Letters to the Editor October 14

Awe-inspiring acts by town selectmen

I was sitting on my porch the other day with a couple of friends, enjoying the warm weather. November elections came up in the conversation, and we talked a little about local politics.

Because I am a new member of the board of the Winchester Land Trust (WLT), my friend John asked me about the confusion surrounding the grant awarded to the trust by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which was to be used to purchase a conservation easement for land surrounding our local reservoir, Crystal Lake.

Although the selectmen had previously indicated their support for WLT’s application for this grant, they (three Republicans and one Democrat) later rejected it and chose not to accept the grant and protect the land in question subject to the stipulations of the DEEP. One of these stipulations was that there be public access to the protected land, which could be as little as one guided hike per year.

As we recalled the events leading up to the selectmen’s vote, John, who is a little excitable, became increasingly outraged and asked me why I did not share his anger. The decision not to accept the grant was much more nuanced that it appears, I told him, and the selectmen may very well have made the right decision.

I remember attending a selectmen’s meeting last spring, hoping for a positive vote so the process could move forward. I was certain that the selectmen would approve the grant acceptance. After all, it would mean over $400,000 in the town coffers and the land to be protected was watershed for our reservoir — who wouldn’t want to protect that?

Fortunately people with sharper minds than my own sit on the Board of Selectmen, and they were able to discern the potential problems associated with accepting the grant.

I am still a little awed by the vigilance of Selectwoman Karen Beadle. She pointed out that, should we approve the grant and comply with the requirement set forth by the DEEP that there be limited public access to the land, there would be a danger that a terrorist could use this as an opportunity to contaminate our water supply.

I have to admit, I had thought a great deal about the pros and cons of this grant, and terrorism never even entered my mind. I sat there, eyes closed, and imagined how a seemingly innocent hiker might surreptitiously remove a drum of poison from his backpack and empty it into our drinking water. I asked myself, should we run this risk for a little more than $400,000?

Of course there were other objections as well. I think it was Lisa Smith who pointed out the futility of accepting money from the state because there was a high likelihood that, should the funds go into the town’s General Fund, somehow the Board of Education would get their hands on it and waste it on the schools.

I thought this comment was a little surprising coming from someone with five children in the school system, but since my kids are grown and gone, her concern struck a sympathetic chord with me and I silently congratulated her on her insight.

After I recounted all of this to my friends, Charlie, who is a cynic if there ever was one, told me everything I said was bollocks. The real reason the five selectmen voted against the grant, he said, was they were influenced by two Republican benefactors, both of whom are running for office this fall. These two candidates, Marsha Sterling and James Roberts, are rumored to have a vendetta against the land trust and are determined to thwart their efforts whenever possible.

Not possible, I told him. I admitted I was aware of their hostility, but it’s a free country, and people are entitled to harbor their animosities and nurse their grudges. I have no idea where the anger comes from, although I find it puzzling considering the Winchester Land Trust paid a handsome sum to preserve a large tract of land a stone’s throw from their house.

But regardless of all that, I told Charlie, if what you are saying were to be true, that would mean that some of our highest elected officers put the personal agenda of two citizens ahead of the best interests of the town. That simply couldn’t happen, I told him, not here, not in Winsted.

As further evidence of the rectitude of Ms. Sterling and Mr. Roberts, I informed Charlie that they had, at considerable expense to themselves, hired an out-of-town law firm to scrutinize the grant application, the Town Charter, the minutes of the selectmen’s meetings and the tax records of the Winchester Land Trust.

After this thorough examination, the lawyers were able to give our selectmen their clearly unbiased opinion why they should not and could not approve the acceptance of the grant. Such vigilance is rare, and we are indeed fortunate to have citizens among us who possess it in such ample quantities and, when necessary, are willing and able to buy more.

I also told Charlie about the town meeting held last spring after the grant had been rejected. Nearly everyone there was incensed about the Board of Selectmen’s decision, but James Roberts was brave enough to stand and tell us why it was the right choice.

Perhaps drawing upon knowledge and wisdom acquired during his sojourn on Wall Street, James explained that the town would be getting mere pennies on the dollar by selling the development rights to the waterfront acreage on our reservoir. This would not be a good deal for the town, James told us, because at some time in the future we might wish to develop or sell this land for considerably more than the $400,000 that was rejected.

I remember listening to this and how shaken my confidence in my own judgment had become. Not only had I missed the obvious terrorism threat and the likelihood that any grant monies would merely be wasted, but now I discovered I had overlooked completely the possibility that at some point in the future we would no longer need to protect our drinking water.

Once I explained all of this, John calmed down and even Charlie came around to my opinion. The sun was setting, so we poured ourselves a beer and promised to reward the Republican Party next month for their good judgment.