IS HAMLIN DOOMED?
(See Correction below)

Not far west of Hamlin is a gigantic mixed-income housing tract on Route 31A in Holley. It is a vast project of “double-wides,” and it has proven to be a disaster for the Town.

Local officials are loath to talk about it because the agricultural land sold to the developer came from some of the Town’s most prestigious farms. Although the community was promised that the housing project would benefit them, the reverse has happened.

Many of the inhabitants of these "estates" gobble up services while returning practically nothing in tax relief. According to a knowledgeable source the Holley school district now has the highest concentration of “special needs” students, per capita, in New York State. Because the project offers such cheap entry level housing it has become a magnet for broken families, prisoner families, and cohabitation of convenience.

Hamlin may be facing a similar project but our Zoning and Planning Boards don’t see it.

Last month the Planning Board gave preliminary approval to a proposal to build 70 houses adjacent to, and south of, Lake Breeze. What makes this plan such a potential disaster is that the developer wants .3 acre lots. POINT THREE ACRE! Right now, under Hamlin Zoning Code, the smallest permissible lot size is .4 acres in a Residential-High Density district!

The builder wants lot sizes smaller than those in Huntington Park.

What kind of houses could those possibly be?

The Planning Board, as it normally does, ducked any serious inquiry into the validity of the plan. Instead, as it normally does, handed it off to the Zoning Board for their decision on a variance.

The courageous folks on the Planning Board, always diligent to protecting Hamlin from undesirable development, once again hid behind the skirts of Norm Baas and the horrifically incompetent Zoning Board.

To Baas’s credit, he promptly held a joint “workshop” with the ZBA, the PB and a few members of the advisory Conservation Board. Only Dave Rose from the Town Board showed up to listen.

Unfortunately for Hamlin property owners the workshop produced absolutely nothing. Nothing but the inevitable head-shaking of Baas and his predictably vague but dire warnings about being sued by the developer if he is denied.

NOTHING people! Just a prolonged conversation about the punishing effects of small lot sizes on the Zoning Board! The entire conversation seemed to revolve around how the ZB was going to have to spend the next few years granting set-back variances for these new homeowners to put in pools and decks.

As usual, it was all about them!

This meeting, which held promise for finding a way to kill this bad idea, collapsed into a muddle of whining about how much work it would be for the Zoning Board! What a bunch!

This is important to note: not one person, not a single appointed or elected official who attended the workshop questioned whether the proposed development was good for Hamlin!

Not one.

No one asked if the project fit into the Comprehensive Plan. No one asked the essential philosophical question of this community: “DO WE NEED ANYMORE HOUSING PROJECTS?”

Nobody asked if the proposal was “in conformance” with the dominant philosophy of the existing property owners in Hamlin which is- “NO MORE DEVELOPMENT!”

Why didn’t they ask?

The answer is simple. They don’t think like that. They are conditioned to look at every project like it has a RIGHT to be built. Norm Baas espouses an antiquated, cock-eyed, pseudo-Libertarian notion that if you own land you are entitled to exploit it any way you want.

Sorry Norm. That idea was swept away with the first zoning law at the turn of the century! The 19th century!

Zoning laws exist to protect taxpayers from having the value of their property destroyed by the self-interests of another property owner.

What the ZBA and the PB of Hamlin can’t fathom is that access to money, the ability to buy a big chunk of land and make a deal with a builder, doesn’t grant a developer more rights then the surrounding landowners.

They just don’t get it. They don’t understand that they are responsible to the EXISTING PROPERTY OWNERS more than FUTURE ones.

The citizens of Hamlin want Hamlin to stay rural.

Local government just can’t or won’t hear that message.

But local residents don’t know how to help themselves. They just keep supporting the status quo.

Keep voting Republican everybody. Make sure Norm sticks around for another 25 years.

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Correction: The Blog originally identified the nearby development as being in Albion. This was an error. It is located in Holley and the impact to taxpayers is on the Holley school district. The Blog aplogizes for any confusion.

Below is a letter from a concerned reader abou this issue. The author's name has been withheld and slight changes made to protect the author's identity.
* * *
Dear Pete,

I have just read your latest posting on the Blog, and I have a few comments to make.

First of all, let me tell you that my husband and I resided in Hamlin for 20+ years, in the Huntington Park subdivision, and I worked for the Town for (some) of those years. Yes, I am a Republican, and yet I don't always agree with my party. I vote the person, not the party. This is not what I'm writing about.

