Poet M.J. Iuppa reads "Looking For Hamlin"

Burying the Past
What a disappointing twist yesterday’s Hamlin Heritage Day event took. Promoted as a celebration of both town history and the contributions of important residents, it immediately turned into a long, annoying political promotion.

The concept for Heritage Day was first proposed by Town Historian Mary Smith as a way of recognizing residents, living and dead, who had made significant contributions to the development of Hamlin as a community. This was a worthy idea.

However, Town Board member Shirley Hollink seemed to wrestle control of the event away from the Historian and transform it into a local Republican “Love Fest.” Publicly, Hollink made much of the fact that no one on the dias was up for reelection. This turned out to be a mere technicality. The crafty Hollink managed to have incumbent Supervisor Warner lumber up on stage three separate times! Amazingly, he received an award, held up an award and give out an award.

The Heritage Day concept is good. It should have been an opportunity for residents to celebrate their collective past and learn something about the early contributors to Hamlin’s modernization. Instead, that goal was sadly overshadowed by Warner’s heavy-handed transformation of the event into a long, tedious self promotion. Rather than focus on past contributors, Hollink and Warner subtly switched the theme to “Supervisors” which allowed Warner to ponderously dominate the proceeding.

It’s really too bad. Another good idea buried under a load of self-interest.

**************************
Bright Spot

The highlight of the event was an original poem written for the occasion by local poet and teacher M.J. Iuppa. Entitled, “Looking For Hamlin” the poem shifts through time and space reflecting on the past and present of our community.

The poem is posted here with the kind permission of the author. It is reproduced here in the “Broadside” form that was made available to the public.

"Play Ball!" cries Umpire Cookie.

From the Department of Clownish Ideas


You never know what to expect when you go to a meeting in the Town Hall- as the story below about the deadly fungus demonstrates.

The Supervisor is campaigning that he “communicates” with the public, but that just isn’t so. Take the $8000 dollar sign for the front of the Town Hall. The first time it was mentioned publicly was when it was brought up for a vote! The public had never heard about the sign before and yet this costly outlay was going to be voted on immediately. The only reason it wasn’t was because Councilman Rath asked about the warranties on the two proposed signs (only two, by the way.) The advocate/proponent of the sign purchase was Supervisor Warner who, not surprisingly, had no idea about the warrantees. The vote was put off. But not for long- the TB held a “special” meeting on July 28 when they voted to spend the money. Some communication.

Which leads me to the real topic of this story- the outrageous, clownish proposal to install old, used RGRTA bus shelters as baseball dugouts for our kids! Has anybody in the public heard about this whacko idea?

Nope. This is one of those concepts that has been denied public scrutiny. Sometime, somewhere this ridiculous thought was presented to our elected officials and they ran with it.

Our poor children! Oh, how the kids who play baseball for Hamlin are going to be mocked! Our baseball program is already faced with huge obstacles. Now this! We will be the laughingstock of the entire westside athletic community.

Can you imagine? Stupid looking, outsized bus shelters?

Used no less. Used how? As spitting posts, graffiti slates and ashtrays? Where are these things coming from? Have they been cleaned, are they safe? Who knows?

The Town Board won’t discuss it in public. We have to assume that this is the brainchild of Councilman Todd who works for the RGRTA. He obviously is connected and would be in a position to lobby for the bus company's garbage.

The Recreation Department and parents of ball players have been begging the town to build dugouts- for years! The Rec. Dept has sought out private contributions in supplies and labor, but they must have town approval to build on town property. As usual, the Town Board never gets around to dealing with the issue. Put it off, put it off. Ignore it and maybe it will go away.

But used bus shelters? Who in their right mind would consider subjecting our kids to the inevitable, ruthless ridicule that will be heaped on them by the teams, with real dugouts, who come to Hamlin to play ball? How could the TB have overlooked such an obvious reaction? The idea is so clownish, so far out in left field, that one really has to wonder if any Town Board member is in touch with anything in our community.

Supervisor Warner claims Hamlin has a $200,000 surplus. This is enough money to afford an $8000 photo-op for himself, but no money to build real dugouts for our kids. Instead of allocating some funds to upgrade our ballfields, the Town Board proposes to humiliate the kids by sticking them in used bus shelters. What Bozos.

