Opinion: The well being of the Village should outweigh ‘party loyalty’

Dear Editor,

In order to remake the Owego Historic Preservation effort in his own image, Taxpayer Party trustee Earl Hartman will have relinquished its two most beneficial aspects. These are the help, technical expertise and oversight of SHPO (the State Historic Preservation Office), and the CLG (Certified Local Government) status the Village previously enjoyed. These are afforded only to qualified, compliant Commissions, which Earls’ “Committee” replaces.

There is a meeting on Feb. 7 at the time and place the previous and now displaced Commission had met for a quarter-century, the DPW building at 20 Elm St. at 7:00 p.m., at which time and place trustee Hartman can be expected to lay out his master vision of Historic Preservation for the future of the Historic District.

I am greatly looking forward to hearing how this creation of Earl’s will be of greater benefit and superior service to the residents and building owners of the District. If you are similarly intrigued, perhaps we should suggest the larger venue of the County Office Building so that the embarrassing overflow situation that occurred at the public hearing on this topic is not repeated.

There is still time before the Parks Department revokes the Village CLG certificate, which could take weeks. The four trustees who have no axe to grind could bring the matter back to the floor and vote the re-named Local Law #5 down. They should. The well being of the Village should outweigh “party loyalty.”

Sincerely,

Mark Trabucco

Chair of the lately defunct OHPC (the real one)