if they want, eventually to a large parcel and a piece of the country. Families can fulfill dreams- hunt, fish, swim, observe birds and wildlife up close. Parents can give their children a sense of the beauty of nature, and our country, in a way that's impossible in the city and most suburbs.

Norm Baas was born here in Hamlin. He's lived his whole life here as a farmer. His only perception of land is that it should be exploited with a cutting blade. He scorns the idea that land has value just as it is, unblemished, natural. Familiarity breeds contempt. Mr. Baas can't seem to appreciate the joys of sitting, doing nothing out in an old apple orchard. He doesn't seem to understand that just listening to the birds and frogs and wind, out of sight of people and the daily chaos, is restorative, relaxing and healthy. Land must be churned up, stomped down and forced to wring out crops, or it's "wasted."

Norm Baas wants to destroy part of what is unique in our community. His opinion that land not being farmed, is wasted is flat out wrong. His is a narrow, unimaginative viewpoint. It is a dangerous and destructive viewpoint. If Mr. Baas succeeds in changing our Zoning code, he will be destroying one of the essential ingredients in the character of our community. Don't let him.

Mr.Baas, yours is not the only opinion. It's only the worst one.


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This is an extremely important issue to all Hamlinites. I know that others have strong opinions about it. I urge you to call your town council, to call the Supervisor and tell them not to change the code. If you have ideas and want them published here please email them to me. There is much to be said.
PT

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

IMITATION IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF...

Of the many faults of the Warner administration, one of the most consistent is it's lack of creativity. This is different from but associated with many other failures- the complete lack of a vision for the future of the community, an inability to negotiate contracts or financing and a blanket rejection of the reading and study needed to effectively manage a community in the 21st century.

Warner has managed to compensate for some of his creative shortfall by quickly reacting to the ideas of others and claiming them as his own. A case in point is the issue of balanced representation on the Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Code Committee. In a letter to the Editor in the March 3rd Hamlin-Clarkson Herald, I complained about the weaknesses of the committee. There were no farmers, no one from Huntingtom Park (or any housing development) and no women. Well, that letter sure lit a fire under the Supervisor. He reacted quickly, filling new positions with exactly the people I’d described. He also “disinvited” me from the committee.

When Warner announced his new appointments at the March 10th town board meeting, he neglected to give me any credit!!! What a surprise. He also neglected to announce, loud and clear, that he was barring the public from attending these meetings. So while trying to do the right thing with one hand, he wronged with the other. This kind of self destructive ineptness is also a characteristic of his administration.

It's always been this way with Warner. When he originally ran for Supervisor he had no ideas. All he offered the community was “teamwork.” Which, at that time in the Hamlin Republican Party, meant unanimity in voting and the appearance of an absence of dissent. However, once he got his hands on my campaign flyer, all of a sudden he had some concrete plans- improved communications with the public, a committee to find a solution to the Community Center issue and the establishment of citizen advisory committees. He lifted all these ideas from me and made them goals for his first term. Unfortunately for Hamlin, he failed to fulfill any of them.

So I, and we as a community, should be glad when Warner completes some good ideas, regardless of who he steals them from. You're welcome Austin, and I am flattered.
PT

Hungry Deer

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Synopsis of
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS OF HAMLIN'S
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND ZONING CODE COMMITTEE

Those who deny freedom for others, deserve it not for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
Justice William O. Douglas

The work of this group will have far reaching effects on nearly every aspect of life in Hamlin for the next decade. Why would this Committee prevent the public from participating this process?

THE CAUSES
The Supervisor and Ed Evans worked with the town attorney to find a way to exempt this committee from NY's "Open Meetings Law," closing it to the public.

They did this to prevent me from participating or observing, and reporting to the public. I had been a member of the committee, and new members, selected by the supervisor, said they would quit if I were present. They feared that I would discuss them in the paper.

It is difficult to understand what they would fear from public scrutiny or disclosure. Nothing they would debate or consider is secret. The fear can only be that I might dissagree with their ideas or conclusions and share that with the public.