Not For The Salad!

Fungus Alert

According to members of the Hamlin Zoning Board a home on Benedict Beach Road will be torn down and removed due to an infestation of fungus. The house, numbert 7016, has been infected by Aspergillus Niger fungus that can cause numerous infections in humans, some can be fatal.

This is all the information I have now (and it comes c/o the ZB!) I will post more as it is revealed. (Please remember this website posting the next time the Hamlin Supervisor claims to have, "improved communications.")

For further information on this fungus and the steps recommended to mitigate it visit:

http://www.dehs.umn.edu/iaq/sop.html

Counting the bones


Dem Bones, Dem Bones...

Wow. The preliminary accounting is in for the fund-raising effort of the new Hamlin Democrats at the Fireman’s Carnival and it’s pretty impressive.

The Dems collected and contributed over $1200 dollar worth of prizes, gift certificates and donations from local individuals and businesses. They raffled off 20 beautiful gift baskets and 40 gift certificates! The merchants from Hamlin and Brockport were incredibly generous and supportive.

For their efforts, the Dems managed to collect over $700 to be used mainly in the upcoming elections. That is an impressive rate of return, about 60% on the donations! Ida Miller, treasurer of the Hamlin Democratic Committee was thrilled by the success. “For a brand new organization to raise that much money in their first effort is amazing!” she said. “More importantly, the public relations value of our presence at the carnival was worth far more then the revenues. It raised our profile in the community immeasurably.”

“We are extremely grateful to the many people and businesses which helped make the carnival such a huge success for us,” added Frank Delapa, Chairman of the Hamlin Democratic Committee. “We couldn’t have done it without them!”

A Sign in Every Pot

Sign of the Times

Well folks, they did it. In a Special Town Board Meeting, allegedly held to discuss a water district, Hamlin’s leaders voted unanimously to spend $8000 to replace the sign in front of the Town Hall. While I agree that the existing sign has some problems and could use an upgrade I KNOW it can be done for less than eight grand!

The old one will be removed and a new one constructed in it’s place. The replacement will still be somewhat cheap and old-fashioned however. While the sign is lighted, the lettering will still have to be placed by hand! That is a staff person’s hand. My, my- eight thousand dollars doesn’t buy what it used to, I guess.

Of course, we politically savvy Hamlinites know what the real motive is. Austin Warner wants a photo-op. If the sign can’t be erected prior to the primary, maybe Austin will distribute a photo of himself signing a phony contract, like an old FDR portrait.

Don't Be Afraid!

Campaigner Frightens Locals

After numerous reports of a strange man in a lighted suit going door to door in Harper Park investigators discovered that there was nothing to be alarmed about. " It's just a local politician on the campaign trail," said Tom Westfield who looked into the matter for the trailer park association. " It seems he rented a 'Dynamo' suit, you know the character from the Schwarzzaneger movie- 'Running Man.'" "I guess he figures looking like somebody from an Arnold movie couldn't hurt him- you know with the California election and all," the man added.

Logo of the All Hamlin Party

Indie Nation

There is finally a place for Independent voters to pull the trigger this year in Hamlin elections. Local candidates filed the independent All Hamlin Party with the Board of Elections today. The new party is a blended ticket with two candadates who are registered as Democrat and two who are non-affiliated or Independent (NOT IndependenCE.)

Independent voters are the second largest voter group in Hamlin and have long been ignored in local government. The All Hamlin Party was organized to recognize the Independent voter and, as the name says, be a political choice for all residents of Hamlin who are seeking a voice in local decision making.

Good news for Hamlin.

Frightened child reacts to monsterous hand (photo by Topper Bott)

Candidate Disfigured By Campaign

Hamlin, NY- Democratic candidate for Town Board, James B. Martin, has suffered a permanent, disfiguring injury as a result of relentless campaigning. The damage is the result of shaking hands. “The farmers and fireman out here sure have strong grips!” moaned the candidate as he held up the hideous maw for inspection. Much of the harm occurred at the recent Hamlin Fireman’s Carnival, “Friday night, in the beer tent, there were guys who just wouldn’t let go of my hand. I mean, I’d shake with them but they would just hang on and keep pumping my hand for what seemed like hours!” explained the distraught politician. “Usually these guys act pretty normal. You know, they shake your hand for a second or two and let it go. I don’t know what happened, it was like they were all under some kind of spell or something.”

