First of all there was a good turnout of citizens. I would suggest maybe 75-100 although that is strictly a guess. Secondly I met a number of local friends and acquaintances and chatted with them as well as with a couple of candidates prior to the start of the meeting. All good. Less good was the question format. 95% of the questions came from the Lions Club. O.K. maybe they organized the event but their questions were only barely illuminating of the candidates positions. Very few of the questions were much more than fluff. Flowers and trees in the downtown are not the biggest issues. Only two candidates even mentioned the contaminated Elmira Aquifers and that is all they did (i.e. mention them). One candidate mentioned the Elmira BY-Pass (again mentioned only). One candidate mentioned the proposed truck parking lot beside Bolender Park and the Splashpad. Nobody at all mentioned the shame and disaster of Hawkridge Homes residential subdivision quietly getting the green light across the road from the former Uniroyal Chemical (now Lanxess) and from Sulco.
There were maybe three or four written questions allegedly from the floor at the very end. Absolutely no hands in the air to ask questions were allowed. I'm sorry but this meeting was way too far controlled and the questions way too much manipulated and selective and screened probably to avoid serious discussion or debate. Not good enough.
No Meat and no potatoes - only CRICKETS on the menu. Not even a Lame Duck. There will be just more of the same and probably worst. "They" say by 2030 we will own nothing and be happy. Happy "Great Reset" readers. Beware tho that some of us will just say NO to anything that has to do with it!
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