In today's Ithaca Journal, the lead editorial, "Dryden's Controversies" hopes that the new Republican supervisor and board members will "will enjoy success in bringing Dryden residents together and moving their town beyond the divisiveness that seemed to dominate politics this year."
That's a nice sentiment, but the Journal seems determined to forget that there are real issues in Dryden. The volunteer fire department issues aren't likely to go away as population patterns change, the cost of equipment increases, and fire taxes leap from $1.31 per thousand dollars of assessment to $1.57. I do expect that the town board will be able to bring itself together now that its supervisor, councilmen, and lawyer are all on the same page, but I'm not sure that reflects the town coming together in any substantial way.
There's some cause for hope. Marty Christofferson waxed enthusiastic about sidewalks in Varna during the debate at the Varna Community Center, and I hope he pushes forward on that. Maybe the Town Board can address the issues raised over the last few years with the fire departments in an open and equitable way. Maybe the Town plan that's been in the works might reflect the value of building stable communities rather than giving developers license to drop dense apartment complexes in areas where they make the road infrastructure and drainage a mess even if the water and sewer are there.
The Journal's opinion that the school controversy should be laid to rest is also a strange contrast with yesterday's reporting, which seemed to emphasize old wounds to the maximum extent possible.
The Journal could do worse, of course. At least we didn't get the Enfield treatment, which through all the nice words basically suggests that whatever the campaign shenanigans, the Democrats are the party that needs to rethink its message.
Both the Dryden and Enfield board comments also make odd contrasts with their endorsements before the elections.
Oh well. It's a Gannett paper, part of a chain renowned for appealing to those it sees as having power. It's what we've got here, and it's not likely to change.
Posted by simonstl at November 20, 2003 08:38 AM