The injury is serious. “It hurt so much on Sunday morning that I had to down to Lakeside for x-rays.” wept Martin, “They said every bone was broken and there was no hope of a return to normalcy!” “Look at this thing!” shouted the candidate as he wagged the giant, floppy mess in front of this reporter’s face, “It’s like a huge raw turkey, only sunburned!” Indeed, the monstrosity did look like a hunk of red, uncooked poultry. “I just thank God that I always drove my bulldozer with one hand, otherwise I’d be out of work,” sobbed the candidate.

The injury has not hindered Martin’s political determination however. “I will persevere!” he exclaimed too loudly, perhaps due to various painkillers. “I will go forward,” he shouted as he tried to point a gross, flopping finger into the air. Starting to giggle, and shake the horrible, fleshy lobster-like hand, he said, “I’m going to change my campaign slogan to- ‘Giving Hamlin a Helping Hand’” Mr. Martin then began laughing loudly and teetered away, ending the interview

Rebuttal

Turn the Other Cheek

Those were some pretty funny comments made by Alfred Campbell, Chairman of the Hamlin Republican Committee, in Wednesday's D&C. The story was about the energized Democrats who have shocked Republicans throughout the county by assembling a slate of candidates to run for local office here in town.

Right off the bat Campbell attacked, accusing the Dems. of putting forward candidates who hadn’t met with Republican approval!

In a previous D&C article, Democratic Town Leader Steve Klafehn had expressed the hope that local Democrats could work together with Republicans. To which Campbell said, “the slate doesn’t appear to be in keeping with Klafehn’s professed interest in having Republican leaders and Democrats work amicably together.” Apparently, Campbell believed that Steve’s words had given Republicans the right to select Democratic candidates!

Campbell then went on, trying to suggest a breach among the Dems saying, “If the Democrats put up candidates with different agendas, it might undermine what Steve is doing with the party.” It is certainly gratifying that the Republicans show such concern over the solidarity of their opposition.

However, Al is not familiar with the constitution of a typical Democratic organization. Unlike the tight lipped, lock step culture of the Hamlin Republicans, local Dems thrive on their differences. They reject stasis and blind conformity. They embrace diversity and believe that the best solutions evolve from conflicting ideas.

Also, in typical fashion, Mr. Campbell is guilty of the very thing he accuses the Dems of. Instead of nurturing an “amicable” relationship, his first comments to the media are divisive and aggressive. He has not offered an open hand or greeting. Instead of, “We welcome You!” he puts forward dark suggestions of dissent.

Perhaps that’s to be expected. Given that his own organization is embroiled in a contentious primary, it’s no wonder he sees the shadows of discord everywhere.

The Hamlin Dems are fine. They are charged up. They are unified, enthused and argumentative. They are also forgiving. They hold no grudge toward the splintered Republican party and look forward to working with its remnants after the primary.

Coming Soon!


Meeting Highlights

Monday’s Town Board was very eventful! Ed Evans put on a masterful display of “Here’s all the stuff I do. How ‘bout You?” giving a nearly endless report on all the meetings and committees he’s attended. You have to admire Ed, he does get out there. Unfortunately, it also suggests that he might dissolve into a messy “micromanager” if elected Supervisor. He’s very accustomed to being alone in the spotlight and often tries to be all things to all people.

During the Public Forum Jim Martin asked a detailed question about the costs to the town of maintaining the ESL ATM. He specifically asked the Supervisor if the electrical costs quoted in the recent newsletter at “$300" was for a day, week, month or year. Mr. Warner replied that the $300 was an annual cost for electric service. Martin questioned that, noting that there is a a fifty amp service to the machine. Warner asserted that it only costs Hamlin about $300 a year to maintain the ATM. Stay tuned.