I know that you don't like criticism, as evidenced in your reply to M. Depew posted 8/22/05 in which you state that you "don't give a damn" about other opinions, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

My husband and I now live in ------ Estates West. We moved here 2 years ago. Here are the true facts:

1. ------ Estates West is located on route 31A, not route 31

2. The children attend Holley schools, not Albion.

3. Our lot is bigger than the one we had in Ryan Homes.

4. Our park is 3 miles west of Brockport in the Town of Clarendon.

5. Our homes start at 70M to over 100M. Do you consider this low income?

6. Could you be referring to Oak Orchard Estates outside of Albion, instead of ------ Estates West?

I fully agree with you that the lots in the Ryan Homes tract are very, very small, and I wouldn't want to go to a smaller lot than that either. That is one reason we moved from Hamlin to ------ Estates. I would like to invite you to come to my home any time (my husband and I are now retired) and see for yourself the size of our lot and the caliber of our manufactured home.

If, as I believe, you just had the wrong name on your Blog piece, I am asking you to correct it so that the people reading your editorials won't think we moved to a slum.
We'll be looking for you at our home. We are on the north side of route 31A. Stay on the road you come in on and our number is ---.

Thank you for considering this email.

Sincerely,
M--

* * *
Comment- It is never the intention of The Blog to harm residents or taxpayers. Unfortunately, sometimes this happens as an indirect result of a story. This is one such occasion.

The Blog has learned that there is a range of housing types and prices in this development. There are "upscale" homes and there are other less desirable ones.

No one can control who their neighbors are. Sometimes they start out good, then turn bad. However, the nature of this huge housing project has allowed many families who are in need of special services to concentrate there.

It is The Blog's opinion that every community has an obligation to provide a per-centage of low income housing. However, in an uncontrolled setting that per-centage can tip the scales of the property values for the entire community.

If a large burden of consumers who cannot pay their share of taxes is shifted onto the backs of the remaining property owners, then these owners move away. A cycle of decline begins.

Any community which does not monitor and regulate itself may be open to such shifts and the inevitable declines it produces. That is why the example of this housing tract was used as an example.

The Blog had no intention to condemn by association all the people who live there.
ED

The following is a letter from a Blog reader...

Good Morning,

I still never heard back from you for over two months regarding some of the information that i provided to you about Hamlin Politics.

I was in a serious automobile accident in Grantsville, Maryland On August 5, 2005 in the car driven by one of my Korean graduate students. We went off Interstate 68 on the left shoulder , hit the rough payment and over we went. I was the only one in the car that sustained serious injuries. I was not seat belted at the time of the accident due to working on getting my maps and papers ready to move to the front seat to guide the driver with our entrance into metropolitan Washington. I was invited by the Korean couple, Nam and Inhee , to be their personal travel guide in the washington, DC area. Fortunately, the EMV people were there immediately and took us by ambulance to Cumberland Trauma Unit twenty miles from the accident. I sustained contusions to both lungs, and multiple bruises , both internally and externally on the upper torso. My oxygen reading was 39. I spent the next full week in the hospital, primarily in the IC Unit , getting my breathing back to normal. God was good, the staff at the hospital was good, and my husband and two students stayed with me and guided me with all things. I am now recovering back home in Indiana slowly. I feel the whole experience was a wonderful testimony of care and kindness by people.I am so lucky to not have had broken bones , lacerations , and damage to my spinal cord. As our car did flip over at least one time. I never have seen the accident report from the Maryland Police Department. WE were suppose to drive 60 miles from the hospital to the barracks with a $4 money order to get our copy. Can you believe in this day and age the Maryland Police could not fax a copy and accept a credit card? Good Morning, maryland , we are now living in the 21 century.

Anyhow, I regret that your blog does nothing for me. I am not into putting people down in that fashion. I admit to be frustrated by the crummy rummy workings of people in position, but rather than devote time to knocking them with your clever ways, I think it would be better for the community of Hamlin that you would spend your expertise with helping individuals follow their rights as citizens in keeping government clean and working honestly. As I mentioned , my father ROY WOLF, supervisor of the Town of Hamlin during the late fifties and early sixties was such a leader. Actually, he was too honest and too smart for leading a small town. His goal after leading Hamlin for only a couple terms was to work with Gordon Howe ,the head of Monroe country government . It did not work out.

