johnbyronkuhner.com

The election results are in.  Greg Vurckio was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic parties, and won election easily.  It was mostly a contest between myself and Kevin Smith.  The vote:

Kevin Smith 117

John Kuhner 87

Congratulations to Kevin and Greg, and a thank you to all the Councilmen – I’ve seen up close now just how much that work is public service, hard work with very little remuneration.

David Brooks was elected supervisor, with Carl Landon coming in second.  A thank you to Carl for running and helping make this the most content-filled election I’ve seen so far in this town, and congratulations to David, who can of course rely on me and all his neighbors to do our part when called on to keep our little town beautiful and wonderful.

Going door-to-door along Mountain Lane yesterday I was asked what my opinion was about “the big wind turbine,” and I had to confess that I had no opinion about it, because I had never heard of it before. (It felt like a bit of a political defeat, to be going door-to-door and get asked about a town issue you’ve never heard of). But I felt a bit better later when speaking with Julyan and Tiffany Gillman, who have been working to put together a petition challenging the building of a wind turbine in their neighborhood: apparently they themselves just heard about it last week. Even people who live right down the block from the project had not been told about it.

The building of such a structure – 178 feet tall – is against current zoning laws and would require a variance. It seems obvious to me that zoning laws should be kept in place for everyone – the rules have to be the same for all – unless there is a compelling public benefit, and general consent of the people of the town. I will say that it may well be the case that wind power may be a compelling public benefit: if we here in Denning are going to consume power we should feel at least some responsibility to be part of its production as well. But the principle still applies: zoning variances should be given only in extraordinary circumstances and with broad-based support.

The Gillmans were upset, understandably, about how much they feared their lives were about to be changed by the wind turbine, but also by their sense that procedurally the town did not work: 1) that people in the immediate area were not directly informed of the project 2) that there was not enough time to gather information or organize support/opposition for the project (the final decision is to be made soon, I believe on Wednesday the 13th) 3) that public input, even from people most affected by the decisions of town officials, was neither desired nor respected by said officials 4) that the decision to establish what is in effect a small power plant in town contra the general zoning laws was not really a broad-based town decision but was made by a tiny group of people who the Gillmans felt were not sufficiently answerable to constituents.

The Gillmans expressed worries about the effect of the turbine on 1) their peace and quiet at home 2) their property values (they made the credible claim that property values near the turbine may decline by as much as 60%) 3) their own health, as the health effects are not well known. Needless to say, they feel they didn’t move here to have to deal with this kind of problem. They felt that this project (to quote a letter they have drafted) was out of keeping with “the history and present character of our community, which draws residents who give up the comforts of more populous areas in favor of the pristine and quiet way of life that are Denning’s major assets and draws.” Taking a look at the orchard they had planted, the home they had built, and all the cider they were bottling, I could understand why they were so upset. They were building a home in the mountains and much of what they had built seemed imperilled now.

“The Seriously Concerned Citizens of Denning” attacked me earlier for my claim that communication in the town needed to be improved. Here is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Even if no official policy changed, it would probably be enough to make a few phone calls to people who lived in the immediate vicinity of a turbine like this – merely as a neighborly thing to do – and honestly solicit input. If you knew something was happening that was going to affect one of your neighbors, you would let him know, not because there’s some official policy about it, but just because it’s the right thing to do. We don’t have so much town business that this is impossible to do. When area residents asked why they were not informed, they were told that the law requires people within 500 feet or on immediately adjoining parcels to be informed of a proposed variance. But surely a 178-foot-tall perpetual-noise-creating structure has more of an impact than other proposed variances do. And they thought – a sensible proposal – that there should be a longer delay between the announcing of future town issues to be decided and the actual meetings when they are decided. In a rural area word sometimes does not get around immediately.  (And oddly enough the Zoning Board of Appeals final meeting on this issue, which is coming up very soon (November 13th) has not been posted on the town’s website, nor have the minutes from their previous meetings).

The Gillmans left with the feeling that no one in the town government cared about their life or the home they had built at all. Town government hadn’t looked for their input and was basically hoping to get the decision made without any discussion about it at all. They mentioned, however, that Carl Landon had been the person most willing to share information and his time with them, explaining how the Zoning Board worked and who they should be talking to.

I think this is a good example of the kind of unexpected town business which arises, and for which we need people who believe in democracy: who believe that elected officials are there to represent and serve, who believe that decisions are best made with community input, and who actively try to bring people into the decision-making process in order to ensure that the right thing gets done. I don’t think that any of the incumbent candidates can credibly make any of these claims – or this poor handling of the wind turbine issue would not have occurred (and right before the election too, when politicians are on their best behavior).

