MORE ON WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP'S NON-SUPPORT OF CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS

Yesterday's Elmira Independent carrys this story by Gail Martin "Woolwich Township rejects funding for biogas committee". A delegation to Woolwich Council from the Woolwich Bio-En Citizens Liason Committee (CLC) asked Woolwich Council for matching funds for peer reviews of technical documents that may arise in the future. This citizens committee was mandated by the Environmental Review Tribunal after these local citizens put their time and money on the line to protect themselves and all of Elmira from possible negative effects of having a biogas facility within Elmira and very near residential areas.

A week ago I posted here that the story in the Woolwich Observer stated that Woolwich Council turned down providing any money at all to this CLC because they weren't a committee of council. As the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) was raised as an example of a committee of council it appeared in the Observer article that council were inferring that CPAC were getting money from council. I was appropriately upset by this erroneous inference hence the title of my posting "Are Woolwich Council being a tad hypocritical?"

Yesterday's story indicates that council's concern is one of both fairness and control. It wouldn't be fair to be cheap and miserly to CPAC and then give money to the Bio-En CLC. Further as was mentioned in Bob Jonkman's website (Stop the Stink) the other issue is control. Dave Brenneman, CAO of Woolwich, refers to it as council not having "...any influence on who and what our money is being used for." In other words control. I certainly hope that Dave's reference to "our money" doesn't mean council's money but instead refers to Woolwich citizens' money. To put it very bluntly this council may be in charge of Woolwich expenditures but that certainly doesn't mean they are either qualified or knowledgable about what they are doing. That being said, to their shame, past councils have behaved equally badly or worse. Their support of their own committee has been based on total control through their past Chair Pat McLean. They have not financially supported CPAC via peer reviews unless again they were in total control of the peer review through their Chair.

This Council made a major positive step in supporting CPAC's groundbreaking Resolution over a year and a half ago. Their half ways subtle removal of the old CPAC was also a huge positive step. Their financial non-support as well as their interference into CPAC's choice of new members (moi) is troubling. Will the real Woolwich Council please step forward.