There was a prolonged discussion about a new regulation making it easier for the town to cite and act on abandoned or overgrown properties. The town can’t just go on somebody’s property to cut the grass without first notifying the owner that they are in violation. The new regulation would speed up the process. It is another example of Hamlin being behind the times and slow to react. The issue of abandoned property has troubled the community for years without getting any legislative attention. This is because most of the properties are located in Huntington Park and local government is notorious for neglecting and spurning the residents of that development. With the upcoming primary and election there is now a selfish urgency to act. Business as usual.

There was a long and politically charged discussion on setting a public hearing date on the issue of increasing the minimum frontage for lots in RVL districts. More on this issue under its own article in a few days.

Speaking of the election, the board disclosed a horribly blatant election year stunt to garner attention for themselves- at the taxpayers expense of course. Without any prior public debate, the group revealed a plan to buy a giant LED message board to put in front of the Town Hall. This is intended to replace the existing lighted sign. It is so pitifully obvious what their plan is. Won’t it be remarkable when the “ribbon-cutting/lighting ceremony” occurs just before the election and creates a photo-op in the local papers?

This stunt is almost laughable. Only it’s not funny. The reason is COST. The town is looking at only two models of message board. One costs $7200 and the other $7700!

Pretty expensive photo-op wouldn’t you say? I wonder if any or our representatives have bothered to poll the public about whether they want to spend seven grand on a blinking sign. Hey, but why ask the public when the real point is to get “free ink” for your campaign.

The Republicans always carp about “no new taxes” yet our leaders have raised taxes three consecutive years. For what? For a flashy new sign I guess.

Casting its ballot.

Petition Denied

One of the least understood, and most distasteful, parts of the election process is “invalidating petitions.” As many people know, the path to democracy begins with prospective candidates canvassing their election area collecting signatures from registered voters. If you are a Democrat, Republican or other party, you must collect signatures from valid party members. If your party is recognized by NYS you need only collect 5% of the registered voters to qualify for the ballot. This applies to a primary as well as the general election.

After these petitions are collected they are validated at each party’s headquarters and then made available for public scrutiny. Anyone, especially an opponent, may examine the petitions in an effort to find fault and have them disqualified. If enough petitions are denied, then the candidate is booted from the election process.

Petitions are generally denied because of oversight. For example, if a witness (the person who actually collected the signatures) fails to date the document then the entire list of names on that sheet is thrown out. Obviously, the potential candidate and his/her volunteers must be diligent.

However, examination and the effort to invalidate is strictly optional! The Board of Elections does not seek to invalidate, only the opposition party or candidates. The opponent, tries to deny the voters a choice by removing a candidate on a technicality. It is a pitiful and dishonorable way of preventing democracy. It is willful, and those who do it know they are intervening in the democratic process. They do not want, "to let the voters decide.”

Hamlin has first hand experience in this matter. Six years ago the Republicans invalidated the petitions of a prospective Democratic candidate. That year there was no opposition in our local elections. No Hamlin voter had a choice. It was like a Banana Republic with only one line of local candidates. These people were delighted that they did not have to respond to an opponent and were content to deny their constituents a political choice.

Ironically, Ed Evans was a Town Board member at that time and advocated for the Republicans to invalidate the Democratic petitions. How the worm turns. Now the Republicans, lead by incumbent Austin Warner and guided by the experienced Dave Rose, are scrutinizing the petitions of challenger Ed Evans in his primary effort. If they can deny the Republican voters a primary choice they will. That shows how much they value the democratic process. Maybe it shows a little fear as well. It sure doesn’t show much class.

Hamlin Senior, James Martin (no relation to David), stands ready to break ground.


The Latest Development

There was good news for Hamlin at last night’s Planning Board meeting. A very preliminary concept was presented for a senior living development which would be built behind (east) Tops Plaza. The property, known as the Beehler/Kronenberg parcel, would be home to some 46 “townhouses” and 72 “condos.” The development would be age restrictive, with at least one home-owner 55 or older. Likely it would be managed by a homeowners association which would determine issues such as landscaping, recreational facilities, etc.

Chris Schlieter of the PB suggested the developers consider questions of access, public transportation and greenspace. The real purpose of the presentation was to measure support for the concept and gain a recommendation to seek rezoning from the Town Board. The PB supported the plan and made the recommendation.

