Getting involved in Greenwich

 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.