Getting involved in Greenwich

The public access on Church St. Ext. in Byram is finished.  There’s going to be a dedication ceremony in May.  Here’s some pictures of the finished product

 Barry Montgomery has filed a lawsuit because he doesn’t like the Cos Cob power plant park plan.  In many ways, this lawsuit is more offensive than the beach lawsuits.  At least in those cases, the plaintiff’s had an argument and there were others that felt the same way.  This park site has gone through extensive debate and has had tons of public input.  But that’s not enough for Barry; HE has decided HE doesn’t want this plan, so he’s suing. 

 It’s ridiculous.  Let’s look closer at what he said in the Greenwich Time article (see it here).  Quotes from the article are in italics. 

 “I want to stop this. This is too dangerous for kids here,”

 Radiation emissions from cell phone antennas on three towers near the site pose a health threat, Montgomery said.

 “There are cell towers here beside where the field is going to be. The town is violating its own 1,500 square feet,”

 Well, if it’s too dangerous for kids then I suppose their parents can keep them away.  Why is it Barry Montgomery’s business?  The 1,500 foot rule is for SCHOOLS, where kids are required to sit, all day every day.  A park, where they might play for a couple of hours, is different and not covered in the RTM resolution.  Finally, the RTM resolution was a sense of the meeting resolution, not an ordinance or law.  Barry Montgomery is obviously not well-informed.

 Though Montgomery isn’t opposed to the site being a park, he said it should be developed as little as possible and there should be no playing field.

 “If people want to walk around, they do it at their own risk; it’s not the same as children standing in the (soccer) field,” he said.

 “I think the town of Greenwich has intimidated their agencies not to look at it and it’s like the emperor’s clothes — they dare not say anything, they dare not object,” he said.

 Again, why should anyone care what Barry Montgomery thinks should be done with the site?  And I’d love to know how he intends to show that Greenwich’s boards were intimidated.  That’s hilarious to anyone who knows how the boards in Greenwich operate.  This sounds like the rantings of a lunatic. 

 He’s open to compromising with the town, but only if officials agree to remove the soccer field and the seawall from the plan.

 “I want court-supervised mediation — get to negotiate what they do and not do,” Montogomery said. “I would like to see the ballpark removed. I would like to see the seawall removed and leave the park in a more natural state.”

 Who cares what you want Mr. Montgomery?  Just because you have the means to file a lawsuit doesn’t mean you get to dictate, or have any say, in what the Town does.  You get your say the way every other citizen get’s theirs: at public meetings and by writing letters to officials.

 “I am the only person in town who seems to be (excited about) the development; everybody else just spoke about lights, he said”

 This last quote really sums it up, he is the only person and that’s why this lawsuit is ridiculous.  The Town is doing what the majority of people want.  This guy should just get lost and stop wasting the Town’s money on lawsuits.  I wonder why his brother is encouraging him, you’d think he would counsel him against making a fool of himself.

 I really hope that no one in Town gives this guy even a meeting on the subject, and we certainly shouldn’t consider negotiating any compromise with him.

 Yes, I’m really annoyed about this lawsuit.

How sad is the news about Bernie Yudain’s passing.  I can only share a couple of personal remembrances. The first is that it was he, and Pike Johnson, who inspired me to do this blog about Greenwich local issues.  And if I am so lucky that

Bernie Yudain (from Greenwich Time's article)

someone notices any style similarities between my and Bernie’s writing, it’s no accident.  I’ve tried to copy his style in this blog and even in some of my lighter letters to the editor.  His was the best column I’ve ever followed, and certainly the one I’ve followed longest.  I hope the Greenwich Time can find someone good to take his place, even though I’m sure he won’t be matched, ever.

One story I recall with moderate pride was when he wrote a column that included some controversial words.  In the next column, he lamented all the letters he received about it and suggested that he didn’t quite understand the uproar.  I wrote him a note dissecting the sentences in question, explaining why people might be offended, and finally suggesting wording that would have made the point without offending.  He wrote back to me that he understood and that I should consider pursuing a career as a newspaper editor – I had a good understanding of language and avoiding misinterpretation.  Now I didn’t correspond with him enough to know if he was someone who over-generously heaped praise, but I recall being absolutely thrilled to read those words from Bernie Yudain.

So thanks Bernie for that, and for all those wonderful columns I couldn’t wait to read.  I look forward to reading your column about goings-on and politics in Heaven.

Qué triste es la noticia de la muerte de Bernie Yudain. Sólo puedo compartir un par de memorias personales. La primera es que fue él, y Pike Johnson, quienes me inspiraron a hacer este blog sobre los asuntos locales de Greenwich. Y si tengo tanta suerte que alguien note algún estilo en común entre el estilo de escribir de Bernie y mío, no es un accidente. He trato de copiar su estilo en este blog y hasta en algunas de mis cartas al editor. La suya fue la mejor columna que he seguido, y ciertamente la que he seguido más. Espero que el Greenwich Time pueda encontrar a alguien bueno que ocupe su lugar, aunque no creo que pueda ser comparado, nunca.

Una historia que recuerdo con orgullo fue cuando él escribió una columna que incluía algunas palabras controversiales. En la siguiente columna el lamentó todas las cartas que recibió sobre ella y sugirió que no entendía el escándalo. Le escribí una nota disecando las oraciones en preguntas, explicando por qué las personas pudieran estar ofendidas, y finalmente sugiriendo una organización de palabras que hubiese explicado su punto sin ofender. Él me volvió a escribir que entendía y que tal vez debía considerar una carrera como editor de un periódico- tenía un buen entendimiento de palabras y de evitar malinterpretaciones. No correspondía con él para saber si él era alguien que elogiaba con exceso de generosidad, pero recuerdo estar absolutamente emocionado por esas palabras de Bernie Yudain.

Así que gracias Bernie por eso, y por todas esas maravillosas columnas que no puedo esperar leer. Espero con ansias leer tus columnas sobre los aconteceres y la política en el cielo.