This would be an excellent and important development for Hamlin. For many of our population there is no place to move to when they want to quit the burdens of property and maintenance. This opportunity would help keep long time residents near their families. It would also be key to attracting new services to the community. A dense population base of seniors is attractive to banks, pharmacies, restaurants and health care providers.

This is just what Hamlin needs. Let’s hope it is supported.

Beautiful Downtown Antennaville! (WDBJ-Texas)

Hallelujah!

George Kimble has seen the light. The plans to move the radio antenna targeted for Hamlin is underway! Read below, submitted by Les Wilson.
Thanks Les.

See http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WMJQ
and
http://www.fybush.com/nerw-030609.html

As first hinted here on NERW a few months ago, there's an allocations shift
in the works for upstate NEW YORK, and it involves WMJQ (105.5 Brockport).
Right now, George Kimble's station is operating at low power with a
directional antenna from one tower of WASB (1590 Brockport), whose religious
and Spanish programming has been simulcast on the FM for a few years now. A
CP to move to a taller tower a few miles north in the town of Hamlin has
been stalled by local opposition.

Now WMJQ has a new plan: an application to move down the dial to 104.9 and
to move its transmitter site eastward, toward Rochester. From the new site
in Ogden, alongside route 531, 104.9 would use 4900 watts at 111 meters
above average terrain, which should put a much more respectable signal over
the city than 105.5 currently does.


Two interesting notes here: first, this is likely to cause a headache for
WIRQ, the class D noncomm station at Irondequoit High School that's been
bumped from 90.9 to 93.3 to 94.3 to 104.7 by new allocations, and is now
likely to be bumped again; second, the application's engineering work was
done by the chief engineer of Family Life Ministries, the fast-expanding
regional religious network in western New York...

Hey Ogden, give us a call...

Slipping Up

There was an excellent column by Mark Hare in Tuesday’s D&C. He said, “What we have in Albany is not legislative or governmental incompetence. What we have is a Banana Republic. Things don’t get done because they don’t have to get done.”
That is a precise description Hamlin’s town government too. It is perfect, and for exactly the same reasons- no competition. Without it there is no incentive for elected officials to respond to voters. Hare writes, “Legislative races are essentially noncompetitive...which means lawmakers are beholden to their leaders (who control the money), not the voters. The Speaker or majority leader can get rid of or marginalize a legislator; the voters cannot.”

That perfectly describes the situation in Hamlin. Local government is out of touch with the ordinary citizen, they are under no outside political pressure and they have grown so complacent that initiative is avoided at all costs. They ignore or exclude voters from the political process- unless faced with imminent anarchy like the Tower event.

They did “get rid of or marginalize a legislator,” remember what happened to Ed Evans?

For years, local government has only looked to, and responded to, the small inner clique which rules the Hamlin Republican Committee. Since the voters don’t matter, why shouldn’t they cater to them exclusively?

Watch out. The Republic is about to get peeled.

Where am I? Hamlin, New York.

Get Your Money and Bolt

Be prepared. The following story may be indigestible. It may make some readers gassy. A certain pun is about to be slaughtered.

Shredded. Chopped to pieces.
****

Hamlin is the Cabbage Capitol of the World. There is no doubt about it. Soon there will be a new way for local residents to get their personal cabbage.

Top’s Friendly Markets are about to do what the local government has failed at for years. Hamlin is getting a bank. A branch of Charter One will soon be blossoming inside the Lake Road store. It’s probably won’t be a branch, but a stem perhaps. Obviously, it’s won’t be a head office.

This was a business decision by mutual agreement between the bank and supermarket, just like the one between Tops and Blockbuster Video. Watch out now. Reality is about to hit the salad spinner. No doubt the Supervisor will shred the truth and boil up some story that makes the bank look like his accomplishment. Just in time for the appetizer- the Republican Primary. The truth will be wrapped up like an smelly egg roll and served to the public.

Leave it alone, don’t bite. Demographics cultivated the decision, profit is the crop. Steam from the rumor pot says that the first time the Supervisor heard about the bank was when Charter One applied for a sign permit! Any attempt to harvest the glory is so much corned beef!
****
I apologize.

Why can't we all just get along?


