In a well-rehearsed charade, the Preble Town Board removed Carl Grillo and Barb Frier from the ZBA because they don't like the way they vote!

Remember back when they first pulled this stunt? It was illegal then and they got in a lot of trouble for doing it. All of their trouble was self-inflicted and their own fault. They got front-page headlines in the Cortland Standard and were embarrassed when they had to retract from that position. Last night I sat through almost 30 minutes of whining as they complained about all the bad things people said about them. Bunch of crybabies. Hey! Try doing the right thing for once. They whined about all the 'good' things they did and each in turn patted the others on the back, saying how good they were and why we should all be grateful for their good work. Bunch of whining crybabies. Then they kicked Barb and Carl off the ZBA. What fools they must be to think we would believe this crap!

The charade started with Peter Knapp's long-winded sanctimonious speech about the 'supposed' reasons they were doing this. He stated that they didn't like the negative comments made about the town board in the Cortland Standard. Catherine Edinger mirrored Peter's comments. Neither of them are up for reelection next year so they were given the task of taking the heat. Anne Brennen then spoke up and said she was 'hurt' by all the negative comments. Perhaps she forgot the negative comments she made in her famous 'Swine Letter.'  She was the one, you may remember, who said before the public hearing that they should listen to the people and do what the people wanted. See it here. She listened and then did the exact opposite, when she voted to kick Carl and Barb off the ZBA! At the public hearing no one spoke up in favor of removing Carl and Barb. See the report here. The town board would tell you that they were just changing the ZBA to 5 members to match the other boards. This is a lame reason, the only one they could come up with, but the truth is now well known.

It seemed to me that they were doing this to spite the town or some parts of it. Peter and Anne both made an issue of the negative press they got in the Cortland Standard. It seemed to me that this was one of the reasons they did this. Bunch of whiners.

They also sited the action taken some years ago when they reduced the Planning Board from 7 to 5. At the time it seemed a reasonable action. However, since then I have learned from reliable sources that they took this action to prevent a certain 'person' from getting on the planning board. I'm still researching this but it does fit their pattern of controlling the town through attempting to control the boards. As time goes by more and more information surfaces about this.

Another inconsistency in their statement was that they didn't kick Carl and Barb off the ZBA. Remember the night when town lawyer Fran Casullo, either ignorant of or ignoring the law, told Barb and Carl they were off the board and to sit in the audience!  If that doesn't qualify then what does?

Time will show us the 'real' reason they did this. I'll be watching them and the remaining members of the ZBA very closely to see what happens.

I'll have more information on this later.

Other items of interest from the meeting that will be reported...

Does Doug Staley call the shots in Preble or does John Steger? You will be surprised at what Steger said.

Does town lawyer Don Armstrong understand the Freedom of Information Laws or is he confusing it for Freedom of Town Stalling/Concealing Information Law?  Decide for yourself.

Selected audio portions of the town meeting.

©Frank Hogg

12/11/2000