Rutland Herald
Meeting cut short by anger
May 7, 2001
By SANDI SWITZER Herald Correspondent
DANBY — Blistering hot temperatures outside Danby’s municipal offices Thursday evening couldn’t compete with the heat generated inside the building during a Select Board meeting.
A verbal exchange between a selectman and one resident ended with town officials abruptly adjourning the meeting before addressing a single agenda item.
The exchange occurred between Selectman Kenneth Bushee and Dineen Squillante, a frequent visitor to the monthly Select Board meetings.
Squillante was responding to a number of comments made by another resident, George McNeill, regarding a controversial OMYA Inc. quarry proposal.
She said the “foreign corporation invading Danby” has divided the town, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and called on the Select Board to make a decision to put a stop to it.
She claimed that residents have been unable to sell their properties because of the quarry proposal, that company officials have not kept the town up to date on its plans, and expert analyses of the project have not been forwarded to local officials as promised.
“What they’re doing to the community is not fair,” she said.
Town officials often have come under fire for not taking a position to oppose the OMYA project, and for not joining the Municipal Transportation Compact, a coalition of neighboring communities researching the impact of truck traffic on area roads.
A couple of residents and a member of the town road crew urged officials to move onto agenda items, and Bushee pounded a gavel in an effort to quiet Squillante.
After the two exchanged heated opinions as to whether she should be allowed to continue with her comments, Bushee made a motion to adjourn the meeting. That motion was seconded by Selectman Donald Keeler, and officials left the room.
Following their departure, resident Douglas Kowalski tried to engage town attorney Joseph O’Dea in a discussion regarding a possible violation of the state’s Open Meeting Law.
“I’d like to hear something from you,” Kowalski said to O’Dea.
“I don’t work for you,” the attorney responded.
In a brief interview later, O’Dea said the Select Board has the right to adjourn a meeting at any time “with or without cause.”
Comments made at the outset of the meeting by McNeill, which sparked the incident, stemmed from an anonymous letter he recently received. The anonymous letter-writer claimed McNeill was in favor of the OMYA quarry project, and therefore should resign his post as town moderator.
“As to resigning, there’s no prayer in that,” he told the Select Board.
McNeill said the climate in town has changed significantly since the quarry project was introduced more than a year ago.
Sniping, slander and accusations of wrongdoing have become commonplace, according to McNeill.
“I’m pretty upset at the whole attitude people have,” he said.
McNeill added that he had not taken a position on the OMYA project, but did vow to find out the letter-writer’s identity.
Following the 20-minute Select Board meeting, officials warned a special meeting for Saturday.
They planned to address one item, a letter to be distributed by town officials to Danby residents regarding a revote on the municipal budget scheduled for May 15.
The remainder of the agenda will be addressed next month, according to Select Board Chairwoman Margo Stone.