Dissent and Debate

The article in the D&C yesterday about the New Hamlin Democratic Committee came with a surprising dose of intrigue. Of course, dissension is a hallmark of every Democratic organization. How could it be otherwise if a group embraces diverse opinions, unlike the mute lockstep of the average Republican organization- including the Hamlin Republicans.
For some reason Steve Klafehn, the Town Leader, of the Dem Committee distanced himself from the written invitation sent out about the meeting tomorrow night at the Town Hall. Apparently, he did not agree with some of the statements in the letter. According to the D&C, it said, “Republicans have failed Hamlin.” It’s pretty hard to argue with that. Hamlin has suffered decades of inept, visionless Town Boards which manage, year after year, to do practically nothing. The Republicans don’t have a clue about suburbanization issues and their candidates are drawn from a town committee which loathes debate. The HRC is mired in petty intrigues, members gossiping behind one another’s backs while being devoid of candor and vision. Saying they have “failed” is simply a statement of fact.

Well, dissension and debate are good things in a political organization. Frank debate about points of view are what produce effective decisions. That Klafehn will publicly disagree with others in the committee is probably a good sign for Hamlin. Hopefully the Democrats will produce PUBLIC debate on a wide range of community issues- that alone is a huge advancement for our Town!

Please sign my petition.

Good Rumor

The story going around is that some people are refusing to sign the Republican nominating ballot because Austin Warner's name is on it! A nominating ballot is required to qualify each candidate as an official Republican in the election. This ballot must be trooped around town for the required number of signatures from registered Republicans. The most efficient method is to make a ballot with the names of all the sanctioned candidates on it, that is the "official" manner. In Hamlin the nominations are Warner for Supervisor, Rath and Todd for Town Board. Their names are all on the same document. It appears that Ed Evans has some friends out there. His supporters are refusing to sign the ballots if Warner's name is included. They are making the Town Board candidates produce a ballot sans Warner! Mmmm. that's tasty!

"It ain't no ferry, but the tourist'll probly like it." Developer, Dutch Wagner

Town Board Votes To Build Trolley

In a stunning development the Hamlin Town Board voted yesterday to build a "trolley" system along Lake Road. Further shocking the community, the funding will come out of the Hamlin Library budget. "We think 'this is the ticket,' if you will," said Shirley Hollink the project's sponsor. "Nobody else has a trolley and we are the home of Wheelfest you know."

"This should bring in a lot of tourist money," added George Todd who first introduced Dutch Wagner, the developer, to Hollink. Wagner, a part time welder, woodworker and maintenence man concieved of the idea one night at the Village Inn, a local "watering hole." "That SOB bartender took ma keys and I was wonderin' how ta git home," explained the dwarfish "imagineer." "I ain't callin no cab, so's I think, Dang, we need a trolley. Next day, I bang this out," he added with pride.

Others are not so positive. "It's insane," said local personalty Jim Martin when asked about the project. "Take money away from the library, which the whole town uses, so some slugabed doesn't have to stumble home? It's insane."

"I'm just concerned about cost," droned Councilman Paul Rath who voted for the project. "I'm just concerned about cost," he said agin stiffly. And again.

Councilman Ed Evan's who fought the plan vigorously, lashed out at his fellows, "They're just doing this because they felt stupid in the meeting to fund the library expansion. They didn't think it through then, and now they've lost their minds."

Supervisor Warner, who also opposed the plan, was unavailable for comment. His spokesman said he was counting lawnsigns.

Step on it Jethro! We ain't stayin' in no town with one a them fancy "libaries!"

Pride and Prejudice

If there is a single characterization of Hamlin that needs to be extinguished it’s that ours is a hick-town. Hayseed, rube, hillbilly, backwater, whatever. Hamlin’s perception in the county is not of a very high caliber. Not many people want to move to the backwater, and that affects our property values. Certain things work to defeat those labels. One of the most important is our library. As noted elsewhere (Detailed in, “What A Success,” 4/18/03) the Hamlin library has been an incredible success. A town which can boast that more than 50% of its residents hold library cards should be able to deflect the hick label.

Not so fast.

