byte&chew

Looking foolish again

Yesterday I received a call from a friend who had attended a meeting at the T&C on Thursday night. The meeting turned out to be the Coos Economic Development (CEDC) Annual Meeting and I understand that there were some 50 to 60 people. First, I must say that the meeting was a pretty well kept secret because I never saw any news items about it in the local papers. Upon checking with CEDC I was told that invitations were sent out to a lot of people and to all the political types in the North Country. My buddy tells me that this was the most informative meeting he ever attended on the issue of energy and, that the invited speakers were from a wide range of backgrounds including PSNH who spoke about the High Voltage line of Canadian Power from Quebec to the Noble Wind Farm, to Clean Power Development, to the County Forester who spoke about the availability of wood biomass. These types of meetings take place quite often, sometime it's strictly about one subject or one issue and, those issues can also have a wide range from health-care to economics. To the point of this post. What was remarkable about Thursday's meeting I'm told, was not who attended, but who almost never attend these instructional meetings, our elected officials. I'm told that there was 2 to 3 State Representatives at the meeting, but absent was Senator Gallus, any of the 3 County Commissioners which include Mayor Elect Grenier. Why you might ask is that so important? For one thing I had just read where the County Commissioners voted to cut their financial support ($50K) to CEDC, this is the second year in a row they attempt to cut the support. Their claim is that the organization and it's Director are not doing enough for economic development. Sound familiar?  Isn't that the same line used by Grenier and Danderson during the elections in Berlin about the same issue.  I also question in what manner many of our elected officials inform themselves about the issues that they will be asked to vote on/decide?  These same County Commissioners are also trying to throw a monkey wrench in the Branding effort that's been going on for a couple years.  I understand the commissioners never attended any of the dozens of meetings that took place all over the County and, Commissioner Brady (who has a big conflict on his hands) is upset that his family's Six Gun City was not picked as a "Grand Place". (Sorry Mr. Brady, I've been to your place and it ain't grand) How long are the people of the North Country going to support those who govern by ignorance and arrogance?  Berlin is again on the verge of entering the dark ages of bully politics by Grenier and Danderson. If they really understood the challenges of the local economy and reflected on possible solutions, do you think they would have run a campaign of JOBS, JOBS?  I agree that we need jobs, but yelling "JOBS" from the roof tops won't bring jobs. Of course if you don't have a plan of your own and have no clue as to what the answer may be, you first blame someone else, then you high-jack somebody's else's rhetoric like Laidlaw's promised 40 jobs. Could it be that if Mr.Grenier, Danderson and Rozek would have been at Thursday's meeting they might have learned something? Do you think they want to know what the facts are?  Are they capable of understanding the complexities of the issues? You'd think that they would at least give it a try! Is this another case of the old saying; "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up". Governance through ignorance is not very productive. Slogans instead of informed discussions and plans is what the last election produced in Berlin. Thank God for the remaining folks on the council who will have to carry the burden of not making us look too foolish (again) in the eyes of the State.

A reality check

I know I've written in the past about the human tendency to look at issues within a narrow perspective and prejudice, but the political rhetoric flying around Berlin since the elections is......near insane. The pro Laidlaw force who see the election of Paul Grenier as "proof" that the project is supported by the majority of the residents or that, the mayor elect is the guarantee that now, the Laidlaw project is a shoo-in, are examples of the closed minded thought process of some. The truth is that again and unfortunately, the result of the elections was determined by those who didn't vote, those 60% or so folks who I believe either don't give a damn or have given up on the political process. Now of the 40% who voted, only a small majority supported Mr.Grenier, so you do the math, this wasn't an overwhelming win or mandate, this was a whimper. When at best only about 30% of a community support something, you don't call that a landslide! Now let's examine what the election of the 3 Laidlaw clones can actually deliver. Having watched this council pretty closely for almost 2 years, I can't imagine councilors McCue, Cayer, Poulin, Landry or Evans  do an about face on significant issues. Notice I left out Lucy Remeillard since I'm not sure how she arrives at a position on issues since she's changed her mind about things like Laidlaw. For those who believed that Mayor Bertrand was influenced by Steve Griffin, well, Mr.Griffin's turnabout on Laidlaw didn't seem to impact Bertrand's thinking. On the other hand, I have to wonder how much influence Senator Gallus has on Lucy???????   Back to the false notion that Laidlaw now has a welcoming community in Berlin, think again clones. Clones, your inside boys you helped elect don't have a majority and if they propose things that don't make sense like firing the lawyer representing the City in the EFSEC process, "they ain't going to get too far". Getting rid of legal counsel is the biggest of the dumdum ideas suggested by Grenier. Think about it, even Mr.Bartoszek said that it was a good move by Berlin, and that man knows moves! The other reality that will come to roost on "The Clones 3" heads are the facts about the Laidlaw project. What did the posters say......JOBS?  When you add all of the issues and challenges that we know about, (which is probably only half of them) which Laidlaw faces, we're talking about 3 to 5 years before they're resolved. So how many of you non-clones think that the dumdum promise of JOBS will fly in the elections 2 years from now? By then we'll have a much better idea if Mr.Bartoszek can pull-off his coup-detat called Laidlaw Biopower Berlin. You see, I haven't ruled out that he'll be successful since I've seen other projects that were "long shots" become reality. Once you combine politics and corporate greed you never know what the outcome may be. The product of incest is unknown during the commission of the act.

