To the editor: Windham board chief disappoints in reaction to Scott win
The Chester Telegraph | Mar 13, 2017 | Comments 6
I am writing this letter to express my disappointment in the head of our Windham Select Board, and the anti-wind group Friends of Windham.
They continue to demonize and wage a smear campaign against any citizen of Windham whom they deem to be not stepping in line with their self interests.
The most recent example being the classless reaction by the head of our Select Board to the recent victory of the incumbent member of the board, Kord Scott, whom the FOW ran a candidate against.
I respect their passion and their desire to not want any industrial wind project outside their windows. There was a vote in November that was overwhelmingly against the proposed wind project. There is not one person I know who doesn’t respect that vote. I respect their time and effort in their service to the town. Most of these people I respect as human beings.
I do not respect their attempts at blacklisting and outright unfriendly tactics toward “the rest” of us. In fact, board chair Frank Seawright has to be called to task with the very question of whether he indeed is truly representing all of us, which by the way I believe is part of his job description.
It’s unfortunate that this group and Mr. Seawright continues to treat a segment of the population of Windham as the “enemy.”
We are not the enemy. We are honest, moral people with integrity just trying to participate in what I thought was a democracy. Their “self-chosen war” in fact inspired a lot of us here and, most importantly, regardless of how we voted on the wind issue, to get out and make sure we supported Kord in his wanting to continue the fine service he has given to the town he loves.
Come on Frank and ya’ll, lighten up.
John Pozzi
Windham
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor
Dear John,
Thank you for respecting your neighbors passion and efforts in their attempt to protect the beauty of our ridgelines and the safety of our community. Frank has been very instrumental in this effort as well as helping the Public Service board to see the need for safer sound levels. They’ve recently submitted new sound standards and setbacks to ICAR that would offer much greater protection to Vermonters living near turbines. Frank is human just like you and I, he has the freedom of choice just like you and I, he is not infallible just like you and I. In our passion to stand for what we believe in, some may take it personally and be offended because they don’t believe as we do. We can choose to respect anothers freedom of choice irrespective of our own. Its our choice how we respond.
John, you make out Frank and one group of neighbors to be some sort of demonizers while praising another group as almost having an angelic nature. The truth is, we are all human and we all make some poor choices and react inappropriately along the way. In our passion we can say and do things that are wrong, the solution is not perfection, it is respect, apologizing, and forgiving. In my experience, a relationship with Jesus Christ goes a long way to this end.
There has been wrong committed by both the pro and anti turbine people in our community. I personally have experienced theft and vandalism of my personal property, mean looks in return for my friendly hand waving to a neighbor driving by in his vehicle, and a neighbor who drove up to my house, showered me with unkind words, and drove away without giving me a chance to respond.
To anyone reading this, I encourage you to come to me if you think I have wronged you in my passion to stand for what I believe in. I would appreciate the opportunity to apologize if an apology is in order.
Sincerely,
Mark Emmons
John,
I am so disheartened to see you write this, and I hate the fact that I am responding.
You end your piece with, “Come on Frank and y’all, lighten up,” but what you fail to see is that this is so antagonistic. Regardless of whom supported or opposed the project in Windham, I don’t know if you realize how statements like this perpetuate this animosity.
I write this as a citizen of Windham, and I am so appalled that regardless of how people feel, this avenue of trying to shame people continues. What did you get out of writing this? It can’t possibly make you feel good. I know I felt terrible reading it and, of course, yes, Frank is my friend and I want to try to extinguish some of this venom that still lingers. But there has to be a halfway point for us all, doesn’t there John?
I try on a daily basis to at least be polite, despite the fact that many of the perceived pro-wind folks treated me in such an appalling manner, which included the police being involved, a nasty letter to the Secretary of State to defame my character (which turned out to be written by the lobbyists KSE and local residents to try and stop the vote) and by the many who do not even know me. They treated me with such disdain, an enemy! I am not the enemy John. But I smiled back and tried to remain courteous, even to you, because it matters to make amends and to show some self control.
I am not perfect John. I myself was very animated in a Select Board meeting one night, but it did not make it right John, it was shameful behavior on my part.
There may be reasons that you don’t know for how people feel. Perhaps reaching out and asking them why they feel that would be more beneficial and productive and perhaps, just perhaps, you could see their reasoning for their actions. It’s not so black and white John.
John, perhaps a kinder approach would be to bury the hatchet, not bring it back for vengeance. Trying to make peace is very difficult John, it really is, but if we don’t try then we have no chance of moving forward. Trust may have gone to the wayside, but there’s just no need to perpetuate this.
Find some peace John, for we all need it. I mean this from the heart for all of us.
Jo-Jo
Thank you John Pozzi,
Kord is one of the best, if not best human being I have ever known. I am proud to call him Dad.
He is fair, good and made it very clear to the Select Board, early on, that he would not turn his back on the biggest issue to face us.
He is all about Democracy. Friends of Windham attempted to cast him as without a moral compass and that really bummed me out and could not be farther from the truth.
Kord is the only person truly listening to all the people. He never took a side. Thank you to all the Windham citizens who came out to support him.
Sally, you can ask Frank himself what he said to Kord after the vote at town meeting. My point exactly is that Frank and the FOW are fueling animosity with their continued campaign against Kord. There is already a sign they have put up for the 2018 select board vote. Let us please acknowledge the very large elephant roaming our woods. Frank could go a long way in showing some leadership if he is interested in anything other than his “view.”
With respect for John Pozzi, I was watching the Select Board while the votes were being counted and the final results announced and did not see any negative reaction by Mr. Seawright. I do believe he represents the best interests of all of Windham, not just one segment.
Though I was not in favor of the windmills as proposed for Stiles Brook, for several reasons, it never occurred to me to treat my neighbors who were for them any differently than before the proposal was put before the town.
If there is any animosity on either side, it is past time to put it aside and come together for the good of the community.
Very well said, John. It’s all about respect and I respectfully suggest, as I have before, that Frank Seawright should resign and let someone serve who is not all about any single issue, has ears to listen to all and eyes to see the big picture in front of them.