Archive for 23 February, 2008
Editorial: The Citizen’s Right to Speak Out Against Injustice
February 23, 2008 11:20 pm
Since Benderson purchased the Maple Road Shooting Club property, Amherst has heard from a large segment of citizens who realize how this development is destroying a nice neighborhood for the simple reason called ~ money.
The Amherst Town Board has set the vote for March 3rd for whether or not the Benderson Development Corporation will be given the change of zoning they requested so they can begin their project. The citizens have several activities planned before the vote is taken.
One Town Board member, Shelly Schratz, has publicly stated the Town Board already has the 4 votes needed to give Benderson their change of zoning. This statement has energized the people to let the Town Board know the citizens are the power, not the 7 members on the Town Board who were elected to serve them.
This rezoning is one of the most important rezoning issues in the history of Amherst. If the Town Board gives Benderson the power to rezone the Shooting Club property it is the beginning of turning an established residential neighborhood into another commercial Niagara Falls Boulevard area. Then other developers, working with certain Town Board members, will start chopping away at other neighborhoods until were you live begins to look and sound like a Boulevard of Broken Dreams, made of little grey concrete buildings.
This Monday night the people of Amherst must come and speak out against the destruction of a neighborhood for the sake of the almighty BUCK. Speaking out is your right as a citizen of Amherst
We, as the residents of Amherst, must never forget we have the power to:
- say yes to what’s good for our town,
- say yes to what real changes our Towns needs,
- say yes to the end of the power mongrels who want to destroy the remaining beauty of Amherst.