There is a Town Board meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m.  That might be the time to speak up about this.  And send correspondence to your councilmen and to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

While going around door-to-door yesterday evening an older gentleman said to me, “You’re John Kuhner? I’m voting for you for sure.” He went on to explain that “some woman I never saw before” was at the Town Dump passing out leaflets “saying you were a communist or something like that and when I saw all that propaganda, I said, ‘that’s the guy I’m voting for, he must be pretty good.’” I was a bit curious as to what he was referring to, so he showed me the letter, from the “Seriously Concerned Citizens of Denning,” which I want to respond to briefly.

My place in the letter is relatively small – I get two paragraphs on the second page. I’m not called a communist (nor is anyone else), and I’ll quote the letter in full so everyone knows what I’m responding to:

Mr. John Kuhner: Regarding repairing the “temporary” bridge located by Town Hall, John may we point out that this is a county bridge. The taxpayers of this town should not be responsible for repair and/or upkeep. No one wants increased taxes. With respect to maintaining the river, you would need to speak with NYC DEP, Not NYS! In order to do anything to the State Forest, you would need a constitutional amendment.

John, you may wish to consider relevant facts on any future postcards you have printed. As for communicating more with the town’s people, other than mass hard copy mailings which is costly and goes against going green, what could you possibly suggest? Information regarding town meetings and agendas are on the website and posted outside Town Hall, Sundown Church Hall, the Recycling Center and the Post Office. Minutes are open to the public to read on our website. We are currently working on a mass emailing effort.

The condescension of the above paragraphs are indicative of the letter’s tone: the goal is to make it seem like I’m ignorant of basic facts. Anyone who’s read my campaign materials knows that I know the temporary bridge is a county bridge. Here are the relevant three sentences from my letter:

We’ve had an unsightly and noisy “temporary” bridge outside town hall for the entire time I’ve lived here, and it’s time to get a real bridge installed. This may involve harassing the County and being the “squeaky wheel” in Kingston, which I can certainly do. But someone with authority needs to get this problem solved, whatever it takes.

Obviously I’m not ignorant of the fact that this is a county bridge. I am not advocating for the Town of Denning to take over the repair or upkeep of this bridge. I am advocating for our local elected officials to solve our local problems. Ultimately, no one in Kingston cares as much about that temporary bridge as do the people who live right near it and have to listen to cars rattle over it all day. Local officials need to be our advocates with county and state officials – this is how things get done, and this is one of the things we should expect from them. We’ve been hearing that the bridge will be replaced for years now. I don’t see how any of our incumbent elected officials have any credibility on this issue.

On wildlife management: saying that you need a state constitutional amendment to manage the deer population is not true. The deer population is managed as it is, and those management plans will be responsive to political pressure. In our area (Wildlife Management Unit 3A) no doe tags were issued this year, because the state believes that the deer population is too low. This is because their interest is buck harvest, and this area’s buck harvest quota is 3 bucks per square mile, and the current (reported) harvest is only 1.2 bucks per square mile. They are hence hoping for an increase in deer population. But their quotas are out of line – this forest cannot support that kind of annual buck harvest. You can tell this by the fact that throughout the area no trees are regenerating except for a few white pines and beech. Beech has become almost useless as a canopy tree because of beech bark disease, which in our area kills almost all the beeches over about eight inches in diameter. Similarly almost all other herbaceous species besides ferns and goldenrods (and about half a dozen others) are getting wiped out. The deer pressure also greatly decreases the effectiveness of the Stream Buffer program, as it is exceptionally difficult to revegetate the riverbanks under such deer pressure (which is why state and city need to work together on that program). As I pointed out in my letter, we can’t solve this problem without working with upper levels of government, but we should be applying official pressure and informed pressure. I spoke with an old logger here in town and asked him how the forests had changed in his lifetime, and he said, “You know, it’s gotten worse every year.” Denning’s forests are Denning’s problem, and Denning’s government should be looking for solutions for Denning’s problems.

And that is the larger issue I would like to point out with this letter. I think upper levels of government can only work effectively when there is input from down below. We should not be satisfied with our town officials saying, “this is a problem but it’s not my responsibility so I’m not going to do anything.” We elect officials because we want someone to take some responsibility. That may involve making phone calls, or writing letters, or making visits. But I think we can ask for that, and in fact, since we’re a small town, we need that if we’re actually going to solve our problems.