What is the harm in public awareness of the debates? There is none. Public knowledge of the government processes is a good thing. The real fear is theat the leadership might be criticized and our elected officials don't want anyone to do that.

THE SPIN: I
Supervisor Warner and Councilman Evans have tried to put "spin" on the issue. The first is that the public is not actually prohibited because attendance will be "by invitation only." The reality is: all citizens are prohibited from attending these meetings. Inviting a select few doesn't change that. Our free press is also denied access.

Permitting a select few to attend meetings, while everyone else is barred from them, is a corrupt public policy. No policy of discrimination has ever been mitigated by the excuse that "we let a few in." "Whites Only," is precisely "by invitation only."

THE SPIN: II
The town argued that if the meetings were open they might get disorderly. This is stupid. The argument is: We don't want the public to come, because the might come. Hamlin has had many meeting where citizens spoke out, sometimes angrily. They have never gotten out of control. The committee leaders fear of public reaction is insufficient reason to bar them.

THE SPIN: III
The grounds used by Warner and Evans to exclude the public from this debate is: This is an "advisory group" with no legal power or authority. This is simple deceit. The stated purpose of the committee is to write a new Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Codes. The last form of this group, the Sign Code Committee, presented its recommendations to the town board which did not debate them. Mr. Warner stated that the committee had been asked to do a job, they did it and there was no reason to second-guess their work. The board adopted the proposal as presented.

Every member of the committee knows, in their hearts and their minds, what the mission is. They will write the law, not "advise." To say otherwise is to lie.

THE DECISION
It is essential to our democratic process that the public be allowed to observe the debates which produce our laws. It is essential to our way of life that the press be permitted to report on these proceedings. Those concepts are inherent in the First Amendment and are further defined by NYS law. The Open Meeting Law which says:

"The legislature hereby finds that a
free society is maintained when government is responsive and
responsible to the public, and when the public is aware of
governmental actions. The more open a government is with its
citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the
public in government.

The people's right to know the process of governmental
decision-making and to review the documents and statistics
leading to determinations is basic to our society. Access to such
information should not be thwarted by shrouding it with the cloak
of secrecy or confidentiality. The legislature therefore declares
that government is the public's business and that the public,
individually and collectively and represented by a free press,
should have access to the records of government in accordance
with the provisions of this article."

I challenge the members of this committee to make a decision. The decision is to support the half truth, violate the spirit and intent of the law, deny the public the right to listen and comment on the development of policy and legislation- or not.

THE ACTION
Those who choose not to support this deceit must step forward and change the policy. Committee members can elect to invite the public and public scrutiny. They must step forward and do the right, moral thing and insist that all meetings be made open to the public. Any members who fear public observation, are probably not well suited to public service.

CULPABILITY
I remind each of the individual committee members that "not to decide is to decide." You can stand up for the principles of free speech, the spirit of open government and individual responsibility, or side with those who would try to hide their actions from the citizens they serve. There is no middle ground, you will be counted in one group or the other.

Peter Tonery
March 12, 2003

The full text of my letter is available in the Archives 3/7/03

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I don't mean to let the cat out of the bag too early, but Austin Warner is planning to cleave the Hamlin Republican Party right down the middle early next week. That's when he introduces his hand picked candidate for Town Clerk, Linda Hoffman. Hoffman must file a Letter of Intent to run on the ticket.

The position is now held by long time Clerk Kathi Rickman. Warner, who seems unable to tolerate women who have independent opinions, has nurtured a feud with Rickman for years. The trouble seems to have started early in Warner's first term when he sought to take control of town documents. All of a municipality's records and documents are the strict province of the Clerk. This is one of the important checks and balances of our system. On weekends, Warner will collect the town's mail directly from the Post Office, take it to his office open and file it. Rickman, righteously upset, challenged his authority and may have taken other steps to prevent the supervisor from interfering with the town's record keeping.