Sorry, we have opinions!

I was of the opinion that the traffic on this blog was going to drop after the municipal elections in Berlin, but I was very mistaken. Hits have been running  600 to 800 per day all week and many new people have joined the commentators including Mr. Michael Bartoszek CEO of Laidlaw Energy, welcome y'all.  I don't understand why someone of Mr. Bartoszek's stature would bother with or care about what is being said about him or his project on an obscure blog, it escapes me. Most of what is said here should be taken with a grain of salt since it's personal opinions and, the last time I checked it was still legal to express personal opinions. On the question of libel, it's my understanding that one can be found libel only when what is said is false. In other words, I can call somebody a thief or a liar if they've been caught stealing or lying, it's not good enough for that person to be offended by the fact I called them a thief or liar. With  this threat of taking legal action you also have to show that damage was done to the character or finances of the subject. Now I can't imagine what might have been said on this blog that could damage the character of anybody beyond what that person may have already acquired in previous actions or behavior. I also can't imagine what could have been said, pro or con here that could have the clout/power to threaten any project, be it Laidlaw Energy or Clean Power Development. Wishing to silence opposition is a popular tactic when behavior is questionable, where behavior demonstrates signs of contradiction, exaggeration or falsehood. When looking at the history of Laidlaw, we should not be surprised by Mr. Bartoszek's threat. The small town of Ellicottville NY has spent over $100,000.00 in legal fees defending itself from suits brought by Laidlaw. In my mind (opinion) it's been more a question of when rather than if such an action would be threatened.  For two years I've expressed the opinion that Berlin was a vulnerable community  because our naive culture of openness and honesty is not shared by many with high financial ambitions/goals. Berlin has been victimized in the past and the list is quite impressive, the last major exploitation being by American Tissue Company. Although I don't know the details, I've been told that the City was also exploited a few years ago by somebody who claimed to head a company that was going to hire many employees (JOBS!) by mining granite for counter tops etc. I was told the City paid room and board for this scam operator for an extended period until we "wised-up" to the bogus operator. I bet that Mayor Elect Grenier could tell us the story more accurately  since he was a councilor at the time. So Mr. Bartoszek, if you're still interested in our opinions about your project and you continue to read this blog, you need to understand that some of us have been burnt in the past and the old saying that "a scalded dog fears cold water" may just color our opinions.

Here come the clowns

I've been reading the interviews of those running for office in Berlin and the comparisons are startling. I forgot how ignorant some of our political leaders could be, but the minute they open their mouths...it's all there for us to witness. Complex and difficult issues are reduced to slogans and empty or false statements. Personally, I can't wait for the circus to leave town, I've had it with the clowns and their double talk. We're facing serious issues as a community and as a nation and these issues don't need the insane spin some of our politicians weave into the debates. Sorting out the facts is difficult enough without the lies and exaggerations that pour out of the mouths of some of these ego centered self serving characters.  Mr. Grenier forgot that he sat on that council all these years, negatively influencing the outcome of most efforts to bring Berlin to grips with what happening to the paper industry and the community. Shooting from the hip with assertions of knowing what was in the City budget, he managed to scare most taxpayers into believing he knew what was best. Today we're harvesting what was sown during those famous 39 years he and Bob Danderson claim were the good old days. Don't invest and don't manage for the future was their collective styles and today they have the audacity to place blame on those who have been in office for less than two years for the mess they created over the years. They were warned that our housing surplus would someday create social and economic devastation, and they not only ignored the recommendations, they made fun of the expert who did the study. Ask them, they knew better, yeah sure, look at the burnt down buildings and creepy characters on our streets. The same shoot from the hips approach is still their style, ignoring the history and the facts surrounding Laidlaw, shout slogans like jobs, JOBS as loud as you can, tell the folks what they want to hear, but ignore the basic fact that Laidlaw has never produced one watt of power anywhere, while they sued a small town for $10 million. I believe in the collective wisdom of the majority and that's why I can't imagine that the residents of Berlin will vote for the failed characters from the past.

