Berkshire Bank

The Bank is making charitable donations to local organizations, determined (at least in part) by vote of citizens. I'm putting in a pitch for you to vote for French Park Fund, 223 Egremont Plain Rd, PMB 108, North Egremont, MA 01252. To vote, go to http://www.berkshirebank.com/about_us/in_the_community/berkshire-bank-foundation/help-us-give-away-20000/vote-here/jte-vote-here and follow the instructions.

French Park Fund is conducting a major fund raising drive to buy new, modern, child-friendly playground equipment. Please send a tax deductible contribution to the Fund at the address above, or drop it off at town hall or the North Egremont store. Thanks!!

Doggie Day at French Park

The first annual Doggie Day at French Park, sponsored by the French Park Fund, was a spectacular success. Thanks to all who participated, and special thanks to Karen Cumsky, who worked tirelessly as the chief organizer, and Mickey Fierman, who beat the bushes for contributions.

Planning Board

The PB has announced it is considering a "fence" bylaw. Let them know how you feel about that. My preliminary reaction: Why do we need one? If it ain't broke . . .

Massive Capital Expenditures

Keep your ears to the ground on the two proposed Egremont edifices: The library committee continues on their merry way planning Egremont's taj mahal; and the selectboard seems increasingly hell bent on a new police building. Do you think either of these projects will be analyzed and/or presented in an objective fashion? Yeah, right. Why not have the analyses and presentations done by disinterested Egremonters?

This reminds me of the vote at the May town meeting on employee salaries. You may remember that the selectboard recommended raises but the finance committee was opposed. The vote was pretty close, but the raises were approved. But if you didn't count the votes of the employees and their families, the result would have been the opposite. Is there a lesson in here somewhere?

11/4/09: I hear the estimates are in for new police quarters, and they're in the stratosphere. Since crime rates in nearby towns that have no police are not higher than ours, why do we need to spend so much on police?

Doggie Day

If you have a dog, go to French Park next Saturday (October 10) for Doggie Day. I guarantee you'll have a good time. And you'll be helping raise money for replacing the outdated playground equipment at the park with stuff kids will love and will be a bit safer.

Wind Power

The selectmen are trying to contribute to wind in Massachusetts, although not to wind power. Here's their recent letter to our governor, our assemblyman and our senator on the pending wind power siting legislation before the state legislature. My comments are interspersed.

"The Selectboard of Egremont is writing to state its position regarding the developing legislation for the siting of wind turbines in Massachusetts. First, we want to be clear that we are in support of finding alternative energy sources for a secure and safe future of our great state and country. This is NOT a debate regarding wind power. We believe that there are many solutions that can be employed to gain our energy independence - wind, solar and hydro being just a few, and we support all well thought-out solutions." Whenever you see an introduction like this (especially in a politician's letter), you know what's going to follow. They don't really support it at all. This reminds me of what a very wise person told me years ago: Whenever someone stating a position uses the word "but" in a sentence, you can ignore everything in the sentence that precedes that word. Not surprisingly, here's what follows:

"The Selectboard of Egremont believes its local Planning Board has been duly elected by our citizens to act in their behalf and to review projects that fall under their jurisdiction. We believe that they have the greatest knowledge of our community and are in the appropriate position to recommend what is in the best interests of our community." Give me a break. Anyone who has spoken with our selectmen knows how they feel about the planning board. But I give them credit for their political astuteness. Whenever you don't want to take a position because it's going to cost you votes whichever way you go, figure out a way to duck.

"We disagree with any attempt to remove either Egremont’s Planning Board from the review and approval process regarding wind turbine siting locally or the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission from the review and approval process regionally. To be clear, this is not about wind power as an alternative energy source, but rather a matter of exercising local control of our community and having more say in its development than allowed by the recent legislative draft." Translated, we want the power to keep wind power installations out of our community. As the selectmen well know, the legislation doesn't just allow wind power anywhere the industry wants it. It sets out pretty thorough statewide standards that must be met for wind power installations. Local control will only put on additional limits (i.e., prohibitions); it certainly won't result in easing the statewide standards. If you lined up every expert in the world on this subject, with viewpoints across every spectrum imaginable, and they all agreed on the applicable standards, the NIMBYs in Egremont would still want to be able to veto an installation. So this IS about wind power, because it inevitably restricts it. So it's hypocritical for the selectboard to say, as they did, that they're in favor of wind power. What they should have said is that they're in favor of wind power only if it's somewhere else.

