Goodbye and Good Luck

Some of us wondered why Gear at CNY Snakepit had been silent in recent weeks. . . concerned even. Looks like he and his significant other have been making plans … to move away.

A lot of things influenced our final decision, but the most telling was the increasing dysfunction of both our local and state politics. Put simply, our political class is totally devoid of even the most rudimentary leadership ability. The consistent refusal to control tax growth, even as the area undergoes a population loss of almost biblical proportions, means the increasingly small population here will be burdened with higher and higher costs. That feedback loop, unchecked, will produce a death spiral of ever shrinking populations and ever escalating taxation.

I can not blame him for leaving.

Read more in his post “Love it or Leave It.”

Good Bye, Good Luck, and Keep in Touch.

Putting the Foxes in Charge of the Hen House . . .

That’s the impression you get when reading of Gov. Spitzer’s plan to “study” Hinckley Reservoir.

With the exception of DEC and SEMO, the other parties named to the study group have a vested interest in what goes on at Hinckley — which may be OK if ALL the interested parties were represented in the group. They are not. There are riparian landowners along West Canada Creek who are not represented. Herkimer County has an interest and is not being represented. And Greater Utica residents are not represented because MVWA has been behaving more like a private company or an Oneida County agency than a municipality looking out for the future well being of its residents.

How about a truly INDEPENDENT study of Hinckley Reservoir, INCLUDING where Hinckley fits into the context of all the water supply resources and needs of Oneida and Herkimer Counties?

What are they afraid of?