1/17/2007

Dear Editor,
After reading the article about the Coykendall Lodge, it made me kind of sad. So I started thinking on how our history seems to be lost in the name of progress. It's funny with all this attention being on this huge development we have forgotten how we got to where we are. It srikes me kind of odd on how much of this resort is about run off and keeping the water clean for the city. Also about how our small towns are dying. How easy it is for us to forget other small towns that died along time ago, all in the name of clean water and progress. I'm talking about towns like Arena and Shavertown and all the other small towns that were lost to the city. My Aunt and Uncle lost their store when the city decided to put the Pepacton Reservoir in their town. How many people had their homes and livelihoods disrupted in the name of eminent domain. Haven't our past generations given up enough for the city? That's why I find it so amazing that the DEC and the DEP say that run off from this resort will not cause that much harm to the reservoirs or the Esopus, get real! The Ashokan Reservoir is already in serious trouble and yet they are willing to try and save that and sacrifice the Pepacton. People sacrificed their homes and property for that reservoir, so how dare they dismiss this run off issue so lightly.
Look how much flooding we have had the past few years, flooding we still have not completely recovered from. My husband and I have seen all kinds of garbage floating in the reservoir. I think maybe these agencies should be more concerned about the garbage in the reservoirs instead of helping some huge developer add more to it. Our reservoirs and streams are one of our greatest assets, do you think fishermen will come here to fish if our reservoirs are so polluted you can't eat the fish.
Another thing is the small town dying issue. I think progress is what killed our small towns along with letting our farmers go under. I can remember going to Kingston with my dad as a child and going through all the small towns like Phoenica along the way. We use to stop at a small diner at the end of town for lunch. Of course that was before Rt.28 was put in and then all the little towns weren't so busy anymore. Now we have 28 going from Kingston to Oneonta and straight to the Mall and Wal Mart, thats why our small towns are dying. By the way the people on their way to this resort will also be going past the malls and Wal Mart. Its us the local people that will save our small towns with responsible development and progress. Progress can give us a lot, but it can also take a lot away. I'm sure you have all gone on shopping trips to Kingston and spent the day. You had a good day and enjoyed yourself right? But did you find yourself breathing a sigh of relief when you were headed up 28 out of all that traffic? Its nice to shop and spend a day, but its nice to come home to. So when you go to places like Kingston remember what progress looks and feels like, and ask yoursef if this is what you want for your small towns. Is this what you want to come home to? Hopefully not. Bernadette Beyea
Margaretville, NY

Dear Editor,
Paul Rakov, paid spokesman for Crossroads Ventures, has published “answers” to the people of Hardenburgh’s “questions” regarding their Belleayre real estate venture. These “questions” and “answers” arose from a meeting convened for the residents of Hardenburgh by the town’s representative to the Ulster County Environmental Management Council, with the chairs of two groups involved in the closed-door negotiations that declined to sign the “deal” Crossroads cut with the Governor’s office. All were there to answer resident’s questions about the negotiations that Hardenburgh was excluded from, and to view maps of the brand new proposal’s proximity to the Town.
Mr. Rakov unexpectedly showed up voicing dismay that he'd not been invited. Since he is not a resident or taxpayer of the Town of Hardenburgh nor was he directly involved in the closed-door negotiations, this should not have come as a surprise. He stayed and took copious notes which he turned into our “questions” for his employer. This “Q and A” is now being circulated on websites as if it were a legitimate transcript of the meeting. It is not not. It's a product of Mr. Rakov’s PR spin, no more than that. That's his job.
I do have a question. Why should NY taxpayers pay to prioritize snowmaking on the 5-star-luxury-resort-spa side of Belleayre mountain so a private real estate development company can sell ski-in-ski-out timeshares at 3100 feet? This proposed private ski hill is furthest from the water source and would needlessly waste resources to keep it viable, particularly during our increasingly warm winters. If it were re-located to the Wildacres section of the property, the Belleayre Ski Center expansion could begin, more jobs could be created and snow could be blown where it makes skiing sense not speculative real estate sense.
Is it smart growth for the Governor’s office to put New York taxpayers in the risky business of selling timeshares?
John Carney, Chair
Hardenburgh Association of Residents and Taxpayers (HART)
Highmount, NY

