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letters
| 2/3/2010 10:06:00 AM Email this article • Print this article | |
Let's bring back reason and representation
Douglas Louer
Ithaca, NY
According to the December 2009 issue of the Cayuga Heights Courier, which just came out the week of January 18th (www.cayuga-heights.ny.us/doc/Courier.pdf), Mayor Jim Gilmore and Deputy Mayor Dave Donner will be stepping down and not running for reelection in March. For those frustrated by, among other things, Gilmore and Donner's lack of interest in citizen input regarding alternatives to the danger and violence of their deer killing plan, this is good news.
The bad news is that it looks like Kate Supron, who was chair of the deer killing committee that advised implementing this plan in the first place, and who was appointed rather than elected to her trustee seat, is planning to run for mayor. She is an unconditionally ardent proponent of bringing gunmen into the village to shoot deer at undisclosed times, in undisclosed locations, and for an indefinite period of years.
Not only will this deer killing plan negatively impact the safety of the village, it will also negatively affect property values, the ability of villagers to sell their homes expeditiously, and the former peaceful cohesion of the village, divisive as this deer killing plan has already proven to be, pitting neighbor against neighbor. And that's not even mentioning the horror this will bring to the deer who have done nothing wrong except be deer and do what deer do. They are gentle, graceful, affectionate beings who form associations with each other as well as with us. They don't deserve to be gunned down in cold blood because three dozen or so Cayuga Heights residents don't like them.
The so-called "public" hearing on the deer plan that the Cayuga Heights trustees, who are unanimously in favor of killing the deer, held was manipulated in favor of deer killing. The wife of trustee David Donner as well as trustee Bea Szekely took names as people arrived, also asking if you lived in Cayuga Heights or not. Those giving public comments were then hand-picked, regardless of their order of arrival or place of residence, to speak. Thus, many who were in favor of alternatives to killing the deer, and who had arrived early, had to leave for various reasons before they were called on to speak, some because they were there with their children. The stories those in favor of killing the deer told of violent deer, fear of deer, massive numbers of deer while walking dogs, deer being stuck on the sidewalks if fences go up, and starving because there's no food on the sidewalks where they are stuck (truth, a woman did say this) were nothing more than ludicrous. There were also no-parking signs along all the side streets surrounding the Cayuga Heights Elementary School where the deer "public" hearing was held, thus shutting out many. Yet, when the school holds events for its own student body, there are not any no-parking signs along the side streets. Interestingly, during the course of the deer "public" hearing, the no-parking signs were removed.
Kate Supron, who consistently uses such pseudo-euphemistic terms as "remediation" and "culling" when referring to killing the deer, has already dismissed each and every alternative and opinion outside her own, and will utilize anything, however factually inaccurate, glossed over, distorted, exaggerated or special interest, to try and rationalize her plan (case in point, recorded Jan. 13, 2010: 67.72.16.166/whcu/2158709.mp3). She wants the deer dead, she wants to bring in snipers to kill them (in violation of the village's own gun ordinance), and she has stated that maintenance (continued killing) will be necessary for an indefinite number of years. She's myopic about the fact that what she proposes will have no effect whatsoever. Unless she intends to turn Cayuga Heights into a gated community, for every deer she kills or subjects to sterilization surgery, another will come in. Once in office, regardless of the sound bites she may use to filter it otherwise while running, she will actively pursue this close-minded, one-track, ineffective course, and will use whatever behind-closed-doors methods she can get away with to make it happen. Remember, she was put into her present trustee position as an appointee rather than as someone elected by the constituency she is supposed to represent, another indication of her ethics.
She, as well as the other current trustees, also intend to more strictly enforce the fencing ordinance in Cayuga Heights, with corresponding harsher penalties for being out of compliance. Supron, the other trustees, and their three dozen or so supporters, would rather shoot the deer than be flexible about fencing.
The Cayuga Heights trustee election announcements came in very close to the deadlines for filing, but here they are:
Positions open: Mayor (2-year term), 3 Trustees (2-year term), 1 Trustee (1-year term, which is the balance of appointed trustee Kate Supron's seat).
For candidates: The dates for filing, with the Tompkins County Board of Elections, independent nominating petitions are Feb. 2-9. If you have questions, you can call the Board of Elections at (607) 274-5522 or (607) 274-5533. Its office is located at 128 E. Buffalo St., and open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its Web site is www.tompkins-co.org/boe.
For voters: The last day to register to vote is March 5, last day to apply for an absentee ballot is March 9, and last day to deliver an absentee ballot to the Board of Elections is March 15.
I live just outside the Cayuga Heights border, so am not able to run for office, but I ask that Cayuga Heights residents rally and put people in office who have a reasonable and representative rather than an uncompromising and deceptive approach to governance.
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 | Reader Comments
| |  | | Posted: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Article comment by:
cayugamuse
"it will also negatively affect property values, (and) the ability of villagers to sell their homes expeditiously..." I'm wondering when all those property holders on the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees will realize the impact the deer-killing will have on their own assets? " I've been saying this for over a year. I even e-mailed all of the trustees about it-none of them even acknowledged receipt of my e-mail! I also advised the 'save the deer' group that they need to start focusing more the the money issue and less of 'we love Bambi'-even though I love Bambi, too, money talks and Bambi doesn't. I'm glad someone is bringing out the money/home sales/assets issue. And remember, the 5% increase in CH taxes, just to kill the deer. But as I understand it, if Supron is running for mayor unopposed, then the end of life in CH as we know it (for deer and humans) is imminent! I considered moving to CH, but all because of this issue, I'm staying in Village of Lansing.
| | | | Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Article comment by:
Catherine Lisa Stein
I live in Cayuga Heights and am opposed to baiting and sharp-shooting deer for many reasons -- ethical, personal, and environmental, as well as financial.
If this horrifying plan is put into place, I am afraid I will have to sell my house and move somewhere else in the Ithaca area.
But I'd better do it fast!
Because, as Mr. Louer points out: "Not only will this deer killing plan negatively impact the safety of the village, it will also negatively affect property values, (and) the ability of villagers to sell their homes expeditiously..."
I'm wondering when all those property holders on the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees will realize the impact the deer-killing will have on their own assets?
| | | | Posted: Monday, February 08, 2010
Article comment by:
Diane Bozzelli
Excellent article. Thank you for getting this information out to people. We need to inform the Heights residents as much as possible, in the hopes they'll do the right thing.
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