From the 3/6 D&C

“Minarik says state Democrats too full of ire

GOP chairman takes cue from colleagues, calls Spitzer a bully

State GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik has a new line about the statewide Democratic ticket: "The All-Mean Team."

"They are mean-spirited downstaters," Minarik, also head of the Monroe County GOP, said recently. "Eliot Spitzer is a big bully. There's no question he has an attitude."
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Hamlin Democratic Committee Town Leader Replys:

For a political party that employs hacks such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Rielly and Michael Savage it is laughable to read that Steve Minarik wants to characterize Democrats as “mean-spirited.” In tediously predictable fashion Minarik seeks to divert attention from the issues by making Democrats react to his inane assertion. Republicans candidates are terrified that voters will examine their record. Minarik hopes that by misdirecting the dialogue voters will somehow skip the issues.

Are Democrats angry? Of course we are! From the top down Republicans have lied, misrepresented their ambitions and harmed middle class families.

*The President exploited the tragedy of 9/11 to install a permanent American military presence in the middle East, fulfilling a strategy designed by his staff prior to1997. (See: http://www.newamericancentury.org/ ) Bush took Bill Clinton’s budget surplus and transformed it into the biggest deficit in world history.

* In NY, Governor Pataki has presided over “the most dysfunctional state government in the US (See:http://www.brennancenter.org ) New York is a laughing stock, incapable of passing a budget on time.

* In Monroe County Jack Doyle engineered the greatest budget deficit in County history to be followed by Maggie Brooks who immediately imposed the greatest single tax increase in county history! (See: D&C Archives)

And where was Steve Minarik in all this? He was the architect of the Brooks campaign which claimed that it would not raise taxes, cut jobs and services. All three of which they did immediately after being elected. Minarik authored the craven Pac-Man ads that distorted and demeaned the efficiencies of county consolidation, ideas which Maggie Brooks now embraces!

In November’s election Minarik was caught red-handed playing bait and switch with Republican Committees to evade paying state taxes on over $100,000 in campaign spending!

Are we mad? You bet. Republicans up and down the political spectrum have shown themselves to be liars, cheats and chillingly corrupt stewards of the trust given them by voters.*

Steve Minarik, hopes that by characterizing Democrats as angry he can divert the voters attention from the issues and the Republican record. Good luck with that.

Peter Tonery
Hamlin


* New Supervisor excepted.





Note: The D&C refused to publish this letter!

Yes, "our children are our most precious resource!" That’s why they make such good kindling for political exploitation!

As I have always said, there is no force on earth more powerful then a Mother’s raw, unfocused fear! That’s why, as your state Senator, I have made every effort to nurture irrational, unfounded fears in my ongoing effort to get your vote. The Republican Party, under the leadership of President Bush and the Office of Homeland Security , has achieved unprecedented levels of fear-mongering in 2005 and we hope to improve this effort throughout 2006! It is our goal that the American Dream of Monsters Around Every Corner be kept alive and well, right up to Election Day!

So please, heed this irrational call for the licensing of your children! Bring them to Child Safety Day to have them photographed and fingerprinted like common criminals.

To avoid delays be sure to bring the following essential documents with you when come:
* Your Social Security Card
* Your spouse’s SSI card
* All your children’s SSI cards
* A copy of your income Tax return from 2005
* A record of any unreported income such as money from plowing driveways, selling firewood, landscaping or waitressing tips.
* A copy of your and your children’s medical records.
* Your green card.
* Your WIC, Welfare or Food Stamp registration documents.
* A copy of your lease or mortgage.
* Copies of your utility, cable television and credit card bills.
* If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or family history of heart disese bring a release signed by your physcian or HMO that you and your children are healthy enough to have micro-transmitter chips embedded under the skin.

Remember, your children will never really be safe until the government can track them by satellite!

