Morris' allegations are absurd

Wednesday, 07 October 2009 15:54

Last week, Ledger “columnist” Jeff Morris accused Town Board member Peter DeLucia of lifting “nearly word-for-word” his op-ed on wetlands from an old New York Times article, which Mr. Morris suggested had itself been “planted” as part of a conspiracy against the town.

The allegations are absurd. About the only thing Mr. DeLucia’s piece has in common with the Times article are the words “Lewisboro” and “wetlands.” And I doubt the Times cared enough about Lewisboro to launch a conspiracy.

Mr. DeLucia’s article shows how changes recommended by the town supervisor’s hand-picked task-force, which includes his running mate, a Planning Board member, actually make the law worse. Mr. Morris, a leading member of the Lewisboro Democratic Committee, was using his pulpit in an obvious attempt to draw attention away from the facts.

For example:

• The changes would eliminate the longstanding requirement of an official wetlands map, which is the only way for homeowners’ to have reasonable notice that their activities are near wetlands.

• In Pound Ridge, an environmentally conscientious town with a 150-foot buffer like ours, wetlands under a quarter-acre in size are exempt from regulation. In Lewisboro, even under the revised law, wetlands of any size remain regulated, often leading to absurd results.

• In Bedford, fines are capped at $250 and assessed in court. In Lewisboro they go up to $7,500 per day, and are assessed by the Planning Board.

Mr. Morris should know that I plagiarized. I “lifted” all of these facts from the code books.

GREA J. KULHANEK

South Salem, Oct. 3

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