Most people in Warner's position wouldn't touch the records with a ten foot pole. The mail is filled with official, legal documents. What if some were lost? What if a check or record of a payment was misplaced? What if there were legal or financial improprieties by some party in the town hall? By handling records privately Warner is exposing himself to tremendous risk in the event of a problem.

Equally as important, the Clerk, who has legal authority over the records, would not be responsible. If the supervisor opens the mail, then the Clerk cannot be held accountable for those documents.

Warner, who has never had a clear understanding of his duties or limitations, was outraged when Rickman challenged him about the mail. What documents he was looking for, or attempting to intercept, is still unknown. However, the result of the Clerk's action to protect town documents, as she is legally obligated to do, was to be alienated and attacked by Warner's faction of the H.R.P. This faction has been growing as a result of appointments he has been making to the Republican Committee. Some have questioned the legality of these appointments, which might jeopardize the nomination.

Even though this is another of the worst kept secrets in Hamlin, the battle lines will officially be drawn inside the party when the Letters of Intent are filed next week.

Readers will see that this web site has changed. I've done this because, while it's been fun, I think I've gotten away from my mission. I started this web site in direct response to the supervisor's closing of the Hamlin Web Forum. Despite the puerile excuses, his real reason for cutting off the public dialogue was fear, and resentment, of criticism for his poor performance.

Tonight, exactly as predicted, Warner acted to close public participation in, and scrutiny of, the committee which is rewriting our Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Codes. This is a stunning act. The public will not be informed of meeting dates, of the issues under discussion, of the range of options being examined. The future of our community is being planned, and the community will be excluded from the process. That's a hell of a thing.

You will hear that the "meetings are by invitation," but no one will know when they are held or what they concern. You will hear that the "public will be kept informed." This is such a bitter sarcasm. The supervisor has never, in the past two years, tried to inform the public of anything. We only hear from him after he has screwed up and needs to backpedal.

It will be interesting to see who supports the continuance of this committee. Members who acquiesce to barring the public are as culpable as Warner. Public scrutiny is a good thing. It is the right thing.

I realize that a few readers have objected to some of the satire we've posted. They should remember however, that the pillorying of incompetent and arrogant politicians in an honored American tradition. "The Gangs of New York," recently reminded us of the power of political lampooning. The cartoons of Thomas Nast brought down Tammany Hall almost singlehandedly. Oh, that I could draw! We may create a separate web site for satire and political comedy. In the meantime, I will refocus this site to it's original purpose: to try and keep Hamlin residents informed of the political activities in town.

Thank you all for your support.


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SPECIAL THANKS:

Thanks, J.M. for the excellent narrative (spanking good comedy); thanks M.E. for the superb paste-ups, very funny (and I look forward to the "Animal House" ones!) And "props" to Mr. T. for the audio hook-up- very fun.

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EmailQuestion:


I heard a rumor regarding the establishment of "Hamlin's First Party" in the Town. Have you heard any validity to this and if so are they going to have
candidates for this year's elections and for which seats? Last time the Town Supervisor ran unopposed, I believe in choices and I'd hate to see that happen again. I for one will be lifting the little window in the election booth and writing in the name of the person I think is best qualified to handle the position.
Anonymous Hamlinite

Thanks for writing AH. Anyone care to comment? (My guess is that you'll be able to pull a lever!)
PT
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Coming soon!

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MEMBERS OF HAMLIN’S
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND ZONING CODE COMMITTEE

Those who deny freedom for others, deserve it not for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.
Justice William O. Douglas


The project you are undertaking will likely produce the most important legislation in Hamlin for the next decade. You will effect everything from waterlines, to homebuilding, to commercial development, to the health, safety and welfare of all residents. What you debate and the decisions you make will have the most profound impact on all aspects of the growth and quality of life in our community. It is very important work.

Why would you choose to do this work out of the sight and scrutiny of the public?

Ours is a free society, but it is under constant assault from forces which seek to limit those freedoms. Often these attacks come from the very officials we elected, and entrusted, to protect our rights. Often the actions to limit freedom are legal. They are legal but immoral.

