More of the Same

What can I say about last night's Town Board meeting other than "More of the same." The meeting started with a Public Hearing about the new Building Code Enforcement law (Chapter 111 of the Town Code, if you ever need to look it up). In general, there would be no major problem with the law if it had actually been implemented as the State mandated it to be.

The problem is that our Town Politburo feels an uncontrollable urge (almost like a political Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) to add language anywhere and everywhere that whittles away at the rights of property owners. In this case, they added language allowing themselves to toss permitting requirements all over the Town Code, anywhere they felt like it, making it all but impossible for the average person to figure out what they need to do in order to get a permit.

Why is it so difficult to simply put all the permitting requirements in the Building and Zoning Codes? Simple. They want to be able to slip new requirements in places where no one will think to look because they have no business being there. This is not an assumption or a guess. This is a well-founded prediction based on what they have done in the past. Look at all the nonsense they tried to insert into the Historical Preservation Law last year.

In the section about Complaints, I requested one simple addition: that we not put weapons in the hands of those cowardly individuals who love to make anonymous attacks on our neighbors. Specifically, I asked that the name of the person or persons filing a complaint be made a part of the record, so that a homeowner against whom a complaint is filed can mount a proper defense. The answer given was that no, we cannot do that. The privacy of the Complainant must be respected. His rights must be upheld. He might be subject to retribution.

Not a single mention was made of the fact that the complaints themselves could become a form of retribution for unrelated acts. No one on the Left stood up to say that in the interests of fairness, the property owner's rights should be upheld. The complaint process was viewed in a skewed, one-sided manner completely devoid of any sense of justice or fair play.

The Town Board and its supporters are hell bent on doing as much damage to property rights as humanly possible before being kicked out of office by the voters this coming November. Then, when the new Town Board changes things to ensure our protection as property and homeowners, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will go to Court over each and every change that is made. The Liberal Left lambastes anyone who criticizes the current Board as being "anti-democratic" but they will (mark my words!) have zero respect for a Town Board dominated by those who respect property rights. That lack of respect will be characterized by two years of delaying tactics (lawsuits, complaints to State and Federal agencies, etc.) to keep any favorable changes from going into effect until they can re-take the Town Government.

Nothing in the way they act towards a new Town Board will reflect the principles they claim to espouse pertaining to respect for the democratic decision made by the Town. Just as they have allowed the ideals of Open Government to be thrown out in the trash as soon as they became inconvenient to them, so will their much vaunted love of democracy become so much rubbish once they have lost the power which they enjoy so very much.

When speaking out last night, I made mention of the fact that the Town Government works for us, not the other way around. Immediately, my comments were greeted by remarks of "Here we go again." Well, yes. Here we go again. And we will keep on going, month after month because that simple principle, the ideal of Government working for the People, is what democracy is. Without that ideal, there is no democracy.

To me and, I am convinced, to all of us who understand just how precious the centuries of traditions of our Town and Nation are, the basic American ideal of true public service is something that is sacrosanct. There is never a good reason for a public official to act in a manner which breaches that ideal.

There is a little known rock musician named Steve Vai. One of his songs reflects precisely what I feel about public service and true leadership:

I'm not a savior
I'm not a king
The power lies in your hands
But I feel your anger
I speak your peace
Freedom time is here

No public official should think of themselves as being "in charge," of being a king or boss. They should always keep in mind that true authority comes from those we serve, not from those who pass laws in Albany or Washington. What we say should reflect the passions, ideals, concerns and desires of those we represent. And, above all, freedom should be what we strive to achieve for those we serve. The people dictate, the officials serve. That is what democracy really is all about.

Those who prefer to be Residents instead of Neighbors, however, don't truly care about principles like democracy, representation, fair play, justice or - in point of fact - any other principle. They are concerned with one thing: getting what they want. Like a petulant child throwing a tantrum because mommy didn't buy him the toy he wanted, the Liberal Left in Town lashes out at anyone and everyone who stands in the way of their goals.

Well, they are about to get a very unpleasant surprise when the voters of the Town of Rochester give them a Time Out in November. Maybe a few years sitting in the corner thinking about what they have done will teach them how to play nice with their peers.

Maybe, but I'm not too optimistic. Bullies never learn from their own mistakes.