Chess is a game that relies heavily on strategy, concentration, and the ability to see several moves ahead. A move early in the game, good or bad, has consequences later, and it’s often difficult to overcome a bad move against a skilled player.
It’s understandable that Little Falls residents can let their concentration slip over the summer. A beautiful August, September, and October offset the awful winter months, and so enjoying our time outside, sitting by the lake or hiking the trails, talking about cheese (endlessly), and finally eating cheese . . . all these distractions are welcome. It’s also the perfect time for others—those who are continuing to strategize—to take advantage of our distraction, hoping that we won’t notice, and make moves that will, potentially, impact events down the road in our city.
The announcement on September 12 that our Little Falls School District superintendent was recently appointed to the board of ICAN is one of those moves.
You may recall that ICAN was intimately involved with two of the proposed housing “developments” here—both Dairyman and Zaida. It even participated in the Zaida presentation last spring. You may also recall that questions at that presentation and comments in this publication raised concerns over the impact of those developments on the LF school system. So, the recent appointment of the superintendent to the ICAN board should raise eyebrows and maybe sound an alarm.
How exactly will the school district react to any proposed development if the superintendent is also on the board of an organization that will greatly increase its reach if projects such as Dairyman and Zaida move forward? Similarly, if the school district and ICAN receive donations from the local developer or wealthy proponents (yes, the ones we all know) of these types of projects, how will that shape the debate; and how will the interests of the average resident be represented, especially the interests of those with children attending school here? Does the school board condone the appointment of the superintendent to the ICAN board? If yes, then why, knowing the issues that are afoot?
As was written on this site last year, we really need to demand better disclosure by the city and school district, including:
• full disclosure of donations and donors to the LF School District as part of its annual reporting
• full disclosure of donations to the city and its affiliated organizations
• full disclosure of business activity among the elected officials and employees of the city with those entities doing business with the city.
You’ll note, too, that there are other moves that also serve to distract not only residents but critics in general of these developments—for example, Zaida is now named something else, and the local developer recently changed its name, too, making it all the more difficult to follow the history here. Penrose still includes Zaida (now One Reed Street) on its website as though it’s approved. So, it’s even more important to follow the money through disclosures – disclosures that all citizens have a right to see.
With the elections on the horizon, it’s a good time to take stock of the events over the past year and demand more information from the school district and changes from the next Common Council. If you look at the Herkimer County website, it’s shocking to see how few votes elect someone to the Common Council. Can that be representative of the wider interests of our citizens, or an opportunity for these few interested parties to elect those who will vote for their interests? We all need to vote.
The real business in this city may currently be conducted over beer at Ed and Buds, or over cigars up on Millennium Court, but with proper disclosures, the citizens will have a far clearer view of an unfolding strategy and better be able to counter with their own.
A. Twitchell
Little Falls, NY