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Desperate for the truth? Good luck! The following website claimed that in 2001 over 840,000 children were abducted! (http://childrentoday.com/resources/articles/childabductiontips.htm)

Believe that? About SEVENTEEN TIMES the number of soldiers killed in the entire Vietnam War! 17 times EVERY YEAR! Why in ten years that would be 8,400,000 children. That's about EVERY KID IN NEW YORK STATE!

WOW! Who could possibly be lying about these figures? Who would want to scare the public so badly? Hmmm, maybe bogus charities that exploit people's fears? Maybe cheesy politicians who want to suck up votes?

By the way, in 2001 the FBI recorded 115 stranger abductions in the ENTIRE COUNTRY! Fewer than half went unsolved.
(http://www.lcdaonline.com/lcda/news/view_article.asp?id=75)

PROTESTS CONTINUE OVER BEAVER

Ironicly, batons made by beaver

Hamlin, NY, (WPI) - Hundreds of demonstrators, some of them looking remarkably like beavers, clashed with Park Police and DEC officials in an ongoing protest over the plan by Park Manager “Big Jim” Slusarczyk to drown a family of harmless beaver who have made a home in the park.

In a bizarre twist on the mission to protect wildlife in a State Park, management has undertaken to exterminate the recently arrived mammals.

“We haven’t seen beaver in this Park in probably a hundred years,” claimed old-timer Jay Martinski of Cabbage Beach Road, “It’s a durn shame they gotta be wiped out just a few years after findin’ their way back.”

“Who in Hamlin has ever seen and enjoyed watching beaver work on their dam?” asked protestor Norm Boors of Muddy Farm Lane, “What is the Park for if not to protect wildlife and nurture opportunities for residents to enjoy nature? Did I just use the word ‘nurture’?” he asked as a nurse applied mortar to a head injury.

“I moved out of town because there were no beaver in Hamlin,” added protestor Jamie Lynn Bread-Clawski. “I moved into a nice house on a golf course in Clarkson where they encourage the animals. Some people said I was chasing them but that’s not quite accurate.”

More protests are planned.

Story on pg. 3B

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER

Why Kill the Beavers?

Last week the DEC issued a permit to a Hamlin resident to trap a family of beaver who have moved into Yanty Creek near the marsh.

These beautiful animals have been in the creek for the last three or four years and have managed to survive traffic, predators, disease and extreme weather conditions. Now they face their worst enemy- us!

While beaver are no longer on the endangered species list, there are not many around. It is likely that ninety per cent of Hamlin residents have never seen one in the wild.


Allegedly, the trapping is being allowed because the beaver have cut down trees!

That is of course what they do. They eat trees and other plants, they build their lodge and dams with them and it is tree bark which keeps them alive over the winter.

Beaver favor aspen, cottonwood and other poplar trees. These species grow like weeds. There is no shortage of them or other trees in the State Park. The number of trees these creatures cut down has no greater impact than similar “losses” to wind, insects and storms. These losses are insignificant compared to the ones inflicted by humans. Many, many more trees are cut down in Hamlin every year for firewood, for convenience and for new development. Why should we kill these animals for harvesting food and shelter?

In reality, the actions of a family of beaver, in a protected State Park, results in far less of a “negative impact” then 99% of the human activity in Hamlin. On the contrary, the behaviors of these animals is natural and, while it might affect some local ecologies, can easily be mitigated by the intervention of a small group of caring and cautions humans. Whatever fears exist about beavers cutting down trees or damming the flow of the creek could likely be managed by a local scout troop who have “adopted” the animals.

A family of beaver is a wonderful natural resource for any community. Their industriousness is legendary and the subject of many stories and metaphors in our culture. To see and examine a beaver damn or lodge is a wonderful experience. People call beaver “marvelous” engineers and that is not far from the truth. The animals are compelled to build and their structures are amazing. They are also gentle creatures, mammals who care for their families with affection.

Wildlife is under dramatic stress in our society. What better addition can there be to our local State Park than an opportunity to enjoy the delightful experience of observing beaver in their natural habitat? We don’t need to permit a returning species to be wiped out, once again, based on speculation of the harm they might cause.