"Our citizens have placed their trust in our actions to protect their interests. While you are currently reviewing the wind turbine legislation we strongly request that you consider these comments as you move forward in preparing a fair, balanced and inclusive proposal." The legislation is already fair and balanced. And when it comes to something like wind power installations, I'd much rather put my trust in the experts, not people whose only interest is to keep it out regardless of its social value.

US Senate Election?!?!

I sent the following letter to Smitty Pignatelli (our MA state representative) and Ben Downing (our MA state senator):

Dear Mr. [Pignatelli][Downing]:
Changing the law on electing a U.S. senator would constitute politics stripped of even a modicum of principle, and the most egregious example of hypocrisy I have seen in my lifetime.

Elected representatives must sometimes take principled positions regardless of politics or political gain. Now is one of those times. Come election time, citizens will not forget or forgive those who demonstrate that they have no regard for principles.

Sincerely,
Richard M. Allen

Wind Energy

An article in today's WSJ highlighted the problems with wind energy caused by NIMBYism. All kinds of folks around the U.S. who call themselves "environmentalists" espouse full support for wind energy but suddenly find themselves objecting when an installation threatens their environs. Hypocrisy reigns.

Massachusetts is considering a law establishing statewide standards for siting wind energy installations but the NIMBYs are crying "local control." The proposed law doesn't say installations can go anywhere with no standards. It establishes stringent standards and applies them statewide. I haven't heard anyone saying the standards are no good. Rather the NIMBYs just want to be able to say "not here."

It is just pure hypocrisy to say you're in favor of wind power but opposed to this law.

French Park Dog Show

The French Park Fund is sponsoring a fun "doggie day" at French Park on October 10. There will be all kinds of events, and lots of dog contests like "best dressed dog" and "best kisser." Bring your dog and enter as many contests as you like for just $5. For more information, contact Karen Cumsky or Richard Goodkind or Carolyn Wilson.

Library

Congratulations to the library committee! They completely co-opted Michael Kelly, a reporter for the Berkshire Record, who wrote a front page article in this week's Record entitled "Egremont plans major replacement of library." Mr. Kelly, a bit of spadework would have revealed that the library committee may be planning for a new library, but the people of Egremont are not. Opposition is well over 90%.

Why? Well, for example the article didn't mention cost. The committee is playing that one close to the breast, but the realistic numbers are north of $4 million. That's more than $3,000 for each inhabitant of Egremont. No thanks, library committee, but Egremonters prefer to spend their money on things a bit more modern than a 20th century small town library.

The article says the large size was chosen to qualify for state grants. Come again? First, state grants are not free, they just amount to paying for something through state taxation rather than through local taxation. Second, let me get this straight: if the correct size of a project doesn't make economic sense, make it much bigger and then it does?

Cell Tower

Mariner Tower has started the permit process for a possible tower on the Kelly property, south of Route 23 and west of Route 41. There was a hearing before the conservation commission on August 27. It may be a precursor for the eventual hearing (or rather hearings - they'll go on forever) before the planning board. Specifically, a number of opponents showed up at the concom hearing, and they'll be out in force when the planning board starts its proceedings. The objections are the usual ones, all reflecting various forms of NIMBYism: traffic, construction noise and dust, effect on animal life, etc. There were also veiled threats of a lawsuit to stop the tower.

If you think Egremont should have cell phone service, you need to make your voice heard: call (or better write) the selectboard and the planning board and tell them you support the Mariner application. It's not too early.

Olver

What is our illustrious congressman afraid of? I called his office to find out the dates of his "town meetings." The imperious Mr. Olver is having none, apparently not caring what his constituents think about the important issues facing our country. After all, he's been annointed as our lifetime representative (or at least that's what he thinks).

I can't think of a single important congressional action that our congressman has accomplished during the many many years he's been in Washington. But he has certainly become part of the beltway crowd. It's time for him to go, gracefully or otherwise.

Egremont on Parade

The now annual "Egremont on Parade" was held at French Park last Sunday. Despite threatening weather, it was a great success. Congrats to Bonnie and all the others who organized and ran it as smoothly as silk. If you missed it, make certain to watch for it next year.

The next big event at the park will be a dog show in early October being organized by the French Park Fund. Watch for publicity. This is going to be one of the "funnest" events ever.