Dear Editor,
The Top 10 Distorted Claims by the Leaders of Save the Mountain...
1) Claim: The Belleayre Resort will feature 2,800 beds.
Fact: The Belleayre Resort will feature 948 bedrooms (in 629 hotel lodging units). Save the Mountain would have you believe that the Resort will have
three beds.PER BEDROOM!
2) Claim: The Belleayre Resort will attract 4,000 people on busy weekends.
Fact: That would be more than four people per bedroom (no wonder all those beds are needed [see Claim 1 above]). If completely full, the Resort will
attract, at most, 1,800 people to stay overnight, many of whom are already coming to the Belleayre Ski Center.
3) Claim: Through a digitally altered photo, Save the Mountain claims that
all of the resort's buildings will be billowing smoke via wood-burning fireplaces.
Fact: Save the Mountain is just blowing smoke. The Resort will feature gas
burning fireplaces with only three new and two existing (at the Marlowe Mansion) wood-burning units on the whole property.
4) Claim: The Belleayre Resort will be a "gated community," preventing resort guests from leaving and area residents from entering, thus eliminating any economic benefits to local businesses and any additional recreational activity options for local community members.
Fact: No gates. Guests and locals can come and go as they please. The
Resort will dedicate a room to local tourism information and provide a staff member who will present up-to-date information about local cultural events, activities and attractions outside the Resort, and local shopping/dining/entertainment businesses. All of the Resort's amenities, including the spa, golf course, swimming pools, fitness center, restaurants, hiking trails, climbing walls, etc. will be open to the public.
5) Claim: Taxes and property values "always, always" go up wherever there
is development
Fact: This is a very generalized statement for which Save the Mountain should be asked to provide every single example of this "always" occurring phenomenon. The reality is that there has been no significant development in Ulster County since 2001. And during that time, the median home sale price has risen more than 90 percent from $130,000 to $248,000 (Marist College 2007 Annual Economic Report of the Hudson Valley). The Resort will pay real property tax, which will include the tax already being paid on the
land and taxes based on the increased value. This will result in millions of dollars to the Margaretville and Onteora School districts. In addition, the Resort will generate sales tax and bed tax revenue for both Ulster and Delaware. These claims will be substantiated by an accounting update to the original DEIS, reflecting the Resort's new configuration. The resort will
build and maintain its own roads, sewer lines, water lines and other infrastructure elements. It will employ full-time security and fund training of employees to become new emergency medical and firefighting
volunteers for the towns. With a major increase in tax revenue to the area and no significant increase in services provided, how will taxes go up?
6) Claim: The hotel industry pays an average wage of only $8.67 so, the people working at the Resort will not be making any money.
Fact: The "hotel industry" is made up of a range of levels from low/no service motels to five star luxury resorts. Does anyone really believe that someone working in a roadside motel in Iowa makes the same wage as someone working at the Four Seasons in New York City? The Belleayre Resort will offer hourly workers an average wage of $12.25 and salaried workers an annual compensation of $51,000. All full-time positions will include health insurance, paid vacations, bonuses, etc. Many positions will also include
gratuity income from guest tips.
7) Claim: There are not enough workers in the area.
Fact: There will be plenty of applicants. A recent report by the Ulster County Development Corporation stated that more than 70,000 people in the six-county laborshed of the region are either unemployed, underemployed (overqualified for the job they have) or would re-enter the workforce if given the right opportunity. And while it may be unrealistic to expect workers to drive from Orange or Sullivan County for work, the average total commuting distance for more than 65 percent of Margaretville and Shandaken working residents is greater than 50 miles. Many of them will find it very attractive to work much closer to home.
8) Claim: Traffic will increase to the point that Route 28 will become a four lane superhighway.
Fact: The State Department of Transportation has no plans, immediate or future, to expand Route 28. According to the department, Route 28 is an underutilized road, though all involved acknowledge busy spikes when skiers leave the Belleayre Ski Center on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. If all guest accommodations were occupied and all the guests left within a two hour period (a completely unrealistic situation), it would add one car every 12 seconds to Route 28, not nearly enough to create traffic delays.

9) Claim: The 19 single hotel lodging units situated above the former Highmount Ski Center will be seen for miles around in all directions.
Fact: For perspective, the current cell phone tower atop of Highmount is 199 feet tall. Each of these units will be built no higher than 35 feet (less than a quarter of the cell tower's height). They will be surrounded by trees (with average heights of about 40-50 feet), especially on the southern side since all views will be of the Highmount ski trails on the northern side of the units. Balloon tests will be conducted to prove that visibility of these units will be nearly impossible by residents in Hardenburgh, Fleischmanns, Pine Hill or by travelers on Route 28.
10) Claim: Once the developers get the green light on the project, they can
build whatever they want, including more lodging units due to "hospitality market conditions" as stated in the Agreement in Principle.
Fact: The Agreement in Principle strictly limits the number of units the developer can build. The construction time frame is estimated as eight years from the time the first shovel goes into the ground until the last unit is built, with the major construction completed in the first two years. The construction time-table will be dictated by the demand for the time-share and fractional share units. If there is greater demand than anticipated, the construction timeline will be accelerated. If there is less, it will be slowed. In either case, that would be a change in "hospitality market conditions." However, under no circumstances can the developers build more units or structures than laid out in the AIP, regardless of demand.
* Bonus Claim #1: No one will be able to get a pizza delivered because the restaurants will be so busy with construction workers.
Fact: First, no one can get a pizza delivered now since no restaurant can afford to offer that service. Second, busy restaurants are a problem? Ask a restaurant owner if too much business is their biggest concern. Eleven restaurants have closed in the past two years along the Route 28 corridor, whether they had delivery service or not!
* Bonus Claim #2: Construction of the Belleayre Resort will set off a volcanic eruption that will destroy the Central Catskills.
Fact: So preposterous that is does not merit comment.
. Note: Distorted claims as so plentiful, they could not be limited to just 10.
Prepared by Crossroads Ventures in response to allegations and claims made by the Save the Mountain leaders and their supporters in recent letters to local papers, statements made at the recent public scoping hearings and through press releases issued by STM.
Paul Rakov
Mt. Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
Some of you reading this were born and bred in these parts. For you, the undulating mountains, the sweet clean air, the quiet, the blessed quiet and calm of this cathedral we live in, and the sounds, the sounds behind the quiet – the cool bubbling flow of the water rushing or meandering down to nurture us, the rustling leaves, all the familiar sounds of nature, have been with you since birth. I could probably go on for hours extolling the virtues – but why belabor the obvious? For the rest of us, like Mona and I, who bought a home up on Timber Lake Road 10 years ago, all of this is new to us, an acquired taste, a need fulfilled. We have all brought ourselves, one family at a time over the years, and have slowly learned to fit in, have worked to become a part of this oh so special community, and to reset our clocks so as to dance in time with the seasons as they unfold around us. It is something we cherish, something we all cherish, and don’t want to see it taken from us.
That is what brought my family here to our home and why I am writing today. I fear that this misguided project will benefit the few – the few who need it least and have the least stake in our community – and hurt the rest of us. I feel a sense of urgency and a compelling need to speak out. We are all the caretakers of this fragile wonderland we share, and we not permitted to relinquish our responsibilities to it. his proposed project will despoil our water, our air, our God-given natural beauty, our economy and our quality of life. I won’t expound on the damage to the aquifer, or the traffic, or the tax burden we all will be forced to shoulder, or the false unreasonable promises of so many local jobs which will never materialize, or any of the other myriad of objections to this proposal. There are those in our community who can provide the indisputable facts far better and more eloquently than I.
I would just like to say that unlike those of us who share a sense of community, who have a stake in our community, as well as the willingness to take the time and expend the energy to work at maintaining and improving this community, we feel that those who come in droves to this proposed enclave will not become a part of us but instead will isolate themselves behind the walls of an artificial village, a village built just for that purpose – to contain them, their energies and especially their purses. This Belleayre proposal is not for all of us but only for a small circle of people who will share in the immediate windfall profits to be reaped the future expense of us all.
Ken Jacobs
Shandaken, NY

