LETTER: Hargrove, Kevlin Seek To Advance Personal Agend

To the Editor,
Over the past several years I have become accustomed to the biased opinions and inaccurate facts frequently expressed by Mr. Hargrove and Mr. Kevlin on the editorial page of The Freeman’s Journal.
In my opinion, both Mr. Hargrove and Mr. Kevlin went too far in the March 3 publication by distorting or omitting significant facts in regards to the Gateway project, the paid-parking debate, and the important issue of hydrofracking in our region in order to advance their personal and political agenda.
In regards to the gateway project, Mr. Hargrove states that the current trustees “have solved an eight-year fiasco orchestrated by the Democratic party.” The facts are that during the previous eight years we had a Republican Mayor and a politically balanced group of village trustees.
To anyone who has followed this issue, it was very clear that concessions, by several involved groups, were going to have to be made for this project to proceed to the next phase.
As would be expected, these groups waited until close to the deadline to make concessions in order to get the best possible benefit for their respective organizations.
To imply that one political group caused this process to drag on so long is completely inaccurate and misleading. If anything, the communication between groups became more confrontational and divided during the past year.
In regards to paid parking, Mr. Kevlin states that “at the time and in retrospect, it was a mistake to take that vote that night” because it showed “arrogance in the face of public opinion.”
Mr. Kevlin fails to mention that over 20 other public meetings had occurred during the previous months to discuss paid parking in the village prior to the trustees taking this vote. During most of these meetings, the majority of village residents in attendance supported the paid-parking plan.
Most important, Mr. Kevlin fails to mention that paid parking at the Doubleday lot has clearly been a success and is probably one of the reasons that village taxes did not increase last year.
Just this year, the current trustees voted down the possibility of expanding paid parking to Main and Pioneer streets immediately after the one and only public meeting about this issue, despite public comments that were evenly split.
To me, this vote seems far more arrogant and self-serving and possibly goes against the wishes of a majority of the village residents.
Lastly, the issue of natural-gas drilling in the region is clearly a village issue. In the recent past, village trustees voted not to sell water to a drilling company. Future laws and votes to safeguard our village from potential problems related to drilling – polluted air and water, traffic through the village, decreased property values, and other public safety issues – will likely be needed in the very near future.
Public maps available on the Internet show extensive amounts of leased land along Routes 33 and 166. Drilling in these areas will affect many businesses both inside and outside the village as noted by the article appearing in the Feb. 17 issue of The Freeman’s Journal.
Bassett and other larger employers might struggle with recruitment and retention. Ommegang, the Middlefield Orchard and farmers in the area that rely on the clean environment in our region might leave. Tourism might decrease significantly, affecting the downtown businesses. If the village trustees are not proactive about trying to minimize damage to our region from drilling, the consequences might be severe for the village.
JOHN DEWEY
Cooperstown