Seasonal residents have equal right to vote

 Seasonal residents have equal right to vote


TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011


I am a seasonal resident of Hammond and have a home on the St. Lawrence River. My family has been vacationing and living on the river for the past 50 years, and I have siblings, cousins and many friends who call the river home and identify themselves as “River Rats.”

In those years on the river I have heard the occasional “grousing” about how we pay all these taxes and get no services. My response to those complaints is that we have an obligation, as part of our residence in such a beautiful area, to support our community even if our demand for local services is nonexistent today.

Also, during the past number of years I have never observed an organized effort to oppose any local government law or regulation until the issue of wind farms adjacent to our beautiful river came up. Normal day-to-day government leadership by the Hammond town board was very seldom questioned by river residents as there was a peaceful coexistence in the town. Seasonal residents (who pay 75 percent of the yearly tax income of the town) basically left guidance up to the elected leaders and chose to cast their election ballots at their other homes.

When faced with the prospect that our beautiful river would be defaced by 500-foot tall wind towers and that the great majority of Hammond residents would be negatively affected, I decided that it was time for me to exercise my New York state constitutional right to vote and cast my ballot against Hammond government leaders who supported the previous wind law. As I examined the facts behind this effort, I realized that only a few individuals would benefit financially from the wind farm leases, and the rest of us would suffer the health and environmental effects of these inefficient wind towers.

I have read comments made by local government leaders in Cape Vincent and most recently by Scott Aubertine of Lyme that seasonal residents should have their opinions given less consideration in town decisions. It is my opinion that we have as much right to determine the future direction of our communities as any other resident and even though our tax dollar contribution is greater than permanent residents and our demand for town services significantly less, we have equal rights in picking our elected officials and determining the future of our region.

John Hart

Hammond