Yesterday I spent most of the day at home. One task on my list was to look up ways to cook collard greens which my husband brought home by mistake. (I had asked for kale…sound familiar?) I decided to adopt a simple preparation and add some of my own touches. So they are now cooking slowly on the stove in some turkey stock and some added Chile-lime seasoning from Trader Joe’s.
Between doing laundry and cooking I spent a lot of time ruminating. My thoughts were focused mainly on my family’s battle to resist overdevelopment in our town. This is going on everywhere on LI, and probably in much of the country. Developers are buying up small lots and homes and turning them into three and four-story apartment buildings, drastically changing the nature of the community. In a previous post I explained how my family became involved when our nearby wetlands began to be threatened by this type of new development.
So now we’re really in the fight. We’ve been attending planning and zoning board meetings in the past two months to get an overview of what’s been happening and what is being proposed. The number of proposals for new apartment buildings is overwhelming, and they are all apartments that will be rented for $3200 and up to $5000 per month. They are by no means affordable for the average resident of this town.
Personally, I have already been insulted twice at these hearings: Once by the Zoning Board chairperson who tried to stop me from speaking twice during my time at the podium and once by the Planning Board chairperson who did the same. Apparently both men are unaware of or indifferent to the #MeToo movement. Their actions only succeeded in making me more determined in my efforts to say what I felt needed to be said (politely, of course).
As a result of these humiliating actions, I spent most of today, between preparing my collard greens, and doing several loads of laundry, writing a letter to our new Town Supervisor suggesting that we need a fresh look at what is happening in our town; that residents believe that the town government is corrupt and our reps are “on the take;” that people are so disenchanted with “the process” they no longer believe that showing up to protest will make a difference. And finally, I suggested that he provide sensitivity training to the board members who have been so arrogant toward me.
So misogyny is alive and well on our town boards, and I intend not to let that go unnoticed! Now, back to those collard greens….
Teaching for Life 
Good luck with those collard greens. I hope they turn out tasty. Stay with the fight, the wetlands and your town need you. Good luck!
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They were pretty good, but probably not as good as they would have been had I done them in the traditional way with lots of ham or bacon and fat! Thanks for your support on the civic activism front…we need all the support we can get!
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Unfortunately, I don’t know of any local authority that is not somewhat corrupt. Don’t get me started on the county where I live. Someone has to speak up when the voice of the people is being ignored. Don’t stop. I believe that you will eventually be victorious.
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Thank you for your encouragement. Yes, “when the voice of the people is being ignored” as you so aptly put it, it’s time to stand up and say what needs to be said. There is definitely a change in the wind among the residents, but I am afraid that it is happening a bit to slowly to stay ahead of the destruction that is happening in our town. That said, the next part of my day will be devoted to delivering informational fliers to people we’ve identified as being “on board” with our cause. (Where do you live…you mention your county in your post.)
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Oh, your slice sounds all too familiar! We live in the center of town, yet tucked away. About ten years ago, the two small one-story cottages that we’d neighbored for almost as long were going to be razed. In their place, two story, multi-unit condos were going up. Lots of divisiveness ensued causing much debate and questioning. I hope that you can come to some sort of agreement where you feel that your voice is heard.
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Were the multi-unit condos built and if so, how did that affect your lives? So sorry to hear that you had to go through this…it’s very unsettling because it upsets your whole notion of where you live…it no longer seems like home.
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Yes, there are 2 3-unit condos facing each other right next door. We planted spruce trees that have grown in quickly to help buffer the view and added noise, though it is relatively quiet thankfully.
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Sorry to hear that but glad they haven’t disturbed your peace too much.
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In my half wake this morning I was listening to commentators discuss our potential constitutional crisis. I don’t want to oversimplify that problem or your town’s, however it seems like many have personal gain in mind over all else.
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