THE CAUSES
In this case, the Supervisor, Councilman Evans and the town attorney, have conspired to implement a policy which restricts the public’s right to observe the proceedings of your committee. Specifically, they have manipulated administrative rules so as to permit the committee to operate outside of the laws governing open meetings.

Why would they do this? Bluntly, they did it to keep me out. I was invited to join the committee by, then chair, Ralph Dellarocco at it’s second meeting. Subsequently, the Supervisor invited others to join, some of whom objected to my presence and threatened to quit if I was allowed to stay. Warner and Evans then employed Ken Licht to find a loophole to kick me out, restrict the membership and avoid the open meetings law. They succeeded.

Why would they do that? Obviously, because they believe that I would scrutinize the process and try to make the public aware of the debates and decisions. It is difficult to understand why they would fear that. Nothing the committee might discuss is secret or protected. It is all public record. Their fear can only be that I might disagree with their opinions or proposals. Differences of opinion are not to be feared, or suppressed. Ours is an open society.

I am no radical. My opinions are cogent. I often disagree with local government because I think their decision making is sloppy, short term, and self serving. However, setting the quality of my opinions aside, how can the community be harmed by learning of the questions, debates and decisions of this committee? The community wouldn’t be harmed, they would benefit.

If the community will not be harmed by my attending meetings, the question becomes, “Will the committee members be harmed if their debate and decisions are shared with the public?” Possibly. An informed public might give the committee increased scrutiny and feedback. There could be more public interest and input. More and more citizens might want to go to meetings. That is exactly how it should be. The issues under discussion are too important to be kept away from the public. If my attendance at committee meetings results in public debate and dialogue, that is a good thing.

Apparently, some committee members fear that the public will learn what issues are being discussed and the changes being proposed. If these members fear or deny the philosophy that the public has a right to know the debates underlying the policies of their government, then they should simply leave the committee. As adults we accept responsibility for our words and our actions.

The underlying issues and debates that contribute to new zoning laws shouldn’t be kept secret.

THE SPIN: I
The loophole Warner and Evans have found to deny public scrutiny of this committee relies on considerable “spin doctoring.” The most obvious is that the public is allowed, “by invitation only.” This suggests that the meetings are open and attempts to distract from the reality that all citizens are actually barred from attendance. The meetings are closed to the public, period. Inviting some guests doesn’t change that.

“Invitation only,”suggests that the policy is selective instead of exclusionary. That is the spin; Warner and Evans hope we will think the process is selective and won’t comprehend its true purpose which is to deny public access. No amount of spin doctoring can disguise that.

Further, if the policy allows hand picked observers only, it is not just discriminating, it is counter productive. How will sycophants promote public debate? When your committee debates the future of farm land who will be “invited” to listen? Who will be excluded? When you debate the issue of violent dog breeds who of the public will be given permission to listen? When you debate property maintenance issues who will share that dialogue with the public at large? If you do not intend to publicize the meetings and subject matter, how will citizens know when an issue which is important to them will be debated? If meetings are “invitation only” how often will the press be invited? The argument is a sham.

Permitting a select few to attend meetings, while everyone else is barred from them, is a corrupt public policy. No policy of discrimination has ever been mitigated by the excuse that “we let a few in.” “Whites Only,” is precisely “by invitation only.”

THE SPIN: II
A primary argument offered to legitimize this decision is that if the meetings were open they might be disrupted by too many people attending or seeking to be heard. What nonsense. What this means is: We don’t want people to come, because they might come. It’s inane.

I have attended many recent meetings where a large number of the public turned out. Meetings on the cell tower, about problems in a trailer park, meetings on raising violent dog breeds, to name a few. Sometimes these meetings got a little out of order, but they never, not once, got out of control. When it comes to issues about safety or property values or quality of life, residents often feel passionately. That passion, mixed with the conviction that the government never listens, is what provokes occasional disorder. It is not the mere attendance of the public.

