Three members of the New Scotland Commercial Zone Advisory Committee have resigned as of Friday, Nov. 21, and the town has not had any conversation about how to proceed at this time, according to Town Supervisor Tom Dolin.
Dolin said Roz Robinson, the committee chair; Cynthia Elliott and John Biscone handed in letters of resignation from the committee.
Robinson said she had two primary motivations for leaving. The first was the alleged conflict of interest regarding CZAC member Liz Kormos. The second, she said, was the bullying tactics of the advocacy group New Scotlanders for Sound Economic Development, also known as NS4SED, regarding the direction new zoning laws should take.
Kormos was accused by Robinson of not disclosing a business relationship Kormos had with a potential bidder on the Bender Melon Farm, a key piece of property in the commercial zone.
`I still believe, and always will believe, she had a conflict. It really is a matter of trust for me,` Robinson said. `The more I think about it, the more I don’t think I can serve the town and the committee without having confidence in the committee.`
She also said she feels that the independence of the committee was corrupted, and said she felt the Town Board had come to conclusions about zoning changes before the committee finished its recommendation.
Kormos said statements made by the resigning members of the committee are inaccurate, and an investigation into the matter would have showed that she had no real conflict. The Town Board dismissed the matter at its Wednesday, Nov. 12, meeting.
Kormos said she wants to see the committee back in action.
`They should appoint another two members and let’s get on with it,` she said in an interview Thursday, Nov. 20, before Biscone stepped down.
CZAC was charged with drafting recommendations to change the towns zoning law to coincide closer to the Comprehensive plan. Sphere Development LLC is planning to develop the Bender farm with a 137,000 square-foot retail anchor store if the zoning law permits it. Kormos, a member of NS4SED and supporter of a 50,000 square foot cap on retail developments oppose Spheres proposal.
Robinson described the Wednesday, Nov. 12, meeting of the New Scotland Town Board as exhibiting `chaos, name calling and bullying,` and said she was surprised Dolin allowed it to proceed. She said the atmosphere created by NS4SED instills some fear in opponents to a 50,000 square-foot retail size cap.
`[NS4SED] was throwing a tantrum. They should have been reigned in,` she said.
Robinson said that CZAC had completed about 80 percent of its work, with the help of Mike Welti, a planner with Behan Planning Associates, the private planning firm contracted to assist in the zoning changes.
Robinson added that she is `saddened` by how the situation turned out and said the committee did a lot of good work.
Elliot cited `political posturing,` deception and financial interests as tainting the process, in her written resignation to the Town Board.
`As I sat, listened and endured the last Town Board meeting it became painfully clear that the committee’s ability to function, let alone go forward had been forever fractured,` she wrote. `It would be my opinion that the conflict of interest as presented is a blatantly clear one. The Town Board’s inability to recognize that and then its failure to address it speaks volumes about the overall leadership.`
Greg Widrick, a managing partner at Sphere, said it has not changed its plans in light of the recent developments.
`We’re committed and we’re here to the end,` he said.
He added that he is also concerned with the information Kormos was giving CZAC because it was the same information she was providing to Mark Shafer, a potential bidder on the Bender melon farm and Kormos’ business associate, as his consultant. He said Kormos also had the responsibility to disclose her potential agreement to be a `minority` partner in the ownership if Schafer won the bid.
`How is that, in any world, not a conflict of interest?` he questioned.
Widrick also criticized NS4SED for their conduct during the commercial zone moratorium.
`There’s a vocal 30 to 35 people who are doing this and they’re disrupting the process,` he said.
Daniel Mackay, founder NS4SED said the advocacy group is not to blame for the frustration of New Scotland residents.
`The organization will not take responsibility for individual comments or demeanor,` Mackay said.
He said people are tired of the long process and frustrated with the lack of progress and have been vocal about it.
Mackay said the road to zoning changes has become `highly politicized` and problematic.
`I don’t know what to make of it. I’m just disappointed there’s going to be further delay,` he said. `I don’t know where this leaves the process.`
Saul Abrams, another NS4SED member also defended the group.
`There was no bullying or mob mentality. What the Town Board was observing was the righteous indignation of the public who for years through the Comprehensive Plan, RPAC, etcetera has indicated how they want their town developed and the years the Town Board and Planning Board ignored the public opinion,` Abrams said.
Town officials will discuss how to proceed, Dolin said, and no action has been taken at this time regarding the formation of a new advisory committee or the replacement of Robinson, Elliott or Biscone.
`Nothing has been discussed yet,` Dolin said. “