Dear Editor,
As someone who was present at the Belleayre Resort Scoping Sessions, I would like to add some insight on Paul Smart's last article on the subject.
At the December 11 Scoping Session, a pro-development activist, Joan Laurence-Bauer, complained that the meeting was not needed because there had already been enough public input. In a way, she was right! The DEC should have enough concerns of its own without calling on area residents. But apparently it lacks qualified scientists such as physicists, environmental engineers, geologists, biologists, sociologists and others to study all possible effects of a mega resort on the Catskill region.
Instead, the DEC staged a farce--a so-called public meeting biased in favor of the developers. The preferential treatment of DEC and other appointed and elected officials who often spoke at length soaked up nearly the first hour of the proceedings. The only official at the nset of the meeting who brought up environmental concerns was Brian Shapiro of the Ulster County Environmental Commission. Otherwise, it seemed to be a forum for politicians and Crossroads Ventures employees who promoted their interests, claiming their development would boost the economy in our region. Such comments were not actually within the range of environmental concerns and did not relate to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the purpose of the DEC Scoping Session. Nevertheless, no one stopped them from expounding on their dreams of economic gain.
In staying with the purpose of the Scoping, over the course of the 2-night, extended meetings, countless speakers expressed numerous environmental concerns, such as: Stripping forests will contribute to run-off and flooding below the development and beyond.
As opposed to the hotels of yesterday, a modern resort would exude a multitude of chemicals, pesticides, cleaning agents, medical waste and other contaminants to pollute local water, and spoil NYC drinking water.
Gas-fired heating and other sources as well as trucks and vehicles will pollute the air. Gases now trapped within the mountain could result in explosions. Increased energy will be needed to make snow in the face of global warming.
How will we handle an increase in sports and traffic-related accidents? There will be the need for additional infrastructure to support the influx of people.
The death or displacement of wildlife should stop developers in their tracks. What will they do when large animals are coming into the towns because their habitat is gone? We will begin to have the dangerous situation that they have in New Jersey where special animal management teams are allowed to come into towns and shoot the deer-even at night and from a moving vehicle!
Electric lighting from the resort will obliterate the night skies. Blasting will echo in our mountain terrain and cause noise pollution on the mountain and surrounding areas. The nightly sound of snow-making is loud and eerie, and will add to noise pollution in the area. Primary development will lead to secondary development and possibly even an airport that will wipe out the tranquility of the Catskills and completely change forever the nature of our area.
So powerful are the proponents of the resort that they were allowed to present their own plans with their own personnel prior to the Scoping Sessions and maintained a presence throughout. Their maps of the proposed resort appeared benign, the shape colored green and the proposed resort areas hardly bigger than my hand. But to get an idea of how large the resort would be, you would have to look toward the bottom of their map, on the left, to see that the entire nearby town of Pine Hill was no larger than an inch worm!
I don't believe the DEC needs a rocket scientist to rule on environmental concerns of the proposed Belleayre Resort. As one man hollered at the beginning of the Scoping Session..."Too big."
Gloria Zola-Mulloy
Fleischmanns, NY

Dear Editor,
I'd like to share a letter I recently sent to the DEC and many elected representatives. I think the public needs to know just how much concern there is within our communities about the proposed Belleayre project. Thanks for your time.
Re: Concern about negative impact on the quality of life in communities surrounding the proposed Belleayre resort encompassing Highmount Ridge.
“For purple mountains majesty…” There is something about the sight of a high mount that stirs the soul within us humans. It’s no wonder that mountaintops figure so heavily in poetic and religious imagery. Mountaintop experiences can be profound.
Perhaps the ultimate example of this imagery is Moses walking down from the mountaintop with the Ten Commandments, the moral law for the human race. Whether we believe this as fact or allegory, the setting was well chosen… a mountaintop.
When I lived in New York City and came to the mountains for respite and recreation, the instant I saw those pristine mountaintops come into view from Route 28, my shoulders would drop and my spirits rise. The feeling is a common one – an ancient one. It’s the reason I and so many others have chosen to move our families and our lives here.
Recently, when seeing Highmount Ridge, foliage blazing in the fire of the autumn season, I felt that joy of living in the natural world so deeply… it took my breath away. When I heard that it might be soon be sacrificed to line the pockets of the profiteers just a little bit deeper, I wept.
So please- let’s enjoy our mountaintops. Let’s hike them and ski them and share them. And let’s steward them responsibly, so that generations yet unborn can have their breaths taken away too. If we can save this High Mount we must. There’s still time. But when it goes, it’s gone… forever. And after the blasts, mingling with the flow of the shuddering aquifer… will be a river of our tears.
Mona Jacobs
Shandaken, NY

Dear Editor,
The truth is that fighting a developer who is well-funded and who works within the law is difficult to beat. It happens all the time in nearly every state and most home-grown opposition groups lose to the developer. They lose swiftly, unceremoniously and at great expense in a court of law, because regardless of how colossal or aberrant the project may seem, if the project is not against the law sheer will and sloganeering will not stop it and it is dangerously naive to think otherwise.
It is also naive and just plain nonsense to believe that the "compromisers" ever had the power to decree what Dean Gitter or for that matter what any private property owner can or can't do with his or her property. It would be nice, folks, but that's not the way it works.
An experienced developer knows that the in-fighting and the finger pointing between opposition groups in the editorial pages has the fortunate effect of distracting attention away from the most important aspect of the debate-the law.
Here is an example. In the mid-nineties the Republican town board of Shandaken was approached by a developer who asked that the zoning laws in the town be reviewed and perhaps changed to include golf courses arguing that golf would be good business for Shandaken. (Yep, that's right, before the mid-nineties it was against the zoning laws of Shandaken to build a golf course.) The board convened, and ultimately agreed with the developer and the law was changed. Six months later this same developer had another plan, this time for a mega-resort that included, guess what, two golf courses and well, you know the rest.
On January 1, 2008, the newly elected town board of Democrats in Shandaken took control and you can bet that this is giving Mr. Gitter the jitters. Remember, final decisions about land development, regardless of how big or how small, is not in the hands of Hinchey, Spitzer or Alworth. It is absolutely in the hands of the local town board and the law. Forget the in-fighting and drop a line or two, or a thousand, to the Shandaken town board.
Maryann Hotvedt
West Hurley, NY