Please confirm this letter and may I add this letter to the blog . I feel in a democratic society, you as editor of the blog accept other written blogs. I would like your reply today if possible...August 21, 2005 .

Mary Wolf Depew

International Advisor,Teacher and Friend to students at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and former resident of Hamlin, New York
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Thank you Mary.

Through the years of editing The Blog and working to change local government, this Humble Editor has received lots of criticism- most of it behind his back. The main theme is: “He makes a lot of good points, but he’s so harsh! If he would just be a little nicer, say some positive things, we’d all like it better.”

Almost without exception these critics are Republicans, so that complaint is heard almost two to one around Hamlin. Democrats, Blanks and member of other parties, don’t make that plea. They slap your Humble Editor on the back and say, “Good job! It’s about time somebody ‘told it like it is!’”

Republicans are more sensitive because it is their party which keeps returning our elected officials to office. They see, correctly, that when The Blog criticizes these officials, they are indirectly criticized as well.

However, what nearly everyone seems to have missed is that The Blog has never been “political.” It is a communications tool about the actions of elected officials. It is a little electronic newspaper that does its best to reveal the shenanigans of our elected goons.

The Blog is free. The Blog does not charge for it’s service. The Blog has never received a penny from any source for any reason. Yet somehow, amazingly, because it is free to read, all manner of people have come to believe they have a right to give input about it. While your Humble Editor welcome the input, frankly he doesn’t give a damn about it.

Going to town meetings, taking notes, following up with sources, verifying information, researching on the internet- all the stuff that real journalists do- is a lot of work. The Blog is a public service for the town of Hamlin. Those that chose to read it.

All that your Humble Editor has ever demanded in return for this unrewarded labor is the opportunity to unleash his creativity and exercise his well-endowed sarcasm muscle.

Local government, while it may act like one, it is NOT a joke. The decisions, the actions, and more often the inactions, of the incompetents that keep getting re-elected, and worse- reappointed- are harmful to every single Hamlin resident. Mostly it is harmful to property owners, but also to seniors, to kids, to crime victims, to developers, to farmers, to small business owners- pretty much everybody, except the inner few who get favors.

These people hurt us! Their chicanery and incompetence hurts the future of our town and the value of our property. It’s not funny. It's bad. It's harmful.

So this Humble Editor determined that if local officials were going to harm us then they were entitled to feel a little of the same in return.

In Arthur C. Clarke’s novel, “Childhood’s End” the alien race that appears above the planet issues only one directive to the human race: No gratuitous hurting of animals. Animals may be killed and eaten, but there will be no hurting them for fun.

A few days later, in Mexico City, the first bullfight was held after this order was issued. The contest began and everything seemed normal. When the first banderilla was stabbed into the back of the bull a huge, collective scream went up from the audience. Everyone who was there to enjoy the animal’s suffering felt the pain of the spear. They hurt just like the bull did. There was never another bull fight.

So it is with The Blog. If these elected and appointed officials are going to hurt us, then they should feel a little bit of the barb themselves.

However, since so many people have urged The Blog to behave in a different way, to “be nicer,” to treat the people “we” voted for more genteelly, your Humble Editor has agreed to try.

The following is an example of a Blog story if the Warner Republicans were the editors. Please enjoy it.
PT
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LOCAL NEWS...

It was another beautiful day in Hamlin! The air was clear and mild. Birds sang and the town smelled of sweet corn. This continues a streak of 1247 days of perfect weather for our blessed community.

Last night our well meaning and hard working Town Board met. They had several photo-ops giving recognition awards to some citizens. (See separate story, pg.2) They talked about the memo from Zoning Board Chairman Norm Baas which said that, while everything was good all around, he felt the ZBA had to, occasionally, work. He wasn’t complaining! Let’s make that clear! He merely hoped the Town Board might have an idea how to remedy this occasional event. Then they adjourned.

Afterwards Supervisor Warner told The Blog that everything was good in the town, that all the residents were healthy and happy and local government couldn’t be better or more efficient.

The Blog salutes our brave leaders and hope they continue to prosper as they take such careful care of the community! They are truly hard working and self-sacrificing. Every Hamlin resident should be grateful for their presence and contributions!
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The most overvalued currency is free advice.- B. Franklin

ANNOUNCEMENT SHOCKS GOP

Retiring Supervisor Austin Warner III shocked the local political community yesterday when he admitted that he was secretly a Democrat and had been, “a Democratic operative” for almost thirty five years.

