Atlanta, N.Y.
Cohocton town board member Wayne Hunt lashed out at wind turbine opponents and U.S. Rep. Eric Massa, D-29, at Monday night’s meeting.
During the public comment period of the meeting, Steve Trude, former president of Cohocton Wind Watch and a Republican candidate for the Cohocton town board in November, submitted a letter to the town board members. The papers were copies of a letter from Massa to President Barack Obama dated Sept. 11 and attacked the project’s developers. The project was developed by Canandaigua Power Partners and Canandaigua Power Partners II, wholly-owned subsidiaries of First Wind.
When Zigenfus received his copy from Trude, he smiled and crumpled it up to be thrown away.
“You gave me a letter I have five copies of,” Zigenfus said after the meeting.
At the end of the meeting, board member Wayne Hunt read the letter to the public, taking issue with many points in the letter and using a sarcastic tone of voice as he read several sections of the letter.
“He has called us corrupt in a letter to the president of the United States,” Hunt said. “None of us has done anything illegal, immoral.
“It’s a crock of malarkey,” he added. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit here and take it.”
At one point, the letter states the projects have “stirred great unrest in New York’s 29th Congressional District.”
“And I suggest to you that centers on Lent Hill and in Sen. Massa’s office,” Hunt said.
By Lent Hill, Hunt referred to members of Cohocton Wind Watch, several who live on Lent Hill.
“Now I’m here to tell you the people sitting on this board in front of you right here, right now are honest servants of the Town of Cohocton,” Hunt said. “None of us have done anything that has been illegal or unethical or has profited us in any way because we’ve got a wind farm here in Cohocton.
Hunt also said the town’s law firm for wind-related matters, Whiteman, Osterman and Hannah, said they have “no idea of any investigation at this time in regards to the Town of Cohocton.
“The Attorney General has assured them nothing is going on,” he added.
Town supervisor Jack Zigenfus supported Hunt and the board.
“I concur that the information in Eric Massa’s letter is reckless, is irresponsible as a congressman,” Zigenfus said. “A person of that type of stature should know his facts, check his facts, and be damn sure of what he’s talking about to the newspapers and the public before he shoots his mouth off.”
He added the town board should write a rebuttal letter to Massa.
Trude and other members and former members of Cohocton Wind Watch did not speak against Hunt’s remarks during the meeting, but after the meeting Trude said other sources were available pointing to an investigation of the project by the state Attorney General’s Office.
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