Dear Editor,
On the appointment of Doris Bartlett, we feel this is not a good choice. She has publicly booed and hissed at the review of the Resort Project (as did the new Supervisors wife). On that subject, we believe she cannot be objective, and must excuse herself from any and all votes on that subject. Can she fulfill her duty to the Town Board and be at all meetings?When she was assessor, she had to take off from January to April for Tax Time.
Thankfully, Vinny Bernstein and Rob Stanley said a few words about the Maureen Millar appointment and it got tabled. She is in the same boat with Doris Bartlett and others, and her placement on the Planning Board would force others to ask for her to excuse herself from any voting on the Resort.
The Planning Board is now faced with the task of review of the Resort Project. Don't you think it would be wiser to leave a person who has now had a few years experience as a planner to remain in his seat?
The new Town Board should separate itself from many issues (cell towers, resort, etc.) and allow the planning board to carry out its job, because the Planning Board is the involved agency, not the Town Board. The Town Board must remember, it speaks for all residents, not just a handful. Only this will show the true transparency and honest open government that they have promised us.
We shall see,
John and Jane Rossitz
Shandaken, NY

Dear Editor,
One town board meeting and the fun starts. The same group of folks that say they are happy about bringing the town together are already starting a smear campaign.
A broad cross-section of people in town know Doris Bartlett through her tax preparation business, her association with Trout Unlimited, her volunteer work with the libraries and with the town's dog kennels and I'll bet that none of them have ever heard her 'boo and hiss' about anything. I guess we can only have peace in this town if everyone agrees to let the development go through as oversized as it is.
If someone wants to consider a compromise that will add rooms and jobs at a scale that can help the area they will be smeared. It must be all or nothing.
Why so big?
Apparently, because the developer lacks the creativity to make money on a 300 or 400 room hotel at the Wild Acre's site.
Do you think that we could get by with 2 or 3 hundred jobs instead of over 5 hundred?
How about a resort that encourages people to go out and support our local businesses instead of a huge complex of stores at a destination resort that will compete with them?
It is the job of the Planning, Zoning and Town Boards to consider what is fair and best for the community within the law that they swore to uphold, not the financial well being of the developer, and all the boards have a roll to play in the review of this project.
Pete Di Modica
Pine Hill, NY

Dear Editor,
And so it begins again, with the attempts to trash any one who is not altogether in favor of the Resort Project.
Although booing and hissing is covered under the First Amendment, Doris Bartlett and our new supervisor’s wife are intelligent, articulate women who do not need to hiss and boo to express their thoughts.
If those on the Town Board who are not wholly inn favor of the Project in its present form must recuse themselves, so must those in favor of the Project. The appointments to the Planning Board in the last administration’s four years are known to be in favor of the Development. Obviously, this is ridiculous. The people of Shandaken have many opinions of the Belleayre Resort project and all must be considered, but the Planning Board must deal with the Site Plan Review of the project in an unbiased manner according to law.
The Town Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals also have a role in the review of this development project.
Chandra Lencina
Pine Hill, NY

Dear Editor,
I would like to thank the Shandaken Town Board for appointing me to fill the vacant Town Board seat and I look forward to serving my community in the coming year. I hope to be speaking with many of you and listening to your ideas and concerns. Please feel free to call me at Town Hall or at home if you wish to discuss anything.
I appreciate the confidence of the Board and will do my best to merit it.
Doris Bartlett
Bushnellsville, NY

Dear Editor,
A letter of concern to the residents of the Town of Shandaken: As a former member of the Shandaken Ambulance Squad that is now merely a concerned taxpayer, I was mystified by some of the proceedings at the Jan.2 reorganization meeting.
While there was a modest debate over adding $1000.00 to the Town’s allotment for the VFW and American Legion, no one on the Board or in the audience appeared to bat an eye when it came time to appoint the members of the ambulance squad, even though it has become apparent over the past year that there have been some serious managerial issues and financial problems. These problems have cost the Town $100,000.00 in lost revenue, in addition to the squad being at least $40,000.00 over budget in 2007, not to mention the obliteration of our reputation in the County and State for being able to provide top notch emergency care for our townspeople and anyone else that needed assistance.
Why was Chad Storey shot down when he approached the former Town Board with a plan to reorganize the ambulance and get it back on track both operationally and financially? I realize that it is difficult for politicians to admit to a mistake, but I had hoped that the new Town Board would see the wisdom of running the Ambulance Department more like a business, where employees are hired or fired on the merits of their competency and performance, rather than personal vendettas or political expediencies. I would hope that the new Town Board would at least appoint a committee of knowledgeable people to oversee the operations of the Ambulance Department, since I have no confidence that some of the present employees are capable of providing us with adequate EMS service, let alone their ability to manage the squad financially.
Remember, you as taxpayers and residents of the Town of Shandaken are the ones that will ultimately suffer the most from this fiasco. Demand an audit. Ask the Town Board why you can’t have people in supervisory positions on the ambulance that actually know how to run an ambulance service. Ask how many people it takes to do the job that 2 people were doing without issue for 10 years prior to 2007. At what expense? And why so poorly? After all, it’s your tax dollars and well being that are at stake here.
Adele Pearlman
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
As New York State grapples with complicated issues like skyrocketing property taxes, access to affordable and quality health care, spiraling energy costs, improving education and an economic downturn, New Yorkers, especially residents of the Hudson Valley, are looking for leaders who will work together to tackle these problems head on. Today, by evoking our storied history of monumental accomplishments, Governor Spitzer acknowledged these great challenges, articulating a clear vision for facing them head on. I welcome his invitation to the Legislature to work together as we change New York for the better.
The Governor covered a wide range of topics, and showed a keen understanding of the issues families in our region care about. He demonstrated a clear commitment to thoroughly address the property tax crisis by forming a commission to examine the way we fund our schools and local government consolidation. When it came to education, even in
the face of a budget deficit, the Governor illustrated that he remains committed to increasing state education aid and ensuring equity for all children.
Equally important was the Governor's recognition of the role higher education plays in economic development. SUNY New Paltz and Ulster County Community College have proven time and again that they can be the solid foundation of our local economy. His proposal for a university Innovation Fund is entirely consistent with the approach we have been working on with The Solar Energy Consortium (TSEC). The Hudson Valley is poised to become a global hub for the advancement of solar power and this appropriation will allow us to harness New York's unrivaled network of public and private universities to unite our brightest minds behind a shared goal of restoring our great state to its rightful position as a global force in innovation, manufacturing, research and development.
The revitalization of Stewart Airport, also mentioned by the Governor, will provide our 21st century gateway to our economic resurgence. In that vein, the upcoming 2009 Hudson-Champlain Quadracentennial celebration presents an enormous opportunity to showcase the Hudson Valley around the world. That is why I have been working closely with organizations throughout the region to plan for this historic event. The Governor's acknowledgement of this and his endorsement of the commemorative Walkway Over The Hudson represents a welcomed partnership in this effort.
We have many challenges before us. The time is long past when we can afford to allow politics and rhetoric to impede progress. I will continue to work with the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature -- Republicans and Democrats -- to fight for affordable and accessible health care coverage, equity in education, property tax relief, energy independence and real economic development; initiatives
that will truly serve working families in the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions.
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill
Kingston, NY

