What Did They Actually Say?????

Well...the elections season is gearing up in the  Town of Cape Vincent.  I received a flyer from the group including:

Mr. Urban Hirschey - CV Supervisor -R
Mr. Brooks Bragdon - Incumbent for CV Town Council -R
Ms. Michelle Oswald - Incumbent CV Town Council -R

This flier is also on JLL and the Pandora blog.

You can see an additional campaign statement from Mr. Bragdon on the blogs as well.

It always amazes me how politicians scramble to find a way to say something that is basically meaningless on the big controversial issues, like BP industrial wind in our community. If you are brain dead, then it sounds real good and smooth!

Let's take a look at Mr. Bragdon first, on the wind issue:  Underlining is mine.

"I have made sincere efforts to see that wind turbine development is done right , with proper checks and balances and within the directions of the Cape Vincent Zoning Law, and I shall continue to do so."

Seems to me that is an oxymoron.  I was under the distinct impression during the 2011 election and victory that this was an anti wind effort to elected the WPEG/Hirschey candidates.  According to the blogs it was the big anti wind decision and referendum AGAINST industrial wind development!  

So in the last 2 years when did we get to this idea that you can do industrial wind development RIGHT???  It seems rather obvious to anyone with half a brain and a 2 second look across the River  that there is NO WAY to do industrial wind development RIGHT, whether it be in CV were NO wind development  belongs, yet our zoning allows some, or other places were it is still nothing more than a pointless over tax subsidized fiasco.

So now we are going to do wind development right????????  WTF!!! That is real comforting!  I feel much better now!!!

Then we have the flier from Hirschey, Bragdon and Michelle Oswald.  Here is what part of that says on wind. Underlining is mine.

"The guiding factor in the Zoning Law was to protect the safety and welfare of the citizens.  Consequently, the number of Turbines is limited and would not accommodate the 124 Turbines proposed by British Petroleum

Ooooookkkk .....  So we are no longer anti wind?  We are now just limiting the number of turbines.  And if we combine that with Bragdon's statement I guess we are limiting turbines, so we can do wind develop right?????

Now that is a very interesting and subtle position shift from a  group that everybody is convinced is anti wind.  So now we aren't going to be anti wind but instead now we are  going to do wind development right, and just limit the turbines!!!

I wouldn't say that is a roaring anti wind commitment!!!

Oooookkkkk...so let's look at that statement.  It really begs the question (that will NEVER be answered)  how the hell many turbines are we limiting development to, to make it right????  Seems based on these political BS statements it is an extremely legitimate and very important question to ask in an election year.

I guarantee if you ask any of these candidates in the flier HOW MANY are they going to LIMIT wind development to, to do it RIGHT...they won't have an answer or a clue....AND they really don't want you asking that question.

In fact I asked Councilman Clif Schneider last year how many turbines our law would allow, and he didn't even know, and he was a driving force on the zoning committee. 

Well I guess that doesn't surprise me if you look at the current Mary Grogan / Alexander solar project fiasco where our "zoning experts" can't even apply or read their own damn new zoning correctly! And they wrote the law!!!

And what about Michelle Oswald up for election this fall?  In the last Meet the Candidates Night last year she said she was against industrial wind develop in CV. She made that real clear running against Paul Aubertine. I was encouraged!

But now she has signed onto a Hirschey campaign platform where we are just limiting the turbines.  Ok Michelle, so give me a number...how many is LIMITING!!!

How many of those 500 ft. BP turbines is ok for you to make them limited!!!!!

Now in Michelle's case their is another REAL important question to ask her.  I would think it is fair to say Michelle is a strong supporter of woman's rights. 

Well ask her how she as a town of CV official with power, plans to defend a fellow CV woman Mary Grogan that has been badly screwed over TWICE by CV zoning screw ups, which has reduced her property values, and one of those screw ups was under the zoning officials under the administration she is part of!

In the campaign flier Ms. Oswald is standing shoulder to shoulder with CV Supervisor
Urban Hirschey who voted to appoint the officials that created the big zoning screw up Mrs. Grogan is innocently entangled in.  Mrs. Grogan has repeatedly asked Mr. Hirschey for help for 4 years to her serious zoning dilemma involving a wind turbine to no avail!

Here is a bunch under Hirschey that goes on and on in the Art X process blah blah blah about industrial wind development killing our property values.  Yet when it actually happens to a CV citizen, and Hirschey could actually do something about it and put his money where his mouth is on the property value issue...he is nowhere to be found.  Ask Mary Grogan!!!

The only thing Hirschey is interested in limiting right now is any political damage the Mary Grogan case could cause him and his candidates.  Not one of these candidates has contacted Mrs. Grogan about her latest zoning screw up dilemma, nor have the other Town Board members. Not one, as of tonight 8/24.

It will be very very interesting to see what Councilwoman  Oswald does with this case.  Will she stand up to try to assist Mrs. Grogan to get relief...or will she fold up in political allegiance to Hirschey and avoid making waves just like Hirschey does?

Next time you see Councilwoman Oswald campaigning ask her about the Mary Grogan situation and what she plans to do...and don't be fooled, she definitely KNOWS about it! I know that for FACT!!!

I'm guessing Mrs. Grogan has really  had enough yet!!!