Archive: Opinions

The news is full of elected officials holding up the work of the people endlessly because of political spats and special interests.  What we don't hear about is average citizens who don't pay attention to what their governments are doing, and then accuse their elected officials of acting unilaterally, not doing due diligence, or just not asking for input or employing reasonable procedures.

Time after time I have seen elected officials and volunteer committee members who actually have done these things accused by residents who weren't paying attention, assumed the worst, and had no compunction about making spurious accusations in public.  Often that means that whatever the work of the government or committee is gets held up while another round of public input is solicited.  And then the same thing happens.  As Yogi Berra famously said, "It's like déjà vu all over again."

It appeared this was happening again this week at Monday's Ag Plan Committee meeting.  There was some criticism of the committee about not getting input from local farmers who might not agree with everything in the plan.  As far as I could tell the committee made repeated efforts to solicit input.  If they didn't get it, was it their fault?

Long time Planning Board member Larry Sharpsteen put it succinctly:  "I was once told that if I want to have a business in this town I better watch out for what's going on with regard to town government and planning and things like that," he said.  "My advice is the same to the farmers.  It may not be the most fun evening you've ever had, but I advise the farm community to read this report."

To be fair, this is the first Ag Plan meeting I attended.  But this is a plan that a committee, composed, in part, of local farmers, has been working on for at least six years.  In 2006 The Town of Lansing submitted an application for state  grant funding available for municipal Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan development.Lansing received a grant in 2008.  Then Councilwoman Connie Wilcox led the effort to give Lansing farmers a say in the process, and about a year or two ago it appeared the plan was ready to see the light of day.

But committee members were reportedly not satisfied with portions of the plan, so the went back to the drawing board.  Theoretically the draft produced for Monday's meeting is a final draft, so it was a little surprising to hear some people say they thought local farmers hadn't had input.  Then some said that farmers don't like to speak up in public meetings, or may not want to say what they really think in public.  And some said farmers should be contacted for input before a final draft is submitted to the Town Board for approval.

It sounds like the town will be sending local farmers key portions of the 64 page document, in a final push to get more input.  And while Planning Board members also sit on the Ag Plan committee Supervisor Kathy Miller said that the plan will be considered at a joint Planning/Town Board meeting, even though it is ultimately up to the Town Board to accept it.

I sympathise with all these things, but let's be realistic.  To quote a wise woman (my mother), God gave you a mouth so you can speak up.  You can't expect to give input to a committee if you don't tell them what you think.  And while nobody can reasonably expect 100% consensus on any plan a municipality comes up with, I was hearing that further comments would be included in an addendum.

Further, the document itself was characterized as a 'living document'.  That means it is a guide, not a law, and one that can and should be revised as time goes on.  The committee and its consultants certainly seemed open to further input.  But isn't it time to get this puppy approved?

I don't mean to single out one segment of Lansing residents for criticism.  The truth is that this happens time after time on just about every issue that people care about, once they take the time to pay attention to the fact that something is actually happening.

That is one of the key reasons I should never run for office.  My skin isn't thick enough and I don't have the patience for projects that are endlessly regurgitated and never completed.  Again, not a slam at the Ag Plan, which looks like it will be completed within a few months, according to Town Planning Consultant Michael Long.  But when I see groups of intelligent, hard working volunteers and municipal officials do things right over long periods of time, it pushes my buttons when we hear from people who simply weren't paying attention, all of a sudden making demands that hold up initiatives that are designed to help the community.

I'm not saying that government entities are perfect.  We all know that couldn't be further from the truth.  But many times they do what they are supposed to do, and when they do, it's time to get on with it.

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