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The NEW revamped Preble NY web site. News and information about Preble NY.
About this site Also update information. Preble News News and Information. The Future of Preble Making Preble a Better Place for All. Not Safe For Democrats As the name implies... The following links open a new window. |
Friday, July 25, 2003
ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE: DOES PETER KNAPP HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Knapp owns the most viable piece of commercial real estate in Preble. It's the large piece of land on the north west quadrant of 81 and 281. (It has been rumored that Flying J would build there because it is large enough.) Knapp was just appointed to the Water Protection Committee that will review and make suggestions for changes about our laws. It is reasonable to assume he would oppose any strengthening of our laws that would interfere with a sale or reduce the value of his land. This puts him in a position to influence the WPC and will later vote on his own suggestions. Therefore he has a conflict of interest between serving the interests of the town and his own interests. He should excuse himself from the vote and if that is true then he should not be on the committee now or part of any deliberations about this subject. But he IS on the committee and the only way to prevent his negative influence is at the caucus. If he is put back on the Town Board then there is little that can be done to protect us other than more lawsuits. Why was Betty nervous? At first I thought it was because she knew how people would react to her appointment of Peter to the WPC. Betty did look and act nervous when she appointed Peter at the last Town Board meeting. But months ago when Peter was late and didn't come to the meeting everybody was very loose, relieved, cracking jokes etc. When Peter is there they are all tense and nervous... Wonder why. I remember thinking at the time how much nicer it was with him not there but I didn't dwell on it. After Betty's nervousness on appointing Peter it brought things into a new light. Peter usually just sits in his chair staring down at his hands, saying little or nothing. He rarely talks, just listens. I'm beginning to think Betty's nervousness and the tenseness in the room is because everybody is following Peters orders and they are worried they will make a mistake and their ruler will chastise them later. Of course I could be wrong but I've been watching these guys for four years now and that's how it starting to look to me. Caucus is next month. INVESTMENT NOTE It's not just the stock market that's been telegraphing "trouble"about the economy. The price of thoroughbreds has watched Wall Street's gyrations. Yearlings that sold for an average of $27,295 in 1994 were fetching $54,506 in 2000. But recent sales have seen 20 percent declines from a year ago. Moral: If you invest in horses, don't expect stable prices. --- Sorry, couldn't resist... I love them groaners. Tuesday, July 22, 2003
FOR WOMEN Man to librarian: Where do I find the book "Man is the Superior Sex" librarian: In the fiction section. A WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST: She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee. Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box. Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week. Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl. And her husband is on the back of the milk carton. Monday, July 21, 2003
WHAT'S A GOB? Who's a GOB might be a better question. Is Peter Knapp a GOB? Yep, he sure is. How about Betty Pitman, is she a GOB? Yes again. What then about John Steger who, in case you didn't know is our legislator. I like to think of him as our stealth legislator. We know he's there but you can't tell because he never does anything. And the answer is, Yes! John is a GOB.What about ex-legislator Max Stoker and his wife JP Marilyn Stoker, are they GOBs? Yes, although not as well placed in the GOB community as they once were. At this point you might be wondering what it takes to be a GOB? You have to be connected in Preble and/or Cortland. Is Don Armstrong a GOB? Don has been the town boards lawyer for a long time and has connections in Cortland. The answer is yes, Don is a GOB. There are a number of stealth GOBs around too. These are people who have power but don't show themselves. I'll be talking about them in the future but for now I've made you wait long enough. GOB stands for Good Old Boy. Simple isn't it. The GOBs run Preble and much of the time they do OK by the people. Sometimes they use their power to enrich themselves or other GOBs. Peter GOB Knapp used his power as Supervisor to enrich his GOB buddies Max and Marilyn Stoker when he looked the other way when the Song Mountain well was installed on Stokers property. This led to the sale of that property to Song. By the way the Stokers couldn't sell that land because there is a flood plane running through the middle. But Peter GOB Knapp made the difference and the GOB Stokers made the sale. The next story tells much of the rest of GOB Peters exploits. I'm tempted to talk about Don GOB Armstrong who has his fingers in up to his shoulder but I'm going to save that for later. Next time you see one of the GOBs wish them a GOB day. Caucus is next month Sunday, July 20, 2003
DID YOU KNOW... During Peter Knapp's tenure as Supervisor and town board member the following happened: Billboard put up on Knapp land Agway plant 'almost' put in on Knapp land Cell tower put up on Knapp land Illegal Song Mountain well put in on Marilyn Stoker land Flying J almost put in next to Knapp land Illegal rezone of Knapp land to bilk the state out of millions Cost of litigation for Preble taxpayers: Tens of thousands Cost of litigation for Knapps: NONE (Knapps lawyers fees, (Leija), were paid by taxpayers) Income to Knapps... unknown (over $750k) but probably close to a million. Income to Preble... NONE! Caucus is next month. Friday, July 18, 2003
