Letter to the NYPSC From Julia Gosier

Posted below is a letter from Julia Gosier of the Town of Lyme.   In my opinion Ms. Gosier seems really confused if she is one of the spokespersons for pro wind.  I have highlighted the confusing part in red.

Dear Mr. Cohen,


My husband and I are long-standing residents of the Town of Lyme and volunteer in fire service, EMS, Chamber of Commerce and many other local organizations. Three generations of our family have gone to Lyme Central School. Just as our friends in Cape Vincent, we know industrial wind can help sustain our small schools.

We have read the preliminary scoping statement for the Cape Vincent Wind Farm and feel it is thorough and well done.

We are however, very concerned about the lack of a level playing field in the names being offered for the ad hoc committee.

I am enclosing a letter which was sent to each member of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators in hopes that they would encourage their legislative chairwoman Carolyn Fitzpatrick to include a person knowledgeable in local agriculture as a nominee to the siting board's ad hoc membership. We have found no evidence that the matter was ever officially discussed. Ms. Fitzpatrick simply avoided her responsibility and endorsed the very questionable names put forth by Cape Vincent Supervisor Urban Hershey.

Those who tell you that the majority of people in our two towns don't want industrial wind are incorrect. They simply yell louder and longer.

Please help us get industrial wind in our neighborhood. It's ironic that we are relying on the state to give us back the "home rule" that our two town boards continue to take away from us.

Sincerely,


Julia Gosier


Mrs. Gosier,

You really need to at least get your basic facts straight before you post a letter to an important State agency!
I highly suggest you re-read the Power NY/ Art X Legislation so you can at least attempt a coherent argument.   The two town boards of Lyme and Cape Vincent DID NOT take away your "home rule" and they have NO POWER to give it back to you on the wind issue.  It is absurd that you don't recognize that the State you are begging to give back home rule was who took it away in the first place and has NO intention of honoring your request to please give it back. 

What is really "IRONIC" as you suggest is that you fail to grasp this simple straight forward concept and then would write it to the State that took our home rule away.  Can you explain your statement as to how you expect the State is going to give you back the very home rule power they took away with overwhelming support from both parties in the NY legislature?

The problem you people have in the pro wind faction is after 7 years you simply fail badly to grasp the fundamentals and realities and this statement in your letter is a prime example.

These two town boards were duly elected by a majority citizens of each community.  Oh yeah I know about the seasonal vote blah blah blah.  But consider who inflamed that season group.  It was your pro wind actions to make war on the seasonal community and entrench and steadfastly refuse to consider anything else other than what BP wanted.  You want to blame some one for taking your home rule?  Then blame BP who in my opinion it appears you gave your brains and  true home rule to!  Probably the brilliant assessment of BP, Marion Trieste and your group Voters For Wind.

Just like when pro wind stood by as certain individuals in your cause passed an illegal voting law.  Then when the top lawyer in the entire state ( NYAG Schneiderman ) declares it is unconstitutional Mason and Mason dig in and refuse to vote to rescind it. It was an outright frontal attack on the seasonal community and their perfectly legal right to vote.  Then you wonder how and why these boards got elected... and become so disoriented  you still think THEY are your problem taking your home rule away.  They had NOTHING to do with the removal of your home rule. Get a grip!!!

Where you are really disoriented is when you believe that just because these duly elected boards appear to disagree with your cause that somehow this represents a removal of your home rule.  You have to be kidding!  That is POLITICS pure and simple and you lost because the people on your side were, and continue to act irresponsibly and recklessly and take faulty ridiculous advice!

And the bottom line is TOO BAD...YOU LOST!!!!  You are now the sum total of your behavior and Trieste's advice.  Hey...how is that working out for you?

And if you want to spout off an argument that these boards have to be fair and represent everyone, that is just as ridiculous too.  I and many people don't vote for candidates in an elections, especially on hot issues like industrial wind,  to have them fairly represent the other side.  I want them to represent MY side, not the other side and the same would be the case for you and you KNOW it!

 And anyone who makes that argument they are expecting fair representation is simply out of touch with political reality and what elections are really about and why we vote.  The pro wind people in CV and Lyme sure as hell didn't vote so they could win and then the town board they elected would  fairly represent the wind opposition side!

That is absurd and you know it!

 And I am sure if your side won and controlled the town boards that you would not give a rats ass about representing me, or the wind opposition either.  Nor would you give a rats ass if I complained that because of an election I thought you "took away my home rule"

And this was blatantly proven over and over again in CV with the old officials repeated marginalization of the wind opposition view point, right to the point of shutting down public meetings and our voices. 

No matter who it was or is now... you need to face facts that you have repeatedly been given THE WORST ADVICE POSSIBLE!!!  And you continue to take it.  AND THAT IS YOUR FUNDAMENTAL PR AND STRATEGY DISASTER!!!

If you are paying Marion Trieste you should go get your money back.  How has that worked out so far for you?  If it had worked out you wouldn't be begging the State to ensure the towns give back you home rule with the fantasy that the town boards took it away!!!!


Your own actions are the reason you are where you are without turbines spinning, which if you had acted reasonably before many of us caught on, and fell for the brilliant idea to inflamed the seasonal vote, turbines  might be up and spinning today.

What you fail to grasp is that we are basically ALL in the same boat when it comes to Art X.  It is what took your home rule and community zoning rights away from all of us and, YOU are likely to end up just as much a victim as the rest of us who oppose wind.

NO ONE WINS when our rights to determine our own community futures are taken away.

In Cape Vincent at least, that old town board had several years to develop what many might have considered a fair wind zoning law that might have addressed many concerns.  But what did they do?  They entrenched and REFUSED to take any other path than what the wind companies dictated and that destroyed several attempts to come up with a wind law.  If you think these current town boards are your problem...then you need to think again.

But by your own behavior I seriously doubt you will examine any of this, and will just keep distancing yourself from reality, and the possibility of truly directing your own future and fate and the future of our communities.  And  in your refusal to grasp reality, you and pro wind continue to blindly attempt to find desperate ways to blame this mess on the two existing town boards or on anyone you can scape goat to cover your failings and terrible decisions. 

You might want to sit down and take a hard look at where that has gotten you so far. 

When your little wind fantasy bubble , reinforced by your pro wind faction and advisers, has you so confused to think that legally and democratically elected town boards are who  removed your home rule, when in fact it was the State, it should demonstrate to you how fundamentally out of touch your pro wind side is. 

 You will be far better of if you ever figure out that the State and Art X is not your friend. They are not going to run to your rescue and reinstate home your, no matter who you think took it away.  The only true salvation from this Art X over reach is from within our own communities under a democratic system to determine our own futures, even if one side or the other doesn't like the outcome.

That is something fundamental  both the Lyme and CV govts. need to grasp as well, and soon!