At last night’s Town Board meeting the community confronted the kind of anti-intellectualism and anti-cultural attitude that does so much harm to our reputation. The board struggled with a special request from the library for funding to expand.(Click archives, 4/18/03) It needs to expand in response to its success, and to better serve the demands of the users- the Hamlin taxpayers.

Supervisor Warner and Councilman Ed Evans, supporting Nancy Martin from the library Board of Trustees, fought a prolonged battle with the other council persons to approve the special funding. The principle opponent was Shirley Hollink who contrived to imply that the library had leadership, planning and personnel problems.

Hollink stated that the library had moved four times in four years. She presented some weird revisionist history to press her claims. She suggested that the original collection of donated books, which was temporarily stored in the Board Room of the Town Hall, was the first library location. What??? Then when this collection was moved to the old recreation building, our new town court building, this was its second move. Huh???

I hate to introduce reality here, but the fact is, there was no Hamlin Library until it received it’s New York State Charter in 2000. Whatever existed before that was not a library.

Hollink also implied that there were management problems because there had been turnover with the trustees. Ms. Martin pointed out that one had died, another had left for reasons of health and the third had quit in “a fit of pique.” To which Hollink blinked and asked, “What does that mean?” I’m pretty sure Martin considered suggesting that Hollink visit the library and look it up, but she has too much grace for that. (The turnover in other organizations is much higher. For example, the Hamlin Republican Committee has had about 10 Chairman in the last five years!)

The battle waged for what seemed like hours. The details are too many, and too agonizing, to list here. There was an unmistakable attitude on the part of councilpersons Hollink, Rath and Todd that the library was somehow bad or irresponsible for needing more money. They seemed unable to comprehend that the money was necessary to expand and expansion was required because of demand. Demand from the huge portion of the resident/taxpayer population which uses and supports the library on a regular basis. In the end, Warner and Evans carried the day (with limitations) only Hollink refused the funding. I have no idea what constituency she believes she is representing in this way

Instead of applauding and enthusiastically supporting the success of our library, three of our Town Board attacked, reproached and tortured its request. When Hamlinites look to deflect the “hick” label, we can point with pride to the growth and use of our library. But don’t let anyone see the little clique of Town Board members lounging around in their overalls “havin’ a chaw.”

Good work Mr. Warner and Mr. Evans! The Hamlin library is a great point of pride and achievement in a town starving for it. Thank you for fighting to better the community.

Welcome New Readers!

Welcome the many new visitors to this site! The purpose of it is to try to keep the residents of Hamlin informed about the activities of our local government. Town government is, in many ways, much more important in our daily lives than Federal or State rule. This is where we LIVE. Local government decides what kinds of structures can be built and where, whether businesses can be located in your neighborhood, or how close to your property a neighbor can build his house or deck or addition. The Town decides what permits you need if you want to improve your property and how much those fees will be. Local government indirectly controls the library and recreation in Hamlin.

The most important thing local government affects are your property values. If a commercial activity opens next door to you what happens to the value of your land? If the density is changed in your neighborhood, how will your parcel be affected? These are significant issues, important to every property owner in the community.

Equally important are the decisions local government makes about OUR FUTURE. Changes to the Town's Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Codes and Local Laws all have a profound, immediate effect on you, your family and your quality of life in the community while you live here. I believe that most citizens would be diligent about the decisions of local government, if only they had a means of monitoring it.

This is that way.

We strive to bring information about the activities and decisions of the Town Board as well as the Planning and Zoning Boards. We keep you up to date with the intricacies of local politics in the hope that an informed population will make informed decisions when they have the opportunity to choose.

Local government doesn't even try to communicate. For example, the current newsletter is the first one in 18 months and most insiders recognize it as the Town Supervisor's attempt to promote himself in the upcoming primary run off. Where else will you get that kind of news?

Please bookmark this page and return once or twice a week. Please don't hesitate to write to us either. We personally respond to every letter and your confidentiality is always protected.

If you would like to read our Archives click on a date in the list on the left side of the page or click on any day in the calendar on the right to see news from that day (Note we do not post news every day, but almost!)

Share this website with your neighbors, discuss the issues and, I hope, have a laugh once in a while!

Thanks,
Peter Tonery
Editor