Bring barf bags

Well Wing Nut, be careful what you ask for, you asked for a post on the subject of the half page ad paid for by Paul Grenier in The Berlin Daily Sun on Friday and here it is.   I'm not sure how one is supposed to write about something they find totally disgusting?   How would you write about someone's toilet overflowing after a flush? Do you go into every detail of what's running over the rim of the toilet, what's landing on the floor????  I think you get the idea. When I look at the ad I get a sick feeling in my gut, the image itself is bad enough knowing that people might have died in that fire and that firemen risked their lives saving the adjacent buildings, but to think that someone can use that image to boost their ego and political ambitions is.....repugnant. It provokes such strong emotions in me that I feel like vomiting. No self respecting individual would ever stoop to that level of mental diarrhea to make a political point unless mentally challenged. Now mind you, that's just my reaction to the visual aspect of the ad.  The print message is also an insult to our intelligence. Ask yourself, why is it that this housing situation exist in Berlin and what could we have done to prevent it?  Almost 10 years ago a consultant by the name of Russ Thibeault was hired by the City to study our housing issue and to make recommendations. (I bet you can go to City Hall and still get a copy) Mr. Thibeault who is a well respected economist and housing specialist presented his findings to Mayor and Council on an evening that I was present in the Council Chamber. I don't remember the names of all who were there, but I distinctly remember Councilors Grenier and Roy chit chatting and making fun at the recommendations. Mr. Thibeault had identified the issue that Berlin had a surplus of 500 units of housing and, that the City should take immediate action in removing these units before it became an economic and social disaster. Mr Grenier and associates discounted the advice as ridiculous since it was estimated that it would cost several million dollars to do the job and the City would have to float a bond to pay for the work. The counter intuitive advice made by Mr Thibeault that removing these dilapidated buildings would raise the value of the remaining buildings was not only misunderstood by Mr Grenier and friends, they laughed and made fun of the suggestion. The ignorance and rude behavior did not go unnoticed by Mr Thibeault who later told me that he had wasted his time on the study.  Going for the immediate cheap solution (bragging about how much he's saving taxpayers) has been Mr Grenier's mantra for his entire political career, he does that while ignoring the long term costs and ramifications. Since that day at City Hall, the cost of that decision has been the lives of several residents, thousands of dollars and we still have the problem facing us. For Mr Grenier to now use the disturbing photo of the burnt down building on Main Street in a campaign ad promoting 39 years of such accomplishments is enough to make me puke. Mr. Grenier, you can fool some of us some of the time, most of us most of the time, but you can't fool all of us all the time.

We have a choice

With so many issues floating around the North Country, I could write a new post every day, but then, who in hell wants to hear my rants on a daily basis, not even I.  I received a call from a friend who happens to know the people at Clean Power Development and who urged me to write about the conversations he's had with Mel Liston and Bill Gabler of CPD. "These are nice guys" he keeps telling me, "these guys are as interested in Berlin and its people as they are about their project, to them it's all about making a difference in the lives of the people up here". Can you imagine in this day and age, people who care about people? What's wrong with this picture? When I go on I-Hub and read what the Laidlaw investors have to say about the people of Berlin I get sick to my stomach. They think that we're all hillbillies, destitute, ignorant and stupid for not wanting a big biomass plant in our downtown while we burn our houses down in desperation. Contrast that with what my friend tells me and what I've read about Clean Power. It's my understanding that Clean Power wants Berlin to consider using their waste heat/hot water for district heating. Then they want to put up green houses again to use their waste heat, but also to put people to work growing tomatoes and other food crops under cover, year round. In my book, these are the type of people that we should be doing business with, not slick Wall Street types who only worship the almighty dollar at the expense of the people and the communities (Like they did in Ellicottville). Do we really think Mr. Bartoszek and his merry band of greedy, money hungry investors give a damn about Berlin? Would they be here if they could not exploit the fact that there's a large boiler they can grab for pennies on a dollar? Do you think they would consider building a smaller, more environmentally friendly biomass plant in our community to help us turn our economy around? No way, these are vultures, picking at the remains of our failed pulp and paper mill. On the other hand, Clean Power Development is a New Hampshire company that does business the New Hampshire way, not the Wall Street way. The Wall Street way has brought this country down to near depression while their fat cat CEO's live high off the hog. That Wall Street style of doing business has been demonstrated over and over again by Laidlaw and its CEO. It's so unfortunate that some of our blind locals have fallen hook line and sinker for that fake facade of big business. What I've heard of Mel Liston of Clean Power and my gut feeling is, that he's one of us, that he would be a good neighbor not someone always prepared to go to court to get his way, right or wrong. Think about it.

