To the Editor:

We invite the residents of Berne to attend an important town board meeting on Wednesday, March 11, at 6:45 p.m at the senior center. In case you haven’t noticed, the Berne Town Board has recently begun to dismantle years of hard work and community involvement with no apparent organizing principle other than the politics of resentment.

The board’s actions can only be described as mean-spirited.

Here’s just a sample of what the politics of resentment have achieved so far this year:

— 1. The entire volunteer advisory board of Switzkill Farm is set to be disbanded and had been forbidden to meet. This is the advisory board that has sponsored and run the spectacular Boo Bash, Earth Day celebrations, Winter Fest, a Bio Blitz, and numerous workshops for the public;

— A sitting member of the planning board was illegally fired to create a vacancy on that board. The town board used that vacancy to appoint a disbarred judge — who was convicted and jailed for extortion and bribery — as chairperson of the planning board!

That move has resulted in litigation being commenced against the town challenging the legality of that act;

— 3. The town’s dog-control officer — who has served the town faithfully for 13 years without complaint and with high praise — was summarily fired and the town board hired someone with virtually no experience to replace her.

The town board is now in the process of building dog kennels in the middle of our beautiful Switzkill Farm, a wholly unnecessary expense because the newly appointed dog-control officer lacked those facilities; and

— 4. Incredibly, notices of public hearings are no longer placed in The Altamont Enterprise, making it difficult for our residents to be apprised of upcoming important hearings such as the one now scheduled for March 11.

The upcoming hearing will address the issue of hydrofracking, which the town’s comprehensive plan, enacted in 2017, recommends against as well as state policy that forbids hydrofracking in New York.

Why? 

No explanation! You need to be there!

The above items are only a few of the many maligning and mean-spirited actions being undertaken by the presently constituted town board. 

If you are offended by these actions please speak up now! Attend the town board meeting on March 11. Tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. Write. Call. Use social media.

We —   — will be sending periodic updates. Please stay tuned; it’s vitally important to the future of our town.

Richard J. Ronconi

Spokesperson

Berne Watch

Editor’s note: Berne Watch, said Richard Ronconi, was formed by a group of Berne citizens who were upset with actions taken by the town board that was installed on Jan. 1, 2020.

On the dog kennels at Switzkill farm, Berne Supervisor Sean Lyons responded, “We are not building anything new except maybe some fencing.”