Yates town supervisor should have stayed on Roundtable for renewable energy

Editor:

The conspiracy theories continue to escalate in Jim Simon’s recent letter to the editor. Now, it’s not just Lighthouse Wind but all the Renewables on the Ground participants that “invite division, acrimony and toxicity.”

From what I have read, the Roundtable involved a diverse group of stakeholders including NY towns, environmental groups, state agencies, and energy developers. They worked together for close to a year ensuring all opinions were considered as they discussed how to responsibly achieve New York’s exciting renewable energy goals.

The final report is online and I encourage folks to check it out if they are interested. There was a huge focus on consensus building, including the hiring of staff from the Consensus Building Institute.

There is no consensus building with Jim Simon, John Riggi and SOS. They want their way, and if they cannot get it, they create the illusion of conspiracy or wrongdoing. Mr. Simon refusing to participate in a responsible manner reflects very poorly on the town of Yates. Perhaps he and others should make more efforts toward consensus building rather than hurling insults?

Harvey Campbell

Lyndonville