As for communication, let me start with the obvious: to my knowledge, I’m the only candidate for Town Council who has communicated at all – who has offered any ideas, or shared them with the public. And this is part of a pattern which I think we should try to break out of. For example, David Brooks’ letter was the first time I had ever heard of a town sewer system – and I would certainly like to hear what other people have to say about that. I spoke to David about it and he said that it was going to include “the whole town.” It is impossible for me to believe that there are going to be underground sewer pipes running between every house in town – the cost would be incalculable, and with almost no benefits (what problem is this solving?). But this was just sprung on us as part of the campaign for Town Supervisor. If there really is a plan to do this, I’d like to have some official communication from the town to this effect.

And in the end, the “Seriously Concerned Citizens of Denning” aren’t interested in communication, or dialogue, because they haven’t even put a name to their opinions. I don’t see why we can’t speak honestly and openly as neighbors in this town. I think we should get a break from this type of politicking and this type of angry hysteria. The letter ends by saying that we shouldn’t let Carl Landon (and I guess by extension, me) “destroy” this town. I don’t think this type of hateful hyperbole should be rewarded. Let’s elect people who can work with everyone, with patience and human decency.

And on that issue, I want to respond very briefly to the attacks on Carl.  I’ve never known Carl to be anything other than gentle, kind, intelligent, nice, a good neighbor and a good human being.  Neither he nor anyone else in this town is perfect, but I know I can work with him and I know that he can work with anyone who offers basic civility.  He has not picked any fights here, and to my mind that puts the right very firmly on his side.  I don’t see why people in what should be a very nice town here feel the need to be vicious – it’s counterproductive.

P.S. I’m told that the person who was handing out these letters at the Dump was our Town Clerk, Joy Monforte. I will go visit Joy today to get confirmation or denial of this.

Update: I visited Joy and she refused to tell me who wrote the letter, though she says it is “100% true.”  I pointed out that it wasn’t truthful in any relevant way in my case, and she reiterated that it was “100% true.”  She says that she did not write it but the person was with her when she was campaigning yesterday at the Town Dump, and if that person wanted her name known she would have signed her name to it.  Joy is running unopposed, so she doesn’t need to do too much campaigning.

Update 2: Joy has pointed out that she campaigns every year to answer people’s questions, even though she runs unopposed.

I’ve been eating a couple of persimmons a day – another of the odd pleasures of a Catskill autumn.  The American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is native only about as far north as Staten Island – where they are relatively common, though I’m not sure they occur anywhere else in New York City.  But they are cold-hardy throughout most of the Catskills, and the variety “Meader” (which I’ve been eating) is self-fertile.  One tree produces a very nice supply of persimmons in the autumn – my source is Catskill Native Nursery, where a small tree (ca. 6″ diameter) is producing quite well.  I shake the tree before going home and pick the fruit off the ground.

They look rotten, but they are ripe.

The fruit is unusual in that no fruit tastes worse when it is unripe – it has the awful quality known as “astringency” which makes the inside of my mouth hate being alive – you can’t even swallow the pulp, it’s so bad.  And it is still unripe when it looks ripe – it will be orange and firm and very nice-looking, but utterly inedible.  It’s not until the fruit looks like it’s rotting – the skin withers and the flesh becomes a translucent red – that it’s actually ripe and edible.  But then it’s actually quite nice, and a completely different flavor from any other fruit.  The fruits are small – 2″ in diameter typically – so eating a couple every day is quite easy.

This year has just been superb for fruits of all sorts.  There’s something new to eat pretty much every day.

I was dropping off campaign letters at the post office when I was told by the lady at the counter, “Just hold on a second, I’ll get your mail” – this from someone I’ve never been formally introduced to, though she sure got the right person’s mail out.  When she saw I had campaign materials to send out, she told the deliveryman to hold on – “it’s political mail it has to go out today.”  So he waited for a few moments while we got stamps on all the letters.  In the meantime, a newbie in town walked in the door and asked me about my Princeton Alumni Magazine – “Did you actually go to Princeton? What did you study there?” – which elicited a blurb autobiography: “My two interests were Latin and nature, and in the past few years while I’ve been up here I’ve found that botany has really bridged that gap very well, and this is a great place to botanize.”  Then the deliveryman got into it: “Ah, that explains all those postcards you get in Latin.”  I was known apparently as “the guy who gets postcards in Latin.”  Love love love.  Small-town life.