Nothing but the facts

There does not seem to be a lack of issues for us to consider these days and many issues will find you arguing a point of view that is not shared by your neighbors or relatives. I'm not sure to what degree the next municipal elections will be another referendum on Laidlaw and the mill property, but the candidates running for office certainly offer us an opportunity to send a clear message on the issue. Two years ago mayor Bob made Laidlaw the center piece of his candidacy and the 3 to 1 landslide win for mayor Bertrand was a clear indication that folks did not buy mayor Bob's agenda. It's going to be interesting to see if candidate Danderson will again hang his hat on the Laidlaw stack. Jon Edwards entering the race against the former mayor must be giving candidate Danderson heartburn. I can't imagine Mr. Danderson wishing to debate publicly the issues surrounding the Laidlaw project against Jon. Not only is Mr. Edwards more articulate, but his knowledge of the facts surrounding Laidlaw is endless. Jon has spoken to just about everybody that has knowledge about Laidlaw and the way they conduct their business. Jon has spent hundreds of hours talking to people who have done business with Laidlaw and who have been duped, burnt or screwed by that company. Unlike Bob Danderson's blind loyalty to PSNH/Laidlaw who employs him, Jon Edwards is armed with facts unlike anybody else I know and his passion is for Berlin, it's residents and our quality of life.  Paul Grenier and Bob Danderson share the same lack of vision. Other than their blind faith in the corporate god of greed which blinds them from the realities of Laidlaw, they translate every press release by the company into promises of jobs and prosperity. Both of these politicians have a history of swallowing hook line and sinker the empty promises of slick businessmen like Mr. Bartoszek. Ask them about the fellow who was going to save Berlin by mining granite and the fact that they supported his lavish lifestyle at the T&C and then on Burgess Street in Berlin, using tax dollars. I hope that Dave Bertrand and Jon Edwards take the gloves off and confront their opponents with the facts, nothing but the facts.

Of men and their follies

I've been sitting back and doing more listening than talking while learning that we have some very sharp folks contributing to this blog. A friend of mine told me that AVER's Max told him that he does not read blogs, since it's all opinions of people who don't know the facts. I wonder what facts Max knows that someone like Jon doesn't know?  Come to think of it, I would like to know what the true facts are about Max himself?  Some of the latest comments posted here have been about the people who have signed up to run for mayor and council. Paul Grenier, a relic from past and troubled Berlin politics, is about to learn a lesson about the collective wisdom of Berlin residents. Paul has always played his politics on the safe side when he ran as councilman from ward 4. He studied the numbers in the city budget until he knew them by heart. He impressed the elderly citizens of ward 4 by growling budget numbers at meetings and convincing them that he was keeping their taxes down. As councilman he was proud of the fact that he could impress and intimidate everybody, well almost everybody, except for councilman Donovan who was also a political bully. The car salesman from the east side will soon see that Berlin has changed while he's been playing farmer as County Commissioner. I also find it interesting that Mr. Grenier always cozies-up to loud, know-it-all, shoot-from-the-hip type characters like Bob Danderson and commissioner Bing Judd, who by comparison, make him look like Einstein. When challenged and confronted by the facts surrounding the Laidlaw project and surrounded by his entourage of poorly informed (but shooting-from-the-hip) Laidlaw supporters talking in circles, Paul will wish he had run for his old council seat in ward 4.

Communication, A+

I want to let you know that I read each and every comment that is posted on byte&chew and that I appreciate everybody's contribution to this blog. To date I never had to remove anybody's comment (came close) which is a tribute to all of you. Some of you are prolific contributors and the information you bring to the community as a whole is very important to the proper functioning of our democracy. I often have to remind myself when I post that, it's always best to keep a positive tone to what I have to say even when the topic is rather negative or against one thing or another. This is not always easy, but as my father taught me, "even if you're telling someone to go to hell, there's a better chance of that happening if you say please". So my post of a few days ago should have read "Please Go To Hell Laidlaw", on the subject of the $10K PR stunt by Laidlaw. So dad, you were right, I did not say "please" and they're still here! .... As I read the comments this past week, I came to the conclusion that our City government is not working like a well oiled machine, but more like a dysfunctional family. Berlin is our community family and, much like any dysfunctional family it's often very difficult to really see, never mind understand, where the problems really are. In a dysfunctional family most of the family members have no clue as to what role they play in the scheme of things. The matter is even more serious when the head of the family is the source of the problem, but keep in mind that nobody in that family unit escapes the impact, there's no place to hide. When a mom or dad have serious social or health issues even the youngest child's life suffers from the impact of the problem and the child becomes part of the total turmoil. As a City, if we have a dysfunctional City Hall, if staff and Mayor & Council are not in harmony, then the rest of the community pays the price and becomes part of the problem. We also need to keep in mind that nobody's family or city is 100% functional, but an effort at identifying and correcting the flaws should be an ongoing task. The best tool to address the issues that plague all human institutions is good communications. I hope that this blog and the efforts of Erik Eisele of The Berlin Reporter help facilitate some of the communication that needs to take place in our community.

The Beauty and the Beast