Prime Minister Tony Blair's address to a joint session of Congress 7/17/03 "Can we be sure that terrorism and WMD will join together? If we are wrong, we will have destroyed a threat that, at its least is responsible for inhuman carnage and suffering. That is something I am confident history will forgive. But if our critics are wrong and we do not act, then we will have hesitated in face of this menace, when we should have given leadership. That is something history will not forgive." "We are fighting for the inalienable right of humankind -- black or white; Christian or not; left, right or merely indifferent -- to be free -- free to raise a family in love and hope; free to earn a living and be rewarded by your own efforts; free not to bend your knee to any man in fear; free to be you, so long as being you does not impair the freedom of others. That's what we're fighting for, and it's a battle worth fighting. And I know it's hard on America. And in some small corner of this vast country, out in Nevada or Idaho or these places I've never been to but always wanted to go -- (laughter) -- I know out there, there's a guy getting on with his life, perfectly happily, minding his own business, saying to you, the political leaders of this country, "Why me, and why us, and why America?" And the only answer is because destiny put you in this place in history in this moment in time, and the task is yours to do. And our job -- my nation, that watched you grow, that you fought alongside and now fights alongside you, that takes enormous pride in our alliance and great affection in our common bond -- our job is to be there with you. You're not going to be alone. We will be with you in this fight for liberty. We will be with you in this fight for liberty. And if our spirit is right and our courage firm, the world will be with us." HOW DOES THIS WORK? Simple answer: Town Board decides what it wants to do. Assigns Water Protection Committee members who will do what it wants. Committee does. Will report back to Town Board what Town Board wants to hear. Town Board will enact law saying committee told them too. Done deal. No Aquifer Protection because that would interfere with Knapp's plans. No strengthening of the law for the same reason. Possible weakening of the law for the same reason. Lawsuits will be the only recourse for the citizens to protect themselves. Taxpayers pay for Knapps transgressions. Taxpayers pay to protect themselves. Knapp pays nothing. The Town Board is controlled by Peter Knapp, does whatever he says to do. Even though Pitman is technically the supervisor she only got that job because Knapp allowed it. She wants it again and will only get it if she continues to do what Knapp wants. The rest of the board was appointed by Knapp through the same process. Any independence they had was lost when Currie and Fox resigned. Caucus is next month. What are you going to do to put an end to this? Oh... nothing? Thought so... Guess you like to read my rants. Guess you like the whole world to read about this? No problem for me, kinda fun for me. Pity for Preble though. Laughing stock of the world though. Still going to do nothing? Thought so. Not your problem... Thought so... To busy with other things... Thought so... Yeah... Thought so. Tuesday, July 15, 2003
TOWN BOARD MEETING REPORT 7/14/03 Sometimes I think I'm the only one to get the joke. Perhaps it's just because I see these things from a different standpoint or perhaps it's… Oh who knows why, but there came a point at last night's meeting where I would have spit out my coffee if I were drinking some at the time. I did my best to choke back a laugh and I think it worked but it sure was funny. So, what happened you ask? Well, I'll tell you. And by the way I just love it when I'm proven right, not that I don't believe I'm right almost all the time but I just love it when people realize I am and it annoys them. I guess annoying is what the town board would think whenever they think of me but I digress… again… Ok ok here's what happened. Tom Fox resigned from the town board and the Water Protection committee right. You remember that from a few months ago. Betty Pitman, supervisor had to appoint a replacement for the Water Protection committee post. Now Betty could have picked someone from any of the 1,500 residents of Preble, heck she could have picked ME and wouldn't that have been a hoot. She didn't. She looked all over, high and low and when she looked into the barrel she saw Peter sitting on the bottom and picked him for the WTP. Yep, that's right… She picked Peter Knapp for the Water Protection Committee! If you wanted proof that the WPC was a joke you have it now. Peter Knapp was the supervisor/code enforcement officer when he told Song Mountain to put in that illegal well AND when he told Flying J to ignore the buffer zone law. It was Peter's brother who got ALL the Farmland Protection money after engineering the illegal rezone of his brother land. AND who can forget that it was Peter who signed the permit for his brothers Cell Tower. Now Peter will be on the committee that will oversee new changes to our laws that will protect our water etc. PAULEZZE you just gotta see the humor in this. Did Betty think for a split second that this joke would go unnoticed? She's not that big a fool, she must have been under pressure to do it. After all it was Betty who was most hurt when that Cell Tower went in so why would she appoint Knapp for this? The "Who's Got What On Who In Preble" book must be bigger than the Encyclopedia! But Wait, there's more… Dean Smith also resigned as chair of the Planning Board and HE was also on the WPC. Will he also resign from the WPC and if he does who will Betty appoint to fill his position? I don't have a clue but I doubt it will be as funny as Peter Knapp on the Water Protection Committee… I gotta admit that for me this Town Board is a gift that keeps on giving. I just gotta write a book about this, it'll make a million… But who would believe it? In other news… WELCOME TO PREBLE! Barden Homes came to the meeting and told us they wanted to move their Homer operation to Preble on a 25 acre hunk of land just North of Saulsbury. This is GREAT news! This is the type of company Preble should be looking for. They run a clean operation, 25 years in Homer with no complaints. They employ about 100 people, maybe more will be hired once they get under way. They plan to break ground this fall and move in next June. http://www.bardenhomes.com http://www.saulsburyfire.com (Yeah, I know the links don't click, I was in a hurry, just copy the links and paste them into your browser.) Attention Seniors Cortland Transit runs a bus service in Cortland