Dear Editor,
The following is in response to a letter to the editor sent in by Ms. Regina Reilly-Lydon:
This administration has dishonored and violated the trust of the American people by misleading the country into the disastrous occupation of Iraq and by undermining the rule of law at home. The president's activities have been entirely unacceptable and I agree with Ms. Reilly-Lydon that it demands a response from Congress.
As you may know, this is not a new position that I have taken. In the lead up to the Bush invasion of Iraq I was one of the first and most vocal opponents of the president. I voted against giving the president authority to use military force against Iraq in October 2002. I was convinced that the Bush administration was deliberately and purposefully misleading Congress and our country about its justifications for the invasion of Iraq. I knew that there was no evidence of a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda, that there was no proof that Iraq continued to possess weapons of mass destruction; that allegations of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq were falsified, and that there was no way that Iraq could present an imminent threat to our country. At the time, my position was aggressively criticized by many across the country, but I knew that it was the right position for our country.
Throughout their time in control of Congress, Republicans failed to conduct constitutionally-mandated oversight of the illegal occupation and allowed the administration to act freely, with great disregard to the rule of law and our Constitution. As a result, the Democratic leadership in Congress faces a quagmire of the Bush administration's creation and the biggest executive power grab this nation has seen. During the first year of the Democratic majority, we have held an unprecedented number of hearings and launched many investigations into Bush's failed foreign and domestic policies. Democrats have restored Congress as an equal body of government and are determined to continue to provide the oversight that the executive branch needs and the American people deserve.
Ms. Reilly-Lydon has indicated her support of using impeachment in order to hold the executive branch accountable. I believe and have stated before that this administration is the most impeachable in American history. In spite of that, it is clear that based upon the construct of this Congress it is impossible to impeach anyone. As an example of the circumstances we're facing in Washington, one just needs to look to the vote we had in the House in November to begin a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq now and complete that withdrawal by the middle of December 2008. That proposal received only 218 votes in the House of Representatives and makes it clear that it would be almost impossible to get 218 members to stand up against this administration and achieve an impeachment indictment. It's very obvious and absolutely certain that a conviction in the Senate is impossible because that would require 67 votes and the Senate couldn't even secure the necessary votes to pass that Iraq withdrawal resolution, which just barely passed the House. If the impeachment resolution did go to the Senate, where it would definitely fail, the Bush administration would could clearly say that the Congress found us not guilty so everything we've done is ok.
The problem we're confronting is the weakness of this Congress as well as the corruption of this administration. We need a stronger Congress; more people willing to stand up against this administration as I have been from the very beginning. Impeachment would require a time-consuming legislative process, including months that House impeachments and Senate trials would take. While the we currently struggle to achieve a basic one-half plus one majority in the Senate, an impeachment conviction needs the support of two-thirds of senators, an impossibility in this Congress.
Congress must formally repudiate the administration’s misconduct. But Congress also has to address the many other issues that demand action, including ending the war in Iraq and protecting the rule of law. As a middle ground I have introduced two resolutions in the House to censure the president and other administration officials. The first resolution would censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney for leading the U.S. into war in Iraq under false pretenses and without adequate planning. The second censure resolution addresses the administration's repeated assaults on the rule of law. But even these more moderate attempts to hold the administration acountable have not yet been attainable. We have not gotten the necessary number of people in the House or Senate who are willing to stand up to the administration by endorsing these resolutions.
As a part of many fronts, I have spearheaded efforts that have led to an opening of a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the Bush administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Specifically, I want to find out who within the DOJ first authorized the domestic surveillance program and if the administration already enacted the program before getting original DOJ approval. While initially stalled by the president, that investigation is now moving forward once again.
The administration has refused to recognize and cooperate with Congress' legitimate responsibility to conduct oversight. However, I can assure you, I will do everything I can to fully investigate and hold this administration completely accountable for all of the wrongdoings in which it has been engaged.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey
NYs 22nd Congressional District

Dear Editor,
Many progressive Democratic voters have in the past registered on various websites promising:
--not to vote for candidates that continue to vote for funding the occupation of Iraq
--not to vote for candidates don't support true true universal health care for all
--not to vote for candidates that voted for the Patriot Acts
--not to vote for candidates that don't support GLBTQ equal rights
--not to vote for candidates that support NAFTA and WTO
--not to vote for candidates that take corporate money
Are you one of them? I certainly am.
So, the point is there is only one candidate on the New York State Democratic Primary Ballot (or any state for that matter) that actually fulfills a real progressive Democrat's values and America's values, and that candidate is Dennis Kucinich.
The goal with http://www.newyorkersfordenniskucinich.org/ website is to have one million registered New York voters promise to vote for Dennis Kucinich in the upcoming Feb 5th, 2008 Democratic Primary.
With John Kerry taking the '04 New York Democratic primary with 407,643 votes, one million voters will almost certainly win the state for Kucinich, and send a strong message to the Democratic Party that Progressives are the majority of this party, indeed the country, and we are taking our party and our country back!
This is huge goal, but in reality, if everyone who registers simply has 2 progressive friends register the following day, we will have over 1 million promises in 20 days!
Just imagine if 1 Million NY progressive Democratic voters actually got out and voted for Dennis on February 5th, 2008. Then imagine what it would do for the campaign if each one of them donated just $25 to help promote his progressive message. So please, click on http://www.newyorkersfordenniskucinich.org/ to register your promise to vote for Dennis Kucinich on Feb. 5th, 2008, the New York Democratic Primary.
Then, invite all of your progressive friends to do the same. And if you can, please then donate $25 to the Kucinich Campaign. (More if you can, less if can't.)
Dennis' slogan is Strength Through Peace!
Jane VanDeBogart
Woodstock NY

