Healing The Community By Resolving the Wind Issue - Reality Or Fairytale? YOU Decide And Let Me Know.

                                                                                    Cape Vincent

Before we get started with my comments I would like to open my blog up for an exploration of how to heal the community as was suggested by both sides of the wind issue at the last Cape Vincent town board meeting.

Let's use this bog as a forum for community healing and outreach. Please come on here and tell us what resolution to the wind issue in Cape Vincent is acceptable to YOU that will bring “healing” to the community as Mr. Hirschey and the privilege of the floor speaker suggested!

In  the last few days I have been on several long search and rescue missions, and have been trying to catch up on sleep. As a result I did not get a chance to look at the video of the Cape Vincent town board meeting until this morning.

The subject of the community being divided on the wind issue and healing the community was raised by at least one person during the privilege of the floor. This person felt it was the board’s fault for not healing a badly divided community. Although I get the sneaking feeling that this person's way to heal would be to make sure everyone in town govt. saw it HIS way! Actually there was a time like that in the previous wind conflicted govt. Funny I don't remember them or pro wind being real concerned about community "healing". Now they have their ass in a sling and are all about "healing a divided community!" Later Supervisor Hirschey addressed this issue in his comments.

Below are a portion of Mr. Hirschey's comments transcribed directly from the video.

" Yes indeed it is a divided community and it will be a divided community unfortunately until the wind turbines are resolved. And frankly the sooner the better. We have a lot of healing to do and there are a lot of good things this community has and I am sure we are all eagerly awaiting the time when we can get this behind us and make this community what it can be.
You say you blame us (the town board) but if you were in the same position...it's something that is not going to get resolved until this whole wind turbine thing gets resolved"

Assuming the resolution of the wind issue one way or the other or a compromise is the point at which we can start healing, then the first thing that struck me is that we could go on as a divided community probably for at least a year maybe more until the Art. X process with BP plays out. Unless of course BP pulls out and even that isn't going to heal the community. And what if a new wind developer comes in and has to take up BP's Art X process or has to start over? We could be waiting a long long time for a resolution and healing! So I guess it would be up to the community to take on the "healing" process now.

I think this "healing" paradigm on the part of both sides is a fairytale! I also think it's a fairytale that some resolution to the wind issue is going to be acceptable enough for the community to start healing. The wounds are far too deep.

But let's explore this idea of healing and see who is serious and who isn't, or if it is just a feel good fairy tale… or blame game!

Let me start out with a couple healing suggestions.

OK...Start with the premise that the Zogby poll was correct that the community is divided on the wind issue, and no overwhelming majority exists either way. This after all was a nationally recognized very credible polling firm the town board hired to find the pulse of the community on the wind issue. It cost $10,000 of tax money belonging to ALL of us. No one forced the town board to do it. It was their suggestion. That is reality even though you might not like the results. It seems like a fair "official" point to start the “healing” process.

So here are my suggestions:

1. The pro wind faction completely dissolves Voters For Wind and removes Marion
  Trieste from our community. She isn't even a community member with any real stake
   in "healing" the community other than profits and a green agenda. She and her PR
  firm are truly outsiders.

2. Then in good faith Sarah Boss from WPEG and sanctioned by Mr. Hirschey and the
    WPEG town board reciprocates and completely dissolves WPEG as an anti wind 
    political action group.

3. Both groups should then re-establish as one community group with a mission to
    resolve the wind issue favorable to all sides and work on ways to heal the community 
    division. This group would have no leaders but would agree on a completely
    impartial professional mediator with no stake in wind energy or our community.

The group could call itself  The Community Coalition to Re-Unify Cape Vincent.

Seems to me that if you are truly trying to heal the community that it would be perfectly logicical
to have such a group.  So where is this group and why hasn't either side suggested it?

4. The town board should increase its membership to 7, which they can legally do, and appointments and   removals would be made to balance the board on both sides of the wind issue. The supervisor would agree to not vote on any issues but could fully argue his position and enter fully and forcefully  into all discussions, but should act mainly as a mediator. You know…have input…just like Art. X is supposed to give us!  You would think anyone you goes alog with Art X would be OK with this arrangement of input!

Hirschey would remain as supervisor since he was elected by a majority of the community, even without the seasonal vote.

ALL town officers in addination to the standard oath of office would sign an oath that their primarly responsibility and actions would be to find an accepatble resolution to the wind issue for all sides AND take actions to heal the community.  Anyone who does not honesty work toward that community oriented goal showing inflexibility to one side could be removed by recall or referendum vote establshed by enough signatures provided by petition of eligible voters.

I have many other suggestions maybe I will post later, but let's start here and see how this flies if people are serious about "healing" the community!!!

And remember now…that is our goal...healing our community, and the sooner the better!

Both sides can not have it all their way!  If both sides are still thinking that way...then healing is the exact fairytale I am suggesting it is.  And if I am the marginal crazy radical thinker some suggest I am...then God forbid you certainly don't want me to be right!

So once again…comment here on what resolution to the wind issue YOU think will begin to heal the community, and how to heal it aftert that!

I would invite our town leaders to comment as well if they are serious about healing. They need to be specific as to HOW and let’s get started otherwise all parties suggesting healing are just blowing a lot of smoke!

Not only that... since both the other CV blogs are supporters of Mr. Hirschey and his ideas and since he thinks a resolution to the wind issue will begin to heal the community …I suggest they also engage in this conversation and open it up to comment!

After all if we are going to heal we have to get a community wide discussion going with suggestions of a resolution to the wind issue and how to heal as a result.  As  essentially the widely read social media sources for our community it seems their input and involvement would be critical!

Let's see if even one of them will refer their readers here to this important discussion to heal our community!