I refuse to give Mr. Steffan the satisfaction of responding to his insulting remarks made about me in last week’s Record. What I will do is describe my motives and supposed agenda.

I am concerned about fair and equal treatment for every citizen on the Island and the country for that matter. Self appointed legislators (advisory hoards) claim that creating new laws, changing old laws, applying restrictions, and trying to enact policy changes is all for the good of the majority. Truth is, often times changes in laws and added restrictions and policies that infringe upon one person’s rights to further another ones agenda is unethical and unconstitutional. This practice is becoming more and more frequent here and all over the country. In less than a year’s time, $500,000 dollars will have been spent on the purchase of wetlands and green space. This exploitation of taxpayers money only satisfies a small segment of this population. I think something more creative could have been done with taxpayer dollars. The youth are the next leaders of this community, and, it seems, all they will inherit is more wetlands to separate them from their community, and dying businesses.

Thousands of people leave here every day to work in the city. When they come home, they enter another world, away from the hustle and bustle. It’s relaxing and they feel safe. But (there’s always a but) those same people would like to stay here and shop, go to a movie or visit some quaint shops. There is nothing for them here on the Island - no pool, no recreation center, no movie theater, no shopping opportunities. Instead we fight the traffic to go to Amherst, Buffalo or Niagara Falls.

Every time there is a possibility for a project here, members of Quality Quest stand up at meetings and cry about the lack of green space. Then restrictions start piling up including setbacks, parking spots, green space etc. No sewer down Grand Island Blvd.? Sorry you’ll have to install a $25,000 septic system. The cost is driven up as to make it too expensive to do any project.

What we have here is a senior center at the other end of the Island, a town garage in the center of town, Reality Cafe out there and Veterans Park over here. The planning is poor at best. The building, engineering, zoning and planning departments seem to be an entity of their own. They have hit men running around the island just looking for someone who is in violation’ of one the many intrusive codes that infringe upon our liberties.

People have been waiting for rezoning for six or seven years, unable to do anything with their land, but still pay taxes on it. Then, there are complaints about spot zoning.’ As far as any myths about taxes, purchasing anything with tax dollars drives taxes up, that’s common sense. We don’t see taxes going down because of these land purchases.

We live on an island with no public access to the water, and that’s amazing to me. Quality Quest and the Conservation Commission apparently want to keep the money in the Trust and Agency Fund all to themselves. This money belongs in the hands of the recreation department to be used for recreation, not wetlands. I have been pushing to have this law changed, and they are upset with me. Tom Burke commended my efforts in trying to stop the purchase, then filed an action in court the next day naming me in the case. I can assure you, Tom, I will not be donning my binoculars too soon, but will leave the bird watching to you.

I did call the NYS Comptrollers office and have sent on a package to the Dept. of Municipal Affairs concerning the 206 acres of land that was purchased for wetlands. We’ll all find out if this was proper use of Trust & Agency Fund monies. I have voiced my disgust with Sam Hoyt about the newest land purchase, the last 27 acres of land on East River. It’s time to call off the attack dogs. I am not going away. I guess I just won’t count on your vote, Mr. Steffan, if I decide to run for office next year.