Monday, December 15, 2014


BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD MEETING - Dec 8 Regular Meeting....

The DECEMBER 8, 2014 REGULAR MEETING of the BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD covered a number of issues.  Below are some of the "selected highlights" ....please refer to Waterville Times for more coverage and details....

BROOKFIELD TOWN BOARD – December 8 2014 – REGULAR MEETING (Town Hall) - Attendance:  John Salka (Supervisor); Jeff Mayne, Dewitt Head, Joe Walker, Clint Abrams (Council Persons); Sherri Perretta (Clerk); Bob Piersma (Highway Superintendent).  Approximately 15 members of the public attended.


PART 1: “THE BAN” & "RULES OF CONDUCT"– DEMOCRACY IN BROOKFIELD – DOA

BOARD STOPS COMMUNITY EFFORT TO BAN HYDROFRACKING IN THE TOWN OF BROOKFIELD:  A Ban against Hydrofracking in the Town of Brookfield has been a topic of heated discussions among the Board and the Community. Finally, after YEARS of discussions, moratoriums and promises,  a Town wide straw poll was taken during this past November’s general elections.  By an overwhelming margin of 3:1, TOWN residents voted AGAINST HYDROFRACKING in the Town of Brookfield.
YET, Three BOARD MEMBERS VOTED AGAINST moving forward to institute a BAN ON HYDROFRACKING:  Jeff Mayne, Joe Walker  & Dewitt Head.   While clear that Walker & Head will never vote to support a ban (Walker has a lease; Head says neither he nor his family has a lease); perhaps most disappointing was Mayne’s  “NO” vote because  “he didn’t know enough” about the topic. 
Opponents of the Ban claim it is a form of “land use regulations”  and therefore violates their private rights to do anything they want with their property;  the welfare of neighbors and the Community are not their responsibility.  They see zoning and land use regulations as a form of control by the liberal “mobs” to bring creeping communism to Brookfield.  Ironically, many of these PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS advocates are among the largest benefactors of land use in the form of AGRICULTURE DISTRICTS.
Despite Salka’s efforts to rush past the subject (allowing less than TWO MINUTES of Board time to the subject) the “Public Comment” period re-opened THAT CAN OF WORMS -- requesting a poll of the Board --- something the Supervisor was UNWILLING to do.  
After the results and excuses given, the Board received from the audience an overwhelming message of disappointment , frustration and disgust with the outcome.  No wonder Salka had the new RULES OF DECORUM for the Public to conduct itself during Board meetings.  
RESPECT is EARNED --  a four page list of rules for the public isn’t going to do it.  Several requests for copies of the NEW RULES & POSTING ON TOWN WEBSITE were DENIED BY SALKA until AFTER they are APPROVED !  If we want to see them, he has directed the TOWN CLERK to send us to the TOWN OF DERUYTER WEBSITE.... so here you go.....talk about political cowardice.  !  Go to  DERUYTER WEBSITE to see them:  http://www.deruyternygov.us/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/rulesfordecorum.pdf     
SUGGESTION: we have  started a list of RULES OF DECORUM for THE BOARD!!!  and already received NUMEROUS SUGGESTIONS!!!