Vote Cape wind leaseholders out of office

 Vote Cape wind leaseholders out of office
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2011

While registering people to vote in Cape Vincent, a gentleman informed me that the wind-leaseholding town board members Marty and Donny Mason have never voted on any wind issue.

In just the past 10 months, the following acts demonstrate the councilmen with wind leases have used their official capacity to advance their private wind business.

In October 2010, the Masons did indeed abstain from voting on doing a valid sound study. Their ally, Micky Orvis, voted no and the motion failed. A valid sound study would have protected the community as a whole, but it would have slowed their wind projects.

In December 2010, they tabled a resolution which would have required now ex-Planning Board Chairman Richard (Richie) Edsall to recuse himself from both wind projects since he is a leaseholder. They said, “Talk to Richie.” Richie was never “talked” to.


In December 2010, they appointed Patrick McCarthy to the Planning Board. He has resigned, without notice, saying he was put on the board to do wind and since Article X is passed, he is out of there. His lack of concern for the other issues before the board, like the Angel Rock development, is disturbing, but even worse is what it means about the leaseholding councilmen who put him on the Planning Board. That apple did not fall far from its tree.

In January 2011, at the request of Acciona project manager Tim Conboy, the leaseholding council members voted to have the town supervisor investigated for releasing Freedom of Information documents proving the sound study of British Petroleum and Acciona was fraudulent.

This is a very clear example of using official positions to protect their private business. The wind leaseholding greenshirts called it “payback” during that meeting’s privilege of the floor. The supervisor has been officially cleared of any wrongdoing.

At a town board work session, Donald Mason said he would vote on a wind law. A law firm specializing in wind development told him he could. The fact that that law firm, White, Osterman and Hanna, also represents our Planning Board is further proof of malfeasance by the leaseholding officials who hired a law firm that specializes in skirting laws to install wind complexes.

We, as citizens, have the obligation to vote out of office the leaseholding council members who cannot seem to understand what a conflict of interest is.

Please register to vote, and vote for Urban Hirschey, Clif Schneider, John Byrne, Colleen Knuth and John Blodgett.

Hester Chase

Cape Vincent