Wind Energy Siting

I have sent the following letter to our selectboard. The report referred to can be found at http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eoeeaterminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Energy%2C+Utilities+%26+Clean+Technologies&L2=Renewable+Energy&L3=Wind&sid=Eoeea&b=terminalcontent&f=doer_renewables_wind_siting-reform&csid=Eoeea

July 28, 2009

Egremont Board of Selectmen

Dear Sirs:

Massachusetts is trying to encourage production of wind energy, an admirable goal. Because of undue delays caused by those who use local permitting requirements as tools to prevent projects they dislike, legislation entitled the “Wind Energy Siting Reform Act of 2009” has been introduced in the legislature. The legislation would make it more difficult for opponents to delay or kill wind projects. An objective report on the background and need for the legislation prepared by the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is attached.

Eleanor Tillinghast and a few others in our area have been stirring up opposition to the legislation, and several selectboards have been asked to take positions opposing the legislation. For the reasons well stated in the report of Energy and Environmental Affairs, I urge the Egremont selectboard to resist those entreaties and to instead take appropriate actions in support of the legislation.

Restricting local jurisdiction is necessary wherever “not in my backyard” syndrome inhibits implementation of socially important goals. There are at least two similar situations affecting Egremont: Federal legislation (the Telecommunications Act of 1996) restricts the ability of towns to prevent cell towers; and state legislation (commonly known as an “anti-snob law”) restricts the ability of towns to prevent affordable housing. By cleverly finding ways around those laws, and goaded by people like Ms. Tillinghast, a few Egremonters have successfully resisted efforts to bringing cell phone service to townspeople, and successfully discouraged production of any affordable housing in town. It is precisely because of situations like these that the new wind siting legislation is so important. Egremont should support it.

Sincerely,
Richard M. Allen

Wind Energy

I'm always disgusted at people who claim to be acting on principle but show no consistency in their principles other than selfishness. Think of those rich people on Martha's Vineyard (or was it Nantucket?). They're really, really in favor of alternative energy sources -- until someone proposes them in their back yards. They strongly favor federal control of matters when they think the states will not do the "right" thing. But they decry the loss of "local control" when their own interests may be affected.

Such is the case with an activist in our area, who rallies and organizes support for the state to declare a portion of the Housatonic as a protected ACEC, whether the affected towns want that or not, but then rallies and organizes opposition to the state deciding where and how wind energy equipment will be located, bemoaning the loss of local control. This is just pure NIMBYism, and the only justification for NIMBYism is selfishness (or worse, imperialism). And collective selfishness is still selfishness, no matter how you rationalize it.

Governments learned long ago that when local opposition is inevitable to some program deemed of great public interest, local control must be squelched. For example, at the federal level, the need for nationwide cell phone service led Congress to strip localities of jurisdiction to stop cell towers (not that the law has stopped south Berkshire Luddites from opposing them). At the state level, the need for affordable housing led the legislature to strip local boards of their jurisdiction to cobble up spurious reasons to keep poor people out of their neighborhoods (same comment). Now the legislature understandably is going to strip local boards of jurisdiction over wind energy equipment. Can anyone doubt why?

This could be a good test for our planning board. So far, the PB has simply "questioned" the wisdom of the legislation. Let's await a more definitive position to see where the PB's stripes really are.

Egremont Police

There were two letters to the editor in last week's Berkshire Record, one castigating the newspaper for implying that the Egremont police did little more than giving out speeding tickets, and one castigating the newspaper for calling Egremont a speed trap. The first letter seems to treat every call to the police department as a police event. If you look at the annual police report, you'll start to chuckle at that characterization. The second letter made me chuckle without looking at anything else. If the whole world thinks that Egremont is a speed trap (and the whole world does), then guess what folks, IT IS A SPEED TRAP!

There are serious issues about our police department and what its future should look like, issues that merit serious discussion and decisions. Defending the department by mischaracterizing the facts doesn't help further that process.

For years I've jokingly suggested that we should eliminate the police department for one year and see if there's any measurable impact on crime in the town. If there isn't, why do we need the department? If there's more of this romanticization of the police department and what it does, I may start to make my own suggestion seriously.

French Park

Accolades to Jen Brown and the Egremont Fire Department. Jen traveled all the trails in French Park, mapped out (with Nick Ball) where the trails needed clearing and convinced the fire department to volunteer to do the clearing work. Way to go, JB and our intrepid fire fighters!!