As an active a hunter and fisher I respect the policies of natural balance which includes harvesting of wildlife. I advocate for taking wildlife in a “humane” manner when practicing the sports. If there were an overabundance of these animals, or a significant harm proven, then I would support hunting them with gun or bow. Drowning, in my opinion, is not humane.

These animals are a wonderful, attractive addition to our area and should be protected and promoted.

Hamlin Zoning Board Still Stupid!

Still not a house! Note the garage inside the "garage," and the pre-existing, REAL garage on the property to the right!

How stupid is the Hamlin Zoning Board? After last Monday night's meeting far worse than anyone had imagined!

Before the board was an application by Kevin Clark to subdivide the parcel at 5733 West Wautoma Beach Road. This is the home of the infamous "House we call a Garage," that awful hallucination which drove the neighbors to sue the Zoning Board- and WIN.

Nearly 15 months ago NYS Supreme Court Judge Evelyn Frazee handed down her decision in the matter. She told the ZBA that, under Hamlin Zoning Law, the structure was a house. She threw out the "dwelling unit" definition they had tried use to mask their near absolute ignorance. The judge directed the ZBA to revisit the issue and render the correct decision based STRICTLY on the applicable law.*

So what did the ZBA do? EXACTLY THE SAME THING THEY DID LAST TIME! How stupid are these people? How does this community tolerate such willful ignorance?

Judge Frazee’s told the ZBA specifically that the regulations they considered to call the structure a garage were WRONG! So.... they turned around and used them again!

The judge wrote down the exact law that the ZBA MUST USE and told them specifically what law they COULD NOT USE- the Hamlin Zoning Board then proceeded to do the reverse!

It is truly incredible! The Judge took the time to help the ZBA understand the law and they ignored it! This is more than just plain old stupidity, this is vindictive politics that punishes all Hamlin taxpayers. Not only do our laws go unenforced, but when the town is sued and that costs all of us!



This kind of arrogance and blanket stupidity is normally only seen on tv! Like the idiot judge of the Dukes of Hazzard, Norm Baas sits atop Hamlin's ZBA and makes malicious and moronic rulings. This latest one tops them all.

Hamlin citizens should know that Judge Frazee handed down her decision in the matter FIFTEEN MONTHS AGO and the ZBA has studiously ignored her order since then!

Some other highlights of the meeting: The new owner of the parcel, Mr Kevin Clark, told the ZBA that the reason he is seeking to subdivide the parcel is so he can finish the "garage" and sell it as a house!

Twice before, the previous owner Rick Vito asked the ZBA to subdivide the parcel so HE could sell the "garage" as a house! The second time he even claimed that he had a buyer! The ZBA turned Vito down twice yet now they plan to grant it to the new owner! Exact same details, exact same zoning requirements but now, inexplicably, it is OK to approve!

As most people know, this stupid, hostile behavior is an ugly and childish backlash toward the family which brought the lawsuit (and WON!) ZBA Chairman Norm Baas was one of Austin Warner's most loyal supporters. It is no secret that the combined issues of Larry Gursslin's illegal firing and this lawsuit were two of the most significant factors is Warner not seeking reelection.

The truth about Warner being forced from office is slowly seeping out. The inner core of the Good-Ole-Boys who USED TO control the Hamlin Republican Committee directed Warner to resign because they knew that the full Committee would not vote to endorse him as a candidate!

But, while Warner is gone, Baas is not. Baas, his head filled with concrete (as he likes to brag!) is the painful Austin Warner hangover Hamlin residents must continue to suffer. Baas, and the equally malicious and petty Planning Board Chairman Jim Nessbitt, are determined to show the new administration that it has no power. These dull witted goons are intent on sending a message to the new town board- "WE are Hamlin, not you! WE will still do things the old way!"

Never mind that the "old way" is illegal, petty and childish! It is THEIR way and they'll stick to it! The idiotic "Baas Squad" will defy a New York State Supreme Court Judge to simply, and pointedly, cause more suffering and harm to the family that had the courage to stand up and demand that the ZBA enforce local laws- as they are obligated to do.


