Morning Read: Cape Vincent election favors anti-wind candidates
The Watertown Daily Times is reporting that a slate of wind farm opponents fared well in this month’s town supervisor race, with Urban Hirschey defeating pro-wind candidate Harvey White by a more than 4-to-1 margin.
That Mr. Hirschey’s already lopsided victory got even more lopsided when absentee ballots were counted is hardly a surprise. It is likely a result of a months-long voter registration drive by anti-wind power activists that targeted seasonal residents.
Seasonal residents who may live during the winter in faraway locales are more likely to oppose wind power development and more likely to vote as absentees — which can allow people to vote via mail in the days leading up to the election, rather than in person on election day.
The absentee ballot counts were similarly grim for pro-wind power Town Council candidates in the Republican primary.
The politics of wind power are fascinating — and it’s complicated further by this “local” vs. “seasonal” dynamic, a tension that plays out in political affairs across the North Country. Read the full article here.
Tags: energy, jeffersoncounty, politics, windfarm
“The politics of wind power are fascinating…”
Very well put, Brian. As I have said before, to get the real root of the political battles over wind, all you need to do is follow the money. Follow the money on both sides of the issue and one will find it’s a whole lot more than what’s on the surface.
I recently read an article in one the weekly newspapers about a local anti-wind group that was spreading donations around one community. I wondered how their activities were any different than the money that comes from the wind developers. All things may not be they appear.
The Cape Vincent discussion has been one long stupidity from the beginning. The wind company should have known that signing contracts with sitting board members would create a conflict of interest for SOMEBODY!! The involved parties should have stepped aside, and the whole thing should have gone up for a public vote ages ago, instead of everyone arguing and holding on to the chance for riches.
Now, nothing will be built, and no power will be created, and no one will make a dime…at least no one in Cape Vincent.
Classic elitist attitudes. Of course these rich types who own property in this area oppose jobs which may ruin their views and may damage their perceived playground. Of course they live surrounded by one of the poorest areas in the state of New York. Well at least we may be able to tax them. It is immoral to oppose wind power in my opinion.