Every town committee has faced angry and upset citizens. In every case I’ve observed, the chairman has managed the situation calmly and easily. The citizens were able to vent, be heard and the meeting went on. The “Fear of Disturbance” argument is fatuous and contrived.

THE SPIN: III
A few months back the last form of this committee, the Sign Code Committee, presented it’s recommendations to the town board. There was no debate at the public hearing by the members of the board. Instead, Mr. Warner stated that the committee had been asked to do a job, they did it and there was no reason to second guess their work. He essentially abrogated his responsibility as a law maker by giving over his legislative authority to the advisory committee. Why would he, or any other board members who did the same, act differently in this upcoming instance.

When the public is told that the purpose of a committee is to “advise,” and the truth is that it’s purpose is to write new law, then the public, your friends and neighbors, are being deceived. Everybody on this committee knows what it’s purpose and objective is. No amount of blathering by Evans/Warner/Licht to the public will alter the truth. Every member of the committee knows that the goal of the committee is, in the words of Ed Evans, “to rewrite both the town’s Master Plan [sic] and to write new Zoning Code to fix a lot of different problems we have.” This is where the moral decision begins.

By the way, all Sign Code Committee meetings were open to the public.

THE DECISION
All through life we encounter situations where people try to deceive us. A little spin here, a half truth there, “shades of meaning,” we’ve all been victim to it. This issue is too important to allow yourselves to be deceived. It is essential to our democratic process that the public be allowed to observe the debates which produce our laws. It is essential to our way of life that the press be permitted to report on these proceedings. Those concepts are inherent in the First Amendment and are further defined by NYS law. The Open Meeting Law* reads, in part (emphasis mine);

§84. Legislative declaration. The legislature hereby finds that a
free society is maintained when government is responsive and
responsible to the public, and when the public is aware of
governmental actions. The more open a government is with its
citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the
public in government.

The people's right to know the process of governmental
decision-making and to review the documents and statistics
leading to determinations is basic to our society. Access to such
information should not be thwarted by shrouding it with the cloak
of secrecy or confidentiality. The legislature therefore declares
that government is the public's business and that the public,
individually and collectively and represented by a free press,
should have access to the records of government in accordance
with the provisions of this article.

The legislative loophole Warner and Evans are exploiting is the assertion that this committee is not what it really is. They are deliberately obfuscating the truth to prevent, “The people's right to know the process of governmental decision-making.” Each member of this committee has a personal, moral decision to make. The decision is to support the half truth, violate the spirit and intent of the law, deny the public the right to listen and comment on the development of policy and legislation- or not.

THE ACTION
Those who choose not to support this deceit must step forward and change the policy. Committee members can elect to invite the public and public scrutiny. The loophole which allows these “advisory” bodies to meet outside of the Open Meeting Law does NOT mandate that the meetings be closed. In fact, the NYS Committee on Open Meetings recommends that they be open to the public even if its not required.**

Most members of this committee are mature responsible adults who are unafraid to allow the public to observe and comment on the issues and ideas which will be debated. It is incumbent on those members to step forward and do the right, moral thing and insist that all meetings be made open to the public. If there are members on the committee who fear permitting public observation, perhaps they are not well suited to this kind of public service.

CULPABILITY
As citizens we are each responsible for our own actions. Very often, no action is itself the action. This is one of those times. The weasely manipulation of words that Warner and Evans have employed to deny public access to policy debate and legislative creation is regrettable. You, the individual member of this committee, have to decide for yourself what is right, and what is the right thing to do.

You can stand up for the principles of free speech, the spirit of open government and individual responsibility, or side with those who would try to hide their actions from the citizens they serve. There is no middle ground, you will be counted in one group or the other.

Ethically many politicians act like magnets, if you get too close to them they will throw your moral compass way off course. Steer for yourself, that’s all any of us can do.

Sincerely,
Peter Tonery


* PUBLIC OFFICERS LAW, ARTICLE 6
SECTIONS 84-90
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW

** (http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html)

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A TEST

Which best describes Austin Warner's political philosophy as demonstrated by his behaviors in office? Keep in mind his decision to suppress free speech (closing the Web Forum), deny public access to policy meetings (closing the Zoning Code/Comprehensive Plan committee) and usurpation of authority (his war with the Town Clerk over control of documents.)

