Letter To The Editor – Legal Doesn’t Mean Right

To the Editor:
At recent Grafton Town Board meetings (not the most recent however) there has been much mention of conflicts within our Town government. Some members of the Town Board have publicly dismissed these concerns as political grandstanding or characterized those voicing concerns as political operatives.
As an example, Grafton has a code enforcement officer who is the building inspector, who is the Chairperson of the Planning Board and who is a local contractor. While taxpayers have been assured there is no legal conflict, if you  were a contractor conducting business in our Town, you might see it differently. LEGAL doesn’t mean RIGHT.
Wherever you come down on that particular example, is it not reasonable to at least consider it? Councilpeople are elected to represent all the residents of our Town and expected to think and act independently from one another. I believe they are to consider the issues of our Town, some of which are controversial and complex, and then vote their conscience  for the betterment of the residents. Yet I rarely see votes that don’t closely follow party lines. Is it political grandstanding to wonder out loud where Board members’ allegiances lie?
We are all fallible human beings. Blind loyalty to a political party, a person or ideology is not representation! Neither the Republicans or the Democrats have all the answers. Does this mind-set make one an operative? The residents’ needs must come first. The preliminary budget of 2011 clearly indicated that those in or near the nucleus of Town government were the priority. The Table of Economies has shifted against small rural towns like ours. Having our own this and our own that will be changing very soon. We need leadership to represent the common citizen, not the interests of government, as we go through this time of transition. As a lifelong resident recently wrote in a preceding letter to the editor, November will be here soon. My hope is that whether I get new representatives or not, I get new representation.
Sincerely
Richard Bly
Kautz Hollow Road, Grafton