The startling revelation came amidst rumors swirling throughout Hamlin that he planned taking a job with new Monroe County Democratic Chair, Joe Morelle, in January.

“Joe and I are very close,” Warner told The Blog, “he was my ‘handler’ for the last fifteen years. I really can’t comment on my future plans however.”

Warner explained that he migrated over to the Democrats during the Nixon Administration. “The GOP turned out to be such liars,” he said, “They lied about the war- Vietnam, back then- and how it was going. Nixon and Kissinger undermined the Paris Peace Conference in ‘68, then turned around and settled the war on the very same terms. I lost faith with the leadership.”

During this time Warner fell in with a “liberal element” at Alfred University. He was secretly recruited to join the Democrats by close friend Steve May, who would later become Mayor of Rochester.

Asked how he could actually be a Dem while registered as a Republican with the Board of Elections Warner said, “I signed a document which pledged my fealty to the Democratic Party. It stated that I was a political operative and would be registering with a different party. I was going deep undercover and the party, and I, needed that letter as an anchor. It was a touchstone, if you will, that kept me focused on my real job.”

What was that job? “My mission was to infiltrate a local Republican organization, take control and drive it into the ground. Sort of a ‘search and destroy’ project.”

Warner appears to have succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of his Democratic strategists. In six years as Supervisor in Hamlin he has violated virtually every principle of the Republican party, nurtured and exposed every weakness and corruption the party is known for and fundamentally ruined local government.

“The strategy is long term,” Warner told The Blog “It is really a generational process. You see, we target an entrenched, deeply Republican community for action. An operative like myself makes their way to the highest levels of the party and then we ruin it. When you get to be Chairman, mayor or supervisor you commence the final stage, named Action FUBAR. We are tasked to ‘Foul Up Beyond All Repair’ every aspect of local governance.”

How can THAT be a good objective, The Blog asked? Warner explained, “Look, the Republicans have sold middle class voters an elaborate package of phoney ‘values’ which has seduced them to join the party. ‘Family Values’ is a sleazy disguise for racism and hostility toward the poor; ‘Personal Responsibility’ is about removing health and safety protections from the workplace, lifting corporate regulations just as they increase onerous regulation on private citizens; A ‘Strong Defense’ is code for conducting political wars in lieu of foreign policy while giving unlimited funds to the military industries. The plan is really no mystery, look at Chenney and Halliburton. Bush is an Oil-Man and the Vice President runs a huge defense contracting company. Anybody with eyes and half a brain can figure this one out.”

Warner interrupted his explanation to reveal another shock, “Do you mind if I remove these?” he asked as he peeled away a false mustache and unhooked his sandy wig to reveal a close-cropped silver scalp. “I have been wearing these for years but could never quite get used to them.”

Returning to the Republican strategy he continued. “Their plan was beautiful in its simplicity. The GOP stopped selling ideas, policy ideas, and started selling emotionalism. They were, naturally, getting advice from the advertising business- more correctly the media- which was exchanging their services for a huge package of benefits to come later. The GOP sold itself to corporate America which in turn helped sell the GOP to blue-collar voters. The very employees of the companies funding the GOP!” Warner shook his head in admiration.

“It was, it is, a beautiful plan, I must admit. To be able to enlist the very constituents you are about to screw- well that is both bold and brilliant. We Dems had to do something, something radical. That’s why we initiated these undercover ops. We had to place Dems in high level GOP positions to gradually, but undeniably, prove that the GOP were actually liars and corporate flunkies. Our job was to reveal the truth.”

Warner leaned back in his chair and continued. “I was assigned to Hamlin since that’s where my family had moved. I joined the local party, got in the Lions Club, did volunteer work at the Catholic Church. I built up my cover. When the opportunity presented itself, I ran a primary and got elected supervisor. The rest is history.”

The history Warner refers to is, “The worst legacy in local government history!” part-time historian and former resident James Martin said. “Warner ran this town into the ground. The guy won’t read- so he knows nothing about town planning. He was controlled by guys like Norm Baas, (Chair of the Zoning Board) and Jim Breslawski (former Chair of the Planning Board) and THEY don’t read either. When we needed a new law for telecommunications towers I had to write it! Those guys couldn’t even do the research!”

