SKANEATELES PRESS, LETTERS TO EDITOR, JUNE 23, 2004
Besse letter offends Spafford resident
To the editor:
I respectfully disagree with Dick Besse’s observations in last week’s “Appreciate Spafford” article.
The discord at the Spafford Town Hall meeting is not about pressures from development from Skaneateles. That’s too simple. It is about political rhetoric, competence, character and honesty. Besse must not have been to the same meetings I’ve been going to the last two years. If Besse wants to read the minutes of the meetings he should go to Borodinobullett.com and read them. Also I have videotapes of the discord and it is not the pressure of human development spilling over from Skaneateles, it is the pressures of human greed, human ignorance and economic racism, like it or not. When in the last 20 years has the destiny of Spafford been controlled by the evil “buyers and sellers of land” and not the beautiful consensus of the whole working class community? I guess what Besse sees as the whole community is not what I see as the “whole” community. Sorry. And I’m a Democrat who attended the first Spafford Party meeting.
Besse makes it sound as if the community of Spafford is not being properly represented. It is. The majority of residents, voters and non-voters do not support an arrogant middle-class trash master plan because it is not needed. If Besse wants to build a mall or a big, big home here, he has to present numerous proposals to many elected public authorities. And many voters like me can get involved. Yes, there are a few ugly properties due to the realities of God’s world. But these properties are not bad enough to motivate me with hate and discrimination.
A new zoning law is not my way of conflict resolution in my small friendly community. I’d rather have neighbors that are messy than neighbors that don’t really believe in God. So why pass a new zoning law that attacks working-class people instead of helping them? You talk of heritage landscape that deserves thoughtful protection from damaging and shortsighted behavior. Can you be more specific please?
I’ve been here for 10 years and my sister lived down the road for 25. What examples are you referring to that my town board members failed to seriously recognize? Give me one example. Are they, the town board, stupid to the issues you write of? I don’t think so. Are you talking about the big home presently being built at the Borodino Bluff? Does this really qualify as environmental damage and shortsighted behavior? The residents, 10 percent of the population of Spafford, whom support a “thoughtful” panacea-type master plan, are the same people who lacked the same ‘thoughtful’ intellectual behavior when they purchased their 12 mpg SUVs and two-ton cars.
Shouldn’t one question the intellectual honesty of those who try daily to force others to respect the environment, yet they, themselves, lack the skills and foresight to buy a fuel-efficient vehicle years ago? Bob Werner doesn’t drive a 42 mpg Geo does he? Yet it is always someone else ruining their earth. I’m laughing all the way to Iraq in my fuel-efficient Geo.
So Besse, if you want me to support any racist master plan in Spafford, you’ll have to have your friends sell their big vehicles and buy a small Geo. That would make me a believer and supporter. Maybe.
JOE VECCHIO
SPAFFORD