This "affrontery" to the ZBA's perverted ego is sufficient motivation to tell the judge, "We read your ORDER and we disagree. We were right and you are wrong. We are smarter then you. We are not going to obey ."

Finally, as if the public needed more proof of how lazy and stupid the ZBA is, almost the entire board moaned and and groaned about how "hard this issue has been" and "how long we have been struggling with it!"

WHAT?! Who are they kidding? They have NEVER dealt with it! When Larry Gursslin first slapped a "Stop Work Order" on the property almost five years ago they might have "acted." When the owner plead guilty in town court for zoning violations the ZBA might have acted.

It was their mind numbingly stupid "act" to alter reality by calling an acknowledged house a "garage" that sent the issue to Supreme Court!

Now, FIVE YEARS LATER, the ZBA complains about how HARD THEY WORKED ON IT?


Stupid, arrogant, whiny, ignorant- words simply fail to describe the Hamlin Zoning Board.

It's too bad that public officials cannot be jailed when they break the law. The community will have to find some other way to get rid of Norm Baas.
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*My EMPHASIS:

Hamlin Zoning Code 125-9 DEFINITIONS defines;

"DEWLLING - Any building or portion thereof designed or used as the residence or sleeping place of one (1) or more persons."

"DWELLING UNIT- One or more rooms constituting a separate, independent housekeeping unit for ownership, or lease or rent, designed for occupancy for one (1) family, and physically independent of any other group of rooms or dwelling units which may be in the same structure, and containing independent cooking, sanitary and sleeping facilities."

Q: How stupid does one have to be to not understand that a "DWELLING" describes a single family house and a "DWELLING UNIT" describes a method of determining if a house is a multi-family or apartment building?

A: Just stupid enough to qualify for a place on the Hamlin Zoning Board!

Hamlin Zoning Code 125-9 DEFINITIONS defines;

"GARAGE, PRIVATE- A detached accessory building or portion of a principle building for the parking or temporary storage of automobiles, travel trailers and/or boats of the occupants of the premises and wherein:
(1) Not more than one (1) space is rented for parking to persons not resident on the premisses.
(2) Not more than three commercial vehicles per dwelling unit are parked or stored.
(3) The commercial vehicle permitted does not exceed two (2) tons in weight."

AND, Hamlin Zoning Code 125-39, C, states;

"B. An attached private garage may provide living space on the second floor. A detatched private garage may not provide living space.

C. A detached private garage or carport, or non-agricultural storage barn must be erected equal to or behind the front main foundation line of the principle dwelling or building on the lot, and shall not be located nearer than fifteen (15) feet to any rear or side property lines, nor closer to ten (10) feet to any other building on the lot."

Q: If a structure is "designed" as a dwelling and violates the required setback for an accessory structure isn't it obvious that the structure is a house?

A: I can't say. I'm a member of the Hamlin Zoning Board and I don't understand big words like "design" or "setback." In fact, I don't really know what "zoning" is or what it's for. They just pay me six grand a year to show up. Who said I had to know anything?

Q: If a guy erects a building and tells you it is a detached "garage with living space," even though it's illegal to have "living space," and then he tells you he's going to sell the building as a "house," as soon as it's finished so the buyer can move right in, what would you conclude the building actually is: a garage or a house?

A: I'm on the Hamlin Zoning Board so I'm not sure. I guess that, even though it was designed as- and obviously looks like- a two story house and it has many divided rooms inside and includes an "attached garage" area for parking cars, I would say it is a garage because no toilets were installed yet and because the builder that wants to sell it as a house told me before it was "really" a garage. But...maybe he was trying to trick me! People try to trick me all the time. It hurts my feelings! Ohhhhhhh, this is SO hard. My brain hurts, could we talk about something else. I like eggs. Do you like eggs? Anyway, about the question, that's just my guess.