Dear Editor,
I am writing about the Town of New Lebanon vs. Robert Mittnight. The Mittnight property is not now, and never has been, a junkyard. The mere handful of vehicles that were on the property five years ago when this all began, have been gone a long time. All that remains are the two dump trucks Bob uses daily in his work, one spare car, and one tractor trailer box, all of which are legally registered.
The materials on the property are primarily scrap metal pieces used in Bob’s welding work, tools and machinery and mulch used in his excavation work, and various types of lumber intended for the improvements planned for Bob’s storage sheds. There are NO toxic materials, NO noise and NO odors. Bob has complied with every request from the Town by removing the old vehicles and appliances, stopping the firewood processing and removing that equipment and building a blind fence that blocks the property from view of Route 20.
The front third of the property that meets Route 20 is planted each year with rotating crops of oats and field corn, and the same is true for the rear third of the property. What is unsightly about that? The Town has harassed and tormented this man for five years without ceasing, hauling him into court, fining him, forcing him to hire lawyers he cannot afford and even jailed him for 15 days! This is a man that is physically handicapped, having severed an arm with a chainsaw and now has use of only one arm. He does what he can to survive and pay his bills and asks nothing of anyone. He is a kind, generous person and minds his own business.
Bob has made a Herculean effort to comply with the Town’s petty requests, yet the Town is NEVER satisfied. It is NEVER enough! They now are objecting to his homemade storage sheds and told Bob to build a storage barn and eliminate the sheds. So, Bob applied for the necessary permits to build the barn. The Town denied his application citing the reason as “Too Many Violations.” Is this not a Catch-22? Three more times, Bob applied at a cost of $40 per application and was denied each time. What’s with THAT?!
Now let’s talk about the New Lebanon Zoning Officer, Stanley Koloski. Not only does he serve numerous towns in Columbia County, but he has been an employee of the Town of New Lebanon for five years. According to the By-Laws of this town, non-residents could not be employed by the Town, and Mr. Koloski is NOT a resident of New Lebanon. On March 10, 2008, the By-Laws were amended to allow for non-residents to be employed by the Town, but Mr. Koloski had been employed here for four years against the original law! So, the residents have to obey the laws, but the Town does NOT?
Seems to me, that any and all cases handled by him previous to the amendment, should be null and void, and all fees and fines reimbursed to residents by the Town. I also feel that Bob Mittnight has a strong case for False Imprisonment and Harassment against the Town of New Lebanon.
Just what is REALLY behind the Bob Mittnight saga? There are strong rumors. Let me emphasize the word rumors. It has been said that the property, being a full 15 acres in a desirable location, is coveted by the State of NY as a future site for a State Police Barracks. There are also others with the influence and financial means who covet this land, but I, of course, cannot name names. So the plan is to wear Bob down emotionally and financially until he can fight this no more, take his property and do with it what they wish.
Well, those involved need to know this; Bob’s case is in Appellate Court. It is NOT over, and his advocates and supporters are MANY. The torment of this good man and the theft of his goods and property will NOT stand! We are informed and ready to fight. This is a horrendous miscarriage of justice, abuse of power and good ole boy politics.
New Lebanon Town Supervisor Margaret Robertson has ignored all attempts to contact her. Perhaps she is too busy looking at road ruts caused by the recent flooding, or maybe the recent “ETHICS” committee meetings are keeping her tied up. Ethics indeed; this Town Board seems pretty short on ethics! What about one of the other Zoning Violators in town who owns multiple properties along Route 20 that are all eyesores? His properties are all too small for their purposes anyway, they want Bob’s land.
We feel that any reporter or paper that publishes the Town’s side of the story, should have the integrity to interview Bob and his advocates for the “Rest of the Story.”
Sincerely,
Joanna Johnson-Smith
New Lebanon
Editor’s Response: In her last paragraph this letter writer must be referring to another newspaper with circulation in New Lebanon. We have not covered this story except for a brief mention of a Town Board action in our August Town Board coverage.