Republic: Form of state based on the concept that sovereignty resides in the people, who delegate the power to rule in their behalf to elected representatives and officials.

Totalitarianism: In political science, system of government and ideology in which all social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual activities are subordinated to the purposes of the rulers of a state.

Autocracy: A political system under which one ruler wields unlimited power, restricted by no constitutional provisions or effective political opposition.

Absolutism: A political system in which there is no legal, customary, or moral limit on the government's power. The term is generally applied to political systems ruled by a single dictator, but it can also be applied to seemingly democratic systems that grant sweeping powers to the legislature or executive.

I know, this is hard! Personally, I vote for Absolutism. He just doesn't know any better.

Frozen Trees, West Fork Rd.

I received this email from Jan in Lakebreeze:

Thank you for setting up this web page. I heard about it from a friend who was up in the town hall. It's important that the public learn about what's going on. I'm glad that someone is watching and reporting. They don't seem to know what they're doing, do they?
Jan
Brookedge Dr.

STATE: Part II

Analyzing the State of the Town article we find that our Aufseher cites an amazing FIVE achievements! They are:

1: The report on the Tower Code. (Warner's rewrite of the facts to disguise the truth about his position.)

2: Signing a contract with an outside audit firm which discovered a missing payment. (It's too bad we can't audit ourselves. These events took place between 2001 and 2002. How many years can you claim credit for the same act?)

3) Completion of the Court House. (A project of the entire town board.)

4) A report on the development of town properties. (There has never been any publication of this report or its conclusions to the community. Probably because of #5 below.)

5) The interior remodeling of the town hall. (The outstanding feature of this plan is the huge expansion of the supervisor's office. More room for our Oberster Burokrat!)

It is this last "accomplishment" that is most thought provoking. Warner failed to describe how the taxpayers are financing his expansion. He also failed to elaborate on how the decision was made to remodel the building's interior verses the exterior.

Our town hall building has some fine architectural qualities and ought to be preserved. However, decades of aesthetic neglect has left the buildings and its surroundings looking awful. Anyone who has seen the town halls in nearby communities- anywhere in the county really- will realize how shabby Hamlin's looks. The appearance of our town hall is important. Not so much to those of us who travel past it everyday, but to those who are new, or prospective, to the community.

Imagine if you were a developer exploring the potential for a commercial building or a housing tract. Your first stop would be the town hall, for zoning information, tax data, etc. What a view! In front, a forty year old sign, out of date and almost tipped over. To the south you'd take in the sight of a few rundown buildings and a couple of mini-junkyards. Muddy, unpaved parking lots piled with mounds of soil or asphalt. The town hall itself is a faded, stained, dirty looking building with no proper entrance. You have to enter through the SIDE (or is it the back?) using fifty year-old doors. Inside, you'll find a modern enough Clerk's office, which is your destination. But by now some impressions have turned into opinions.

What do you imagine a developer would conclude about our town after observing the sorry, shabby look of the Town Hall? Maybe, "This place is a dump! If I build here at all it will be the cheapest housing I produce. No prosperity here."

First impressions count. If we want our town to prosper we need to make it look NICE. Healthy and successful. Contemporary and growing. The people who can, are not going to invest in our future if the place looks like it's stuck in 1962. Aesthetics count. If a community seeks quality development, it should look like it CARES about quality. We ought to demonstrate, at the very least, some self respect.

Apparently, Austin Warner believes in first impressions too. Unfortunately for Hamlin, he took it to mean a first impression for HIMSELF. Tax dollars spent, not to the best benefit of the community, but in self-aggrandizement. "See how important I AM!"

Official Hamlin looks dirty run-down, depressed and backwards. But Austin will have a bigger, nicer office for himself. The choice of the narcissistic politician.