Bloated Town Government

Two recent events have made me revisit an old and gnawing issue. First, I was chatting with a local contractor who, in dealing with one of our town boards, was getting a very slow and very dumb response. I have similar conversations about once a month. Second, some folks who recently moved here permanently and who describe themselves as advocates of "regulation" (i.e., left wingers) have found that "regulation" in Egremont means having to go before many boards and being subject to many conditions, some of them inconsistent, in order to be able to build something that every rational human being on earth would conclude was a good thing and ought to be allowed. And they're facing at least a six month delay - and lots of extra expense - as a result. So not surprisingly they're starting to question their political beliefs.

I went back to the 2008 Egremont annual report and counted the governmental positions in town. According to the report, we have 26 elected officials and 158 appointed officials. That's a total of 184 governmental positions for a town with a population of 1,036. That results in governmental positions equal to almost 18% of population.

Obviously, we have too many people with time on their hands, many of whom probably ought to get jobs or do something with their lives. Add to that the fact that many of these governmental officials have no or inadequate experience and training, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what busybodiness occurs from this situation. And we've all seen how valid that old saw is: power corrupts. Egremont isn't exempt.

Police, French Park and More

The minutes of the May 26 selectmen's meeting raise several issues.

The Good: (1) Accolades to those organizing the Memorial Day parade. They deserve it. (2) Accolades to the selectmen for looking into solar operated street lights. Not as a politically correct "green" measure, but from a cost perspective. (3) Accolades to them for starting to be serious about fire hydrant maintenance. Few things are more important for the town to deal with. (4) Accolades to Friends of Prospect Lake and the selectmen for finally starting to fix public access to Prospect Lake, and making it safe. Prospect Lake is a town asset that should be usable by townspeople. (5) Accolades to the selectmen for saying (time will tell if they walk the walk) they will seek out people to fill positions on town boards and committees, rather than just picking from whoever volunteers. That latter approach has too often resulted in boards populated by people who don't have any expertise and, worse, do have an agenda.

The Bad: (1) The resignation of the office clerk provides an opportunity for streamlining the duties of the full time employees at town hall. But it looks like a little band-aiding will be done and then we'll just hire a replacement. Why not use temporary help while a full assessment is done on the best way to divvy up the day-to-day work? It's not a secret that some of our full time employees have bigger work loads than others. (2) At least one of the selectmen thinks that the Egremont on Parade committee can decide to whom the net proceeds of that event should go. But that decision, and the accountability that goes with it, rests with the selectmen. They can't delegate imporatnt decisions, and especially financial ones, to town boards under their control. That's just a way to duck responsibility.

The Ugly: Do we all have some genetic defect that causes us to be unable to deal with the police department and its problems? First, do we really need to spend $25,000 for what is now called the "police feasability study"? Based on my experience, there are plenty of folks in town who could do that study for free. But of course that wouldn't result in CYA. Second, why must we vote on new police space at a fall special town meeting? The minutes of the May town meeting require a report to the town by the fall, but not to a town meeting. Large potential expenditures shouldn't be considered at special town meetings, where attendance is often sparse and where those especially interested in the issue often "pack" the meeting. Third, it is "cart before the horse" to be making decisions on police space before deciding what to do about the police department. Issues such as department size and turnover still need to be dealt with, as does regionalization. Otherwise, we run the risk of having unused or even empty police space after spending lots of money to build it.

Despite the "bad" and the "ugly," I'm optimistic about the selectboard's direction and its willingness to deal rationally and intelligently with town government.

Town Election

Turnout: 491 voters. Wow!!
Selectman: Burdsall - 343, Turner - 145
Water Commissioner: Gossage - 274, Allen - 173
Tree Warden: Olmsred - 343, St. Pierre - 130.

There IS a silent majority in Egremont, as evidenced by the last two elections for selectman. Last year, Bruce Cumsky easily defeated Mary Brazie, and this year Richard Burdsall whomped Bruce Turner. Cumsky and Burdsall oppose town extravaganzas like the library, etc., while Brazie and Turner represent the "government as usual" crowd. During the last 5 years or so, when there has been a low voter turnout, whether at a town meeting or an election, the result has been more government or more employees or more expenditures or all three. But when the voter turnout has been large, the opposite occurs. Think the sewer system, the zoning bylaw power grabbing rewrite, the annex proposal, etc.

If we really believe in democracy, not oligarchy, we should increase the quorum requirement for town meetings, reduce or eliminate special town meetings and decide major issues by adding them as referendum matters on the ballots used for elections.