County. They want to get input about running a bus from Preble to the senior home in Scott on Friday's. If you are interested there is a survey at the post office you can fill out or you could call them at 607-758-3383. They also offer Dial-A-Ride service county wide which means that you can have them come to your house and take you anywhere in the county for $4. Quite a deal. For details call the above number or check their website at: http://zeua.odyssey.net/subscribers/corttrans/ Or email at: corttrans@odyssey.net The representative from Cortland Transit left some flyers and other stuff that is available at the town hall or post office. ONE LAST JOKE During the discussion about Barden Homes Don Armstrong said his office worked for Barden on occasion and he would have a conflict of interest and couldn't represent the town in this matter. The joke? This is the first time in the many times in the past when Armstrong had a conflict of interest and he offered to step aside. I'll be going into that sometime in the future but for now the joke may only be funny to me, but then again I often find hypocrisy funny. Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Ramblings on a rainy day Blogger, the system I'm using to update the site, is in the midst of changing over to a new system. It has and is taking longer than everyone thought and has been a real pain the the behind. All of this has me looking for alternatives that I have more control over. On the same sour note: I washed my car yesterday and it's raining today. No, I didn't check the weather report first either. The rain is nice to see. Makes everything clean and bright green and it's not so hot. Lake news: We have a new boat on the shore due to my neighbors purchase of a Bayliner Jazz jet boat. Cute little two seater that goes about 40. Oh, and while I'm bitching. For several years I've had a humming bird feeder. It finally cracked and I bought a new one that holds 8 oz of nectar. That would have lasted a week in the old feeder but barely lasts a day in the new one. I mix 1/4 cup sugar with 8 oz water to make the nectar so it isn't a big deal. The new feeder is a window mount and I would highly recommend one. It's fun to stand in the window and watch the little birds come in and feed just a few inches from you. They swarm like bees around the feeder sometimes which is a joy to watch. On gardening: This is an area where I do not do well. I know little about the subject and have little desire to learn more. Over the years I've made half hearted attempts by buying this and that at the garden store and stuffing it in the ground. Sometimes it looks nice but it pales in comparison to gardeners who have the clue I'm missing. I've decided to expand on the advise my nephew Rich gave me on another subject. "Learn not to care" he said. I've decided to learn to like the stuff that grows like weeds in my 'garden' and not to care about the stuff that doesn't. Plant mulch in the bare spots so it looks like I want it that way and make up fictitious names for things when I am asked the inevitable question, "What's that?" A couple of years ago I took my trailer into the woods and dug up some ferns and transplanted them around. They are all doing well, come up every year, didn't cost a dime, and look just fine. I'll be taking another excursion into the woods to get more to fill in those gaps. My father may have had the best plan when years ago he wanted to plant green concrete in the yard. My mother wouldn't let him. Perhaps just turn the yard into one huge patio would work. It would probably save money over the long haul too. And from my niece: My husband, not happy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods. When I'm in a good mood it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood it leaves a big freaking red mark on his forehead. Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond!!!! Friday, July 04, 2003
All kinds of lake activity today. Boat races starting at 11 AM and then play all day, get sunburned, tired, take a nap. At 7 or so the boat parade starts. People decorate their boats with kids and flags and stuff, great fun. Putt putt around the lake so everybody can see and nobody falls off. Then it starts to get dark and the fireworks contest starts. First one side of the lake then the other. Each trying to outdo the other. I went in for that years ago, damn near blew myself up so now I just spray on the OFF and watch the fun. Better that way anyhow. If you go by just wave, I'll be the one in the hammock taking that nap. UPDATE 7/5/03: Ah, high heat and humidity now that's the ticket. Yesterday the festivities on the lake were met with air so humid you could drink it. A slight breeze helped and as it got dark the air started to cool. Then the fireworks began. Many people set off rockets of various sorts with the better ones getting rounds of hoots and applause. A very nice evening was had by all. Then at about 10:30, having feed every mosquito in a 5 mile radius we went inside. Thank God for air conditioning. Tuesday, July 01, 2003
THINGS GETTING INTERESTING IN CORTLAND Did you read the story in Monday's Cortland Standard's Consumer-News about the 5 Democrats leaving the legislature? Three of them are long timers that have held their positions for 28 to 30 years! This leaves an opening for the Republicans to control the legislature. All they have to do is keep all their current legislators and win 3 of the five openings. That 'should' be easy as there are more Republicans than Democrats in the county. I put 'should' in quotes because the Republicans have had a majority of voters for a long time and haven't been able to get many elected. I know little about the Cortland Republican Committee and nothing about who is running things. BUT I am results oriented and if their performance was to judge them then they would all fail. It will be very embarrassing for them if they fail now. It will be fun to watch and more fun for me to talk about. Update: I received an email that contradicted the Cortland Standard's numbers of Republican vs Democrat legislators. The emailer said there are 6 Republicans and 13 Democrats. I was going to check into this but I couldn't get up enough energy to care one way or the other and didn't. Oh, and you need 10 for a majority. |
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