I received this email from john c. from Huntington Park today:

You have to see this- its Austin Warners Santa site. read the open letter to kids- its just scary. I wouldn't let my kids read it. Talk about passive/aggressive!!!

www.santaclausishere.com

This might be hard to imagine, but I must apologize to the supervisor. I have underestimated him. Austin Warner, with the help of Hamlin's town attorney Kenneth Licht, has found a way to conduct government beyond public scrutiny. NYS law allows a town supervisor to appoint an advisory committee of public officials and citizens which can operate outside of the public view! Under NY law a committee with no authority to make policy, but simply to advise, is not subject to the Open Meetings Law. For Hamlin residents the impact of this discovery will be both immediate and long term.

Supervisor Warner will now create the Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Code Revision Committee and enable it to operate in secret. The committee will not have to announce their meeting times, their agendas, or even their recommendations to the public! The citizens will be blind to their actions and decisions, just the way Warner wants it.

The supervisor has gone to these extremes specifically to keep me from attending the meetings! He knows that I will report to the pubic (the resident/taxpayer) the actions and discussions of the committee. He must fear this a great deal.

What kind of a leader would do this to his constituency? What kind of politician would connive to put the ordinary citizen in the dark about governmental decision making? What kind of man would first censor the people's right to speak (by shutting down the Hamlin Web Forum) and then squash the citizen's right to follow policy development?

We have only to look to the east, to Baghdad, for the answer.

This is Hamlin, New York. The United States of America, not Iraq.

Why would an elected official go to such lengths to blind the public to its decision making process? What could be so bad, so menacing, that an advisory committee on our zoning codes must be hidden from public scrutiny?

Mr. Warner has gone to this extreme out of fear and shame. His lack of vision for our community’s future combined with an irrational fear of criticism, has made him afraid. His reaction to this fear is repression and suppression. The response of a petty dictator.

I can only hope that the members of our town council, Shirley Hollink, Paul Wrath and George Todd intervene to derail this threat to the democratic process. They have the authority to insist that this committee be formed by board vote, be governed by quorum and be open to the public. I hope they have the free will, and backbone, to face up to the supervisor.

For my part, member or not, I will attend and report on these meetings. The only way Austin Warner will keep me out will be with the use of police force.

STATE: PART 1

My best overall appraisal of the "State of the Town" report is simply, how sad. It must surely be as disappointing for the supervisor as it is for the citizens. Austin Warner is in his forth year as leader and his list of accomplishments is pitiful.

His report opens with an elaborate piece of revisionist history- the story of the tower committee. Warner has rewritten the facts to make it appear that he supported forming the committee and blocking the radio tower. The unshakable truth is: the tower committee and the legislation was forced upon him. He advocated FOR the radio tower and fought a protracted rear-guard action to delay and obfuscate the citizens organizing against it. The many people who attended the earliest meetings to fight construction remember vividly how the supervisor was the project's strongest proponent. Not only was Warner the radio tower's biggest supporter but he spent a great deal of time and energy trying to undermine and dispel the organization opposed to it. He poo-poo'd the size of the opposition- using the "science" of sign counting. He attempted to undermine the group through a ridiculous series of meetings with individuals in an attempt to divide-and-conquer. Warner had a handful of tower advocates behind him all deluded by the idea of "free money." He was confident that he could get the tower built and play Santa to the town. We all know how wrong he was.

It is pure, distasteful politics for him to rewrite the facts to make himself appear as a leader in the fight against the tower when he was its strongest supporter. Warner writes, matter of factly, about forming the committee, forgetting that it was a huge groundswell of citizen opposition which forced him to react. Some of his "appointments" were simply, plainly political supporters who's function was to back the supervisor's position, regardless of its merits. Even this failed. Mr. Baas, Chairman of the Zoning Board abandoned ship when he saw all the reading and work that would be involved. By most accounts, Baas attended the first and last meetings only. However, during the first meeting his was the sole, insistent voice braying on and on that the existing code governing towers was adequate. That existing code was two and a half pages long, the final law is twenty six pages.