Dear Editor,
For the next 10 months: We must condemn the Republican leadership for
mercilessly obstructing every congressional action of merit, even where that action was supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people. Although, the polls showed 81% supporting the SCHIPS bill, Republican leadership initially engineered the failure to override Bush’s veto.
We must condemn the Republican leadership for resorting to filibusters at a historic record pace, since they lost the majorities in Congress, which they did nothing but abuse while in the majority.
We must condemn the Republican leadership for doing nothing to hold the White House accountable for their lies and shredding of the Constitution, through illegal wiretaps, torture, because of their greed for political power, and not allowing investigations into these matters.
We must condemn the Republican leadership for using our troops as gangsters for capitalism, and exploiting their suffering and death for profits for their war profiteer contributors.
We must condemn the Republican leadership for their cynical and sinful
hypocrisy in being the most corrupt and scandalous pack of thieves who ever held national office. The “Duke” Cunningham and Jack Abramoff scandals were only the tip of an iceberg, which threatens the integrity of the entire legislative branch of government. Today, Republicans are resigning at an unprecedented clip, while posturing to their gullible diehard supporters as being the most righteous.
We must condemn congressional Republicans, who allowed corporations to
decide how much port security will be provided for the American people.
We must condemn the Republican leadership for encouraging the most hateful and false negative attack ads that have ever besmirched the American political discourse.
We must condemn congressional Republicans, who have repeately failed to
uphold their oath of office and defend the Constitution, and conduct themselves as the coequal branch of government, which they’re supposed to be.
Jim O'Leary
Delhi, NY

Dear Editor,
I was prepared to write a letter of apology, for being wrong about Obama's predicted (by me) landslide victory in New Hampshire. But, then I heard that Kucinich was demanding a recount - shades of the election of 2000. Gore couldn't demand a recount, because in this crazy media/lobbyist controlled country of ours, he would be considered a Sore Loser. So, of course, since Obama also couldn't risk being a Sore Loser, Kucinich stepped up to the plate.
Now, to lapse back into the worst year of our lives, in 2000 we learned that the then unknown company Diebold had just taken over the governments job of handling our votes. It's been reported that between 75-80% of the ballots in New Hampshires primaries, were "counted" by the hackable, prone-to-error, Diebold optical-scan machines.
These systems were entirely programmed, serviced and controlled by LHS Associates.. The Director of Sales and marketing for LHS is a man named Ken Hajjar, who was convicted, in l990 of drug trafficking, another fairly profitable business. But that one cost him 12 months in jail.
The Diebold machines used were the same model that were shown being hacked in the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary, "Hacking Democracy". It's been reported that Hillary Clinton received about 7 points more in Diebold precincts, than in hand-counted ones.
Now, let me make it clear that I am not even dreaming that the Clintons were a part of hacking votes, however, since the Republicans have experience with that process, I'm guessing that they would prefer to run against her over Obama, particularly if I'm right about his incredible charisma.
One more point is that Greenberg Traurig, the lawyer that represented GW Bush during the recount in 2000, also represented Jack Abramoff and ended up with the prize of being the lobbyist for Diebold. This cozy group has your votes in their hands. So much for my apology for now. If Kucinich ends up proving that the votes were correct, I'll owe you one later.
Jill Paperno
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
It was 9:15 p.m., February 27, 1933, when the Reichstag Fire began, 28 days after Hitler's Nazi party came to power in a coalition govt. Hitler's coalition barely had enough seats to govern and it was the Reichstag Fire which was used as the ruse to abolish the Reichstag (German Parliament) and assume full control. The Reichstag fire, a terrorist act, was blamed on Communists and allowed Hitler to consolidate his power and pass the Enabling Act. This Act gave Hitler dictatorial powers in the case of national emergency. It was Hitler's goal to abolish democracy more or less by legal means. Hermann Goering later admitted he set the fire himself.
It was 235 days after Bush's inauguration to the office of President of the United States that on 9/11/2001, "terrorists" attacked sites around the country. The most highly contested presidential election in American history, an election which brought G. W Bush to power under the most tenuous of circumstances. It was 9/11 which was used as the means for the Bush administration to consolidate power and to pass some of the most sweeping anti democratic legislation in American history including the Patriot Act. It is 9/11, a terrorist act, which has allowed this President to slowly roll back our Civil Liberties, dismantle our democracy and to assume dictatorial powers.
"There are few things as odd as the calm, superior indifference with which I and those like me watched the beginnings of the Nazi revolution in Germany, as if from a box in the theater" the words of Sebastian Haffner a young lawyer in Germany. This calm indifference could describe to a T the attitude of many Americans today, while our civil liberties are one by one slipping away in the form of illegal wiretapping, stolen elections, the assumption of dictatorial Presidential powers and media consolidation.
During such a time, what is the role of a small town publisher like Ulster Publishing in times of unprecedented deceit and misinformation? Does it have a responsibility to inform us about issues the larger corporate controlled conglomerates wont? Ulster Publishing's papers do a good job covering local town issues and this seems to largely define its scope of coverage. But do we continue, dog bites man on Main St., type stories when our democratic institutions are being dismantled around us? Could the paper make room for more diverse voices in other areas other then the letter section? The paper seems to broaden its scope when it is deemed relevant such as detailed, well researched articles about the growth of air traffic at Stewart Airport. If the writer of that article had done as much research into the truth about 9/11 would we see that on the pages on Ulster Publishing's publications?
I wonder how small town newspapers in Germany during the Nazi revolution responded to the onslaught on their democratic institutions. Were they as equally silent as Ulster Publishing?
After 9/11 President Bush told the America people to go shopping. Act as if nothing is wrong, maintain your role as consumer and only fill your mind with dribble... Is Ulster Publishing simply a part of the calming, laxative of the consumeristic mindset? Don't worry, be happy, go shopping. What is the responsibility of an "independent" newspaper in times like these? While the Titanic is sinking do we still report on the shuffle board game on deck? Do you the readers of Woodstock Times want and deserve more? If so perhaps make your voice heard. We the American people could take some lessons from the French who in last month's strikes against changes in national policy closed down the French railway system. We need to find a similar resolve inside ourselves again or go shopping it's your choice.
I apologize for the somber tone of this letter but I believe it is necessary. I wish all of you a Happy New Year.
Francis Posavec
Willow, NY

