We’ve had a complex and sometimes heated debate here over the last few weeks over the Adirondack Park Agency’s mission and methods.<\/p>\n
A lot of critics have blasted the APA as secretive and remote from the locals most impacted by its decisions. <\/p>\n
The Glens Falls Post-Star described the APA as a “shadow” government. <\/p>\n
New litigation filed last year will test the accusation that Agency staff “colluded” with the Adirondack Council environmental group.<\/p>\n
I was thinking about that yesterday while watching developments in Ray Brook at the Agency’s monthly meeting. <\/p>\n
I know I’ll get slammed as an APA shill for saying this, but in many ways the Agency strikes me as a model for open and transparent government.<\/p>\n
Here’s why:<\/p>\n
It is incredibly common for me as a journalist to find out about important North Country developments because of the APA’s highly public process.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, APA officials disclosed as part of their monthly report that a new high-power transmission line is being contemplated for Lake Champlain.<\/p>\n
It’s a huge and potentially controversial issue and this was the first I’d heard of it. <\/p>\n
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve learned about big developments — at the Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York Power Authority, and other state entities — because of the public review and disclosure process at the APA.<\/p>\n
Unlike almost every other state entity (there are a few exceptions), the Park Agency meets in public every month. <\/p>\n
Every major decision is made in public, after public debates that have grown more feisty and nuanced in recent years.<\/p>\n
It was also noteworthy yesterday to watch APA commissioners debating important decisions, from cell phone towers to the fight against eurasian watermilfoil. <\/p>\n
Most of those commissioners (6 of 11) live and work inside the Blue Line. <\/p>\n
(Here’s the list of Park resident commissioners: Curt Stiles (chairman); Frank Mezzano; Betsy Lowe; Arthur Lussi; Bill Thomas; Lani Ulrich)<\/p>\n
I think it’s arguable that there’s far more “local” input over this Agency’s decisions than over any other state agency in the Park. <\/p>\n
I’m not suggesting that concerns about the APA aren’t valid. It’s fair to question whether its mission is still legitimate forty years after creation.<\/p>\n
It’s natural for local governments to chafe at the mere existence of another state bureaucracy that limits their authority.<\/p>\n
Many locals bristle at the idea of having their private land regulated by anyone, let alone a state entity whose primary mission is Park preservation.<\/p>\n
State Senator Betty Little is proposing to give local governments more influence over choosing in-Park members of the APA board. <\/p>\n
It’s an interesting idea, well worth debating.<\/p>\n
And if the litigation now underway proves any illegal activity on the part of the APA, then major reforms will certainly be needed. <\/p>\n
But while those debates are underway, I would love to see other state agencies adopt at least some of the Park Agency’s procedures.<\/p>\n
Imagine if the state Department of Transportation held monthly public meetings in each region that they administer. Or the DEC. <\/p>\n
Imagine if average citizens, average taxpayers, actually got to vote on their decisions. <\/p>\n
The next time the APA’s unique role in bringing public issues to light could be in April, when commissioners will review detailed plans for the new Crown Point bridge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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