When the town's supervisor begins his "State of the Town" report with such a miserable misrepresentation of the facts of a matter, we can only wonder at the truthfulness of the rest of the document.

More on that later.

A few additional notes: I'm happy to report that the parent company to this web site publisher was just bought by Google! For those who don't know, Google is one of the major internet search and publish sites, it's part of Yahoo. What that means is that our site should be pretty reliably linked to the powerful search engines, in other words, people will be able to find us easily!
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A word about posting to this site. Unfortunately, readers cannot post here as they did on the Web Forum. However, if you email to: all.hamlin@att.net I will post your letter if you desire. I will cut 'n paste the body of your message and post only the name you sign with. I will not include your email address unless you specifically ask me to do so. If I have any questions I will write back to you before posting. Naturally, no obscenity or slander.
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I am setting up some other features for this site. I will be losing the ads at the top and soon we will be able to publish pictures and documents. So, start thinking now about what you might like to post!

I am very happy tp report that his web site has had over 400 hits since I created it about a week ago! That’s a fantastic number, much higher than I’d hoped for. It must be that the Supervisor severely underestimated the interest in, and support for, the Hamlin Web Forum. I am trying to do my best to keep the residents of Hamlin informed about the activities, and shenanigans, taking place in our hallowed town halls. I hope you readers will keep checking in and spread the word. Drop me a line if you have more news or if you’d like to publish a comment.

NEW NEWS: Some town officials are upset that the cat is out of the bag concerning the town’s pursuit of the Jacobs property. Their defense for not informing the public is that it was supposed to be “confidential.” The argument is: “If people learn that the town is interested in the property then someone else might come along and buy it at a higher price as a speculation.” Meaning, I guess, that a buyer would purchase it for more money than the town could or would pay for it- and then what? Well, the only answer I can think of is that this speculator would THEN try to sell it to the town. There are so many holes in this thinking I almost don’t know where to begin.

In the first place, if the town wanted their interest to be confidential I suppose it would have been a good idea if the supervisor and board members didn’t go trooping through the property in the middle of the day. If the town wants to explore the purchase of a property they must enter into an agreement with a real estate broker to represent them anonymously. The broker is bound by confidentiality and their interest is protected. Secondly, if a matter is confidential then you don’t discuss it with a bunch of other people who are not bound by that confidentiality. Most people are aware that in Hamlin there is a small circle of insiders who the supervisor and some board members always discuss everything, ALL the town business, with. I’m sure no one will be shocked to learn that this group of insiders often discusses what they’ve heard with their other friends. Within in about 24 hours “everybody who’s somebody” knows the latest “confidential” news. “Small town,” you know. Finally, either the town can afford to buy the property at market value or it can’t. If a speculator wants to come along and overpay, then let them. It’s called speculation for a reason. There would be an equal chance that the town could get the parcel at even better terms at a later time. I think the supervisor’s perception of himself as a sophisticated deal maker might be a little overblown. Perhaps, he believed he could just “steal” the property at low price because nobody else wanted it. Maybe, but I doubt the Jacobs’ would be in the same hurry to sell as the supervisor was to buy. It’s my guess that the seller would have a real estate agent who wouldn’t simply hand the property over to the first underbidder.
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There is much to comment on about the supervisor’s, “State of the Town” article in the Hamlin/Clarkson Herald. A few things stood out for me though. Like the story about the audit of the lighting costs on MAY11, 2001! Wow, that’s current news! Then there is the little item about, “How best to compensate those who have over achieved (sic). Is our current system of three percent across the board the fairest or the most equitable?” Hmmm. This couldn’t be about a possible “golden parachute” for key executives, who might be departing the organization in the near term? Could it? Perhaps Santa just wants a new way to reward his cronies. A little bonus here, a little bonus there. It’s a good way to insure continued political support. Well have to watch this story closely.

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Thanks again to everybody who has stopped in to take a look. I hope to continue to earn your trust by reporting the latest and most reliable information and opinion that I can collect about the governing of our community. I have a lot more to share, please stay in touch!