HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Minutes 1977-10-03 1
October 3 , 1977
1
TO : MED' 3ERS OF THE TON11 BOARD , ' T944 OF ITH'tCA
On September 20 , 1977 a letter was sent to '.lfiyor Edr:ard J. Conley et al
signed "Walter J . Schwan , Supervisor , On Behalf of the Town Board of the
Tovm of Ithaca , " re ;lest Hill and 4 -Lane Road . The on],y official action
taken by the Board re Route 96 was a communication to DOT expressing our
choice of a corridor IF a 4 - lane highway was to be built . The limits of
our official position were outlined in a public informational meeting March
17 , 1977 .
I have three reservations about this letter : 1 ) I do not think any letter
(certainly not one dealing with a substantial policy matter ) should go out
signed in behalf of the Town board unless there has been action by the Board
or consultation with its members . ' 2 ) I believe the personal nature and tone
of this letter make it inappropriate as a communication from a legislative
body , particularly to officials and boards of another municipality. 3 ) The
signature implies the participation of individual members of the Town Board
in the formulation of and the consent to the opinions expressed in the letter.
This was not the case in this instance . There are many statements - dispar-
aging characterizations of Ecology Action and Common Council , the blanket
• support for a 4 -lane highway before we know its exact route and design - that
I do not agree with .
It seems unfair to any member of the Town Board to have to choose between
being associated with statements that they do not support or writing a denial ,
which is surely an embarrassment to the individual Board member , the Super -
visor , and to the Board as a whole .
On October 10 I shall ask the Town Board for an, assurance that it is our
policy that : all communications , concerning substantial policy matters ,
signed on behalf of the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca will be authorized
by the Town Board , either in a regular meeting or by consultation with its
members .
Sincerely ,
Shirley A . Raffensperger
C