Others concur. Speaking anonymously, a former member of the Hamlin Republican Committee said, “He raised taxes every single year he was in office! Yet he still claimed he was against them. He completely screwed the community with the STAR Program by keeping assessments down for Jim Breslawski. He drove every able minded member of the Master Plan committee right out of the building. He fired the Building Inspector with two months left on the guy’s contract which resulted in a Federal lawsuit and will cost the town tens of thousands of dollars. He failed to protect average citizens from disreputable developers like the fiasco up on Watuoma Beach Road. The list goes on and on!” The irate citizen added, “Then he picks Pat MacIntosh to take his place! He thinks she’s qualified because she was the only person he could trust with the fact that HE can’t add or subtract!”

What about the impact of this revelation on the campaign of Ms. MacIntosh? “Who cares?” was Warner’s terse reply.

“I am proud of the job I’ve done!” Beamed the ebullient Warner. “I have shown that small town Republican government can be just as incompetent and punitive to the middle class as the big boys.”

Asked if revealing that he is actually a Democrat might undermine the idea that it was a Republican who hurt the community, Warner sat right up, “No, of course not! Don’t you see? They elected me THREE TIMES!”

DOES THIS SHOW HAVE A FUTURE?
Reprinted, with permission, from “Clown News,” a publication of Mercedeth, Inc.

The first act in last night’s infamous Cirque de Hamlae’ was a shocking surprize. It was an announcement of a cancellation! The production began with news that the Light Show segment had suffered a serious failure. The Master Electrician declared that technical difficulties forced him rewire the marvelous performance which had so entertained last month’s audience. (For the mechanically minded: Master of Smoke and Mirrors, Ken Licht, operator of the Light Show, announced his blame for fact that the Circus would have to re-hire all the acts engaged last month!)

Licht, whose impressive contortionism worked magic tricking and misdirecting the audience about the truth during last show’s program, told the crowd that he, “forgot” something. He forgot that the Circus had sent letters to the County seeking comments on the proposed changes to the Circus and the replies had not come back! This regulation is routine because the County doesn’t want any Circus to adopt crazy or illegal acts. They require this comment process!

According to the announcement made during last night’s performance, the Master Electrician took responsibility. “I didn’t know they hadn’t been returned,” he stated. Circus insiders know this is the job of the Grounds Keeper who both sends out and collects these records. But, the Master Electrician “forgot” to check on them so he gets the blame.

Sadly, and highly upsetting was the fact that no remuneration was offered to the audience for this failure to perform. Circus fans all had to pay the full price! A shocking performance!

Next on the bill was Shirley’s Incredible Clown Show. Shirley is world renown for her marvelous and entertaining skit, “Heritage Day,” a day long faux-historical celebration of political onanism. Originally, Heritage Day was a community event designed to recognize and celebrate Hamlin history and its contributors. Almost instinctively, it was seized by the internationally famous mime and current Ring-Master, Butch Warner, who “adapted” it as his own personal publicity event. Heritage Day became “Supervisor Day” and the poor soul who had envisioned the performance faded into compulsory servitude. Shirley’s Clown Show became the vehicle for this expression. (Pun intended!)

Sadly, as those who are dedicated readers of “Clown News” know, Shirley’s Clown Show was recently fired by the circus, and although there remains a chicken’s-teeth chance she’ll return, most observers insist she’s gone from the show for good.

She is still under contract however but obviously, because of her dispute with management, the Heritage Day skit had been scratched from the program! In announcing the cancellation Shirley said, “It’s all my fault. I forgot to follow through on some things.”

This comes as no shock to circus insiders. Shirley never liked the skit but was forced, as a matter of party obeisance, to carry it out. Everybody on the show circuit knew that Shirley was merely a beard for a long, insincere and ultimately bogus day of pagan Ring-Master worship. Now, given the chance, Shirley has happily sabotaged the entire project and deprived the boss of his one day of glorious self-abuse.

Only history is harmed by the end of this charade. However, considering that history had been relegated to nothing more than a title and a greasy platform for self-promotion, there will be few complaints.