Dear Editor,
It is now almost a year since the American people began to experience the highest rising costs of gas and oil ever in history. There is no end in sight and every time something happens negatively we get another boast in retail prices at the pumps and the fuel oil companies.
The question running through most minds is why? The vast majority of the American people are all caught up the free market hypocrisy consisting of an unregulated domestic oil industry. An industry that has not upgraded its processing capacity in order to deliberately keep the prices inflated under normal circumstances. An industry that receives billions in government subsidies, grants, and loans while the rest of the American people are now faced with inflationary increases in everything that requires some form of gas or diesel fuel needed for Inter--state delivery and commerce. The entire U.S. economy is slowing down, prices in real estate are falling while mortgages are rising and foreclosures are reaching epidemic proportions. Now we are facing a "winter of discontent" with dropping temperatures and snowy conditions.
The monopoly in the oil industry is global with profits enough for all in control. These folks are so greedy and rich we could fund the U.S. budget several times over and enough to spare for several more decades into the future. There was even enough to purchase an entire U.S. Presidency.
There are important lessons to be learned by the people of this country. Anyone who becomes President cannot the kind of connections George W. Bush has to any national and global monopoly. The next lesson is we need to nationalize the oil industry lock stock and barrel. Whenever industry is allowed to run uregulated it can lead to destroying the entire economy.
Tom Siblo
Berkeley, CA

Dear Editor,
The Phoenicia Library would like to extend a warm "thank you" to all of the community, for its continued support this
past year. The people of this township, make the Library what it is. We appreciate the hundreds of hours of volunteer help. It may be for the plant sale in June, or the Valentine’s Day card making, or the professional photography, mowing the lawn, or the donations of books, or the organization of books for sale, or the book club meetings, or the behind the scenes administration of the Library. Whatever part you may have been in being a part of our success, we are grateful. We are also fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated staff at the Phoenicia Library who are there to welcome and assist your needs.
Once again, the library will be holding Valentine’s Card making sessions as both a fun program for patrons, young and old, and fundraising for itself. Please join us on Friday Jan. 18, Thursday Jan. 24, Monday Jan. 28, and/or Mon-day Feb. 4, from 3:30-5:00 pm. We supply the materials needed to make Valentine’s Day cards - paper, stickers, foam shapes, glitter, glue - you supply ideas and labor. Everyone who makes a card gets to keep one that they made; the others are sold for the benefit of the library for $1 apiece. The cards are sold at the library, various stores in town, and The Arts Upstairs Gallery.
If you haven’t already filled out and returned the library survey asking what you like and don’t like about the library and what you would like in a library of the future, please do so as soon as you can; we’re hoping for about 100 more responses by SATURDAY, JAN 12, so that we can make
some decisions at our next board meeting on January 14. Each member of your house-hold should fill out a separate copy of the survey. We would like to hear from ALL residents of the Town of Shandaken - full-time and part-time, owners and renters, adults and children, library users and
non-users. Yes, even non-users, so we can find out what we can do to attract them. You can pick up a copy at the library. We need to hear from everyone to provide the Town with the highest possible level of service. Thank you!
The library is looking for a new part-time staff member to begin as soon as possible. Pay would be from $7.15 to $10.00 per hour, depending upon education, skills and responsibilities, for ten hours per week in two shifts, plus at least one Saturday per month. Requirements include basic computer skills; ability to provide friend-ly service; working knowledge
of library methods and materials; and at least some college education (including current college students). Knowledge of circulation procedures, ability to run or assist with children’s programs, or advanced computer skills, such as debugging, will result in a higher pay level. Interested? Please send your resume to our director, Regina Johnson, at Phoenicia Library, PO Box 555, Phoenicia, NY 12464 or phoenicialibrary@hotmail.com.
Can you volunteer? We can always use a hand to help shelve books, assist or lead children’s and adult programs, help keep the bookstore in order, or other projects - your choice. Stop by anytime; even half an hour a week shelving would help. Or join The Friends of the Phoenicia Library.
We have magazines, newspapers, and tourist and government information in print, and access to several databases through our computers. Our hours
are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 1-6, Tuesday 10-4, Thursday 2-6, and Saturday 10-3. Stop in - and check us out!
Mark Wilsey
Phoenicia, NY

Dear Editor,
I am looking for skiing company. I am a youthful senior and intermediate skier hoping to connect with potential companion(s) while skiing the slopes of Belleayre or any local ski mountains. I dislike skiing alone and besides, it's not recommended. If you even know of anyone who might be interested, please pass along my request? My number's in the book or you can e-mail me at kieselseasel@earthlink.net.
Babette Kiesel
Chichester, NY

Dear Editor,
If you want to see a really exciting Light Sculpture, it is on a tall evergreen tree in the middle of La Dutchess Anne's parking lot. Chef Fabrice, at Le France D'Amerique there, simian like, has exceeded last year's creative effort and it has been extended to the interior decor with a lot of love. The warm atmosphere and delicious food are what's happening in Mt. Tremper.
Robert Jacobson
Mt.Tremper, NY

Dear Editor,
The press has reported that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Dick Kempthorne, has rejected the application of two Indian tribes to locate casinos in Sullivan County. Neither site selected by the tribe was part of their recognized reservations. Their reservation is located far away from Monticello and Sullivan County.
This is a successful outcome for the No Saugerties Casino and people throughout the state who do not want the spread of Indian casinos. One of our arguments against building a mega-casino on the Winston Farm was that the Indian Tribe looking to exploit that location had no historical relationship to that land. In letters to Governor Spitzer and Secretary Kempthorne we have urged them not to permit reservation shopping. Fortunately, Kempthorne heard our plea.
Unfortunately, our political leaders, including the governor, Senator Bonacic and Congressman Hinchey, view the Kempthorne ruling as a defeat. Casinos have a negative impact upon the quality of life of any community in which they are located. The short-term lure of gambling dollars obscures the long term consequences of allowing such an intrusion with its many corrupting influences.
Our political leaders need to continue to foster economic growth proportionate and appropriate to the communities they represent rather than to lament that the federal government has refused to open wide the door to reservation shopping.
Lanny Walter
Chair, No Saugerties Casino, Inc

Dear Editor,
Back in May 2007, Ulster County legislative leaders (Chairman David Donaldson and Minority Leader Glenn Noonan) anticipated a possible Ulster County casino to be located in Ellenville. Donaldson cited the nearby proposed casino in Monticello (Sullivan County) as a favorable factor. "A casino in Sullivan may very well affect that (Ellenville) area without getting any benefit, you would have the negatives of gambling with none of the money which comes with it."
Now, according to the January 5 edition of the Daily Freeman, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has denied two Sullivan County off-reservation casino applications thus removing both the "negatives" and the "money" and the false lure of casinos as paths to economic progress and state solvency. Each new casino spreads its negative effect in an outward radius of some 50 miles--sucking the money from the local economy and those least able to afford it, creating crime, traffic, social problems, and radically changing the character of its host community. The enormous costs of problem and pathological gambling (paid for in the end by taxpayers) don't appear in the bright forecasts of casino publicists and uncritical politicians with short-range perspectives.
On the day of the announcement of Secretary Kemphorne's decision, Representative Hinchey, state Senator Bonacic, Governor Spitzer's office rushed to decry it and promised continued efforts on behalf of casino development. Representative Hinchey said, "It's only temporarily wounded." Both Senator Schumer and Senator Clinton have campaigned energetically for casino approval. All of our politicians talk about economic development, none about the (mostly) hidden costs of casinos.
Many of us learned about the downside of casinos in the course of defending Saugerties from the intrusion of a mammoth casino. Let our politicians hear from us.
Arnold Lieber
Saugerties., NY

Dear Editor,
Is the upcoming forum making it an easy way out for the board by letting those at the forum decide the vision for the district? The Onteora School Board is holding another Community Forum. The purpose of this Forum is for the Board of Education to receive input from all District stakeholder groups and interested parties in order to develop a vision for the future of the District. The School Board held a forum back in March of 2007 that drew approximately 80 so-called stakeholders. For some time now the School Board has been referring to us as stakeholders. Calling us tax payers would be appropriate because that’s what we are. We may be stakeholders in a way, but we are tax payers that pay almost all of the bills. More then likely those that attended the last forum worked at the school or have children going to school. It’s a sure bet that very few seniors and retirees attended the last forum. The results of a forum depend on who participated in forum and must be considered when making any final decisions. There’s no reason to believe that the same group won’t attend the forum.
According to the Ulster County Board of Election there are 11,152 eligible voters in the Onteora School district. To take the opinion of 80 people and run with it are not the true feelings of the district. Even if this next forum brings in a few hundred people, it would still not reflect the feelings of the total district.
A forum is somewhat different then a survey, but information gathered from a survey or a questionnaire would give the board a better overall understanding of what the total district thinks should be done. Every tax payer should have the opportunity to express their opinion about the future of the district. In the Boards release announcing the forum they say that they want input from all District stakeholders. One would think that all means everyone that pays taxes. In 2007 the school sent out two mailings. One of those mailings could have easily included a survey or a questionnaire. If the School Board and the school’s administrator’s want input from all concerned tax payers, they should consider issuing a survey or a simple questionnaire and not depend on the small percentage of tax payers that will attend the forum. This could be done by regular mail or posted on the school’s Web Page.
William Warnecke
Glenford, NY

Dear Editor,
Recently I have heard and read a number of communications from several men [I assume there probably are women who agree, but it would be interesting to find out if it is only men] objecting to and arguing against paying school taxes since they no longer had children in said schools.
I am a man, no longer have children nor grandchildren in any school in any taxing jurisdiction, I am past the bulk of my earning years and am struggling to keep up with the soaring cost of so many crucial aspects of a decent life. I find, even with my eligibility for the enhanced STAR deduction, that it is hard to pay such a large amount each fall for my part of the school assessment. I would support a different formula for funding our public education system provided it was not one [such as paying through general income taxes] which would then transfer almost COMPLETE control of our school system to that ridiculously dysfunctional legislature in Albany.
BUT all of that not withstanding, I strongly disagree with those who complain [would 'bitching' be the more applicable word?] of contributing to this legal and social obligation. First of all, these people need to realize that they were, in fact, 'supported' by others when their own children were in public school [those who choose to enroll their children in non public schools, as I did with one of my children, in my opinion, have no more weight in this topic than any others who sent their children to public schools as that was their free choice and the public schools were there for them if they wanted to make use].
But much more importantly, these complainers need to get their heads out of the sand and look at the fundamental reason that we have chosen to have a public schools system. Well educated children are a public resource that is beneficial to us all, parents, non parents and 'post' parents. I submit they are far more beneficial even than the good road system or good legal system that these complainers benefit from. The more, the better FOR US ALL.
Just look around at the loss that poorly educated children are to our society. If that doesn't touch your heart, then at least look at the cost [as opposed to the benefit that they could be] that they pose on our society and to YOUR taxes through increased costs to law enforcement [such as police, court costs and jails] and our health care [such as unreimbursed hospital costs] and reduced input to our social network such as reduced income to the Social Security and Medicare funds. Most of those complainers are [or soon will be] also drawing on SS income and Medicare health benefits. Does it occur to you that that system is 'under funded' because there are so many under educated people making far less than they could if better educated and thus contributing far less than they otherwise would to these systems? You complainers are being myopic in thinking that you are getting nothing for your [school tax] money.
Now, if, on the other hand, you think you are contributing to a school system that is not spending your money well, that is a very different issue and I say to you that I share your concerns, but suggest that you, instead, get out and use your 'bitching' power to get it improved, and stop trying to simply opt out and tear it down, to your own detriment.
Jac Conaway
Olivebridge, NY