Next on the bill was a very entertaining spectacle as the Man-on-Stilts and The Savant played out a routine of community good. In an apparently unplanned skit they toyed with the Ring-Master, dancing around singing about “Senior Zoning.” The song was in honor of the Ring-Master’s Patron, the DeMarco family, none of whom were in attendance. The Man-on-Stilts sang the chorus, “It’s only Fair,” while the Savant did cartwheels around the irate and seemingly mystified Ring-Master, who was armed only with a puny light-saber to fend them off. The melody changed abruptly mid-chorus to a march as the two antagonists began a menacing chant called, “The Library Was Promised Computers.” The aforementioned Shirley’s Clown Show made a memorable appearance.

As a longtime observer of the Circus, and your humble pundit, I must comment that the Cirque de Hamlae’is in serious trouble. “Clown News“ subscribers know that the Ring-Master is retiring under cloudy circumstances and he wants his secretary take over the job. Most of the important acts in the Circus are opposed to this “royal plan of ascendancy,” as one critic called it. Many important acts are demanding new management and calling for an outsider.

According to sources, key performers are also deeply disturbed by the Ring-Master’s choice of “The Schmoo” to replace Shirley’s Incredible Clown Show. Among professionals, The Schmoo is considered an amateur. “Where did this act come from?” asked one well know performer speaking anonymously. “What has he ever done but complain? He was in one side-show and bombed. Reviewers said he was lazy, undiscipline, unmotivated and didn’t understand anything about the business. Now the Ring-Master wants to promote him? It doesn’t make any sense. He’s ruining the show,” he concluded.

Yes, the Cirque de Hamlae’ is in serious trouble. I fear that only a complete change in management will save the production. Let’s hope it happens when the Board of Directors meet in mid-September.

Keep Smiling!

Chester Gettof

BUTCH PATROL

Turn out the lights and lock your doors!

Highway Supervisor Tom Ingraham and Supervisor wannabe Pat MacIntosh have been seen lately plodding the streets of Hamlin on “Pester Patrol.” They are not campaigning in the traditional sense, meeting random Republicans and giving them the pitch, “Pester Patrol’ is a misguided tactic made popular by Lame-Duck Butch Warner.

Pester Patrol targets ONLY the people who signed a petition for one of their opponents! For example, primary challengers Dennis Roach and Mike Marchetti collected about 330 signatures on their petition (an impressive 15% of all registered Republicans!) This document is public information so Ingraham and MacIntosh obtained a copy and are going to the homes of everyone who signed it. To pester and admonish them!

Warner built his entire political career around this kind of bullying, intimidating tactic. Big-Mac is cut from the same cloth as her boss, so invading a resident’s home to scold them comes naturally to her.

And scolding IS the point of the visit! Pave-Man and Big-Mac will rebuke the resident, telling them, “WE are the OFFICIAL nominee of the party! We DEMAND your allegiance!”

Butch Warner (maybe this is where he got the nickname,) who stands about 6'2 and goes an easy 260, used to thrust right up to people in their doorways, tower over them, point his finger in their face and threaten them as “disloyal Republicans” if they had signed another’s petition! He would demand that they vote for him and the official ticket. He hinted they would be kicked out of the Republican party and that HE would know how they voted! He physically intimidated people. He menaced them. He lied.

(Don’t take The Blogs’ word for it! Ask around town. Ask people who signed the petition for Ed Evans. Warner went to most of their homes and tried to intimidate them. He was thrown out of plenty! Evans’ supporters were very loyal!)

Pave-Man and Big-Mac are employing the same tactics except without the physical intimidation. They suggest that any voter who doesn’t support the “official candidates” are disloyal Republicans. They leave the impression that something bad will happen if that person doesn’t vote the “party-line.”

This is what Judith Hazen, Chair of the Hamlin Republican Committee told the Brockport Post: “Hazen said she would prefer there not be a primary and... told (committee) members that their responsibility is to support the candidates endorsed by the committee.

‘According to the rules, a person who is a committee person with the Republican Party has no choice about supporting a candidate that the majority has selected. They have to carry petitions for the selected candidates,’ Hazen said. ‘If they refuse to do that, they're not a loyal committee person and will not be doing their duty.’ "

Of course this is not true, and it is probably illegal to make the threat. The "Good-Ole-Boys" who are rapidly losing control of the Hamlin Republican Committee are so desperate there is no lie, no intimidation tactic that they won't use.

So voters, beware the “Pester Patrol!” It’s not as Butch as it used to be, but it’s bad enough.