Mouth That Roars

Bill Liblick has made a name for himself of National TV Talk Shows where he spouted his outspoken views from the front row. Now he offers you his opinion every week in the "MOUTH THAT ROARS" Column in the Sullivan County Post.

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September 22nd, 2016

Concerned Over Total Disregard of Municipal Codes

As property owners in the Town of Liberty receive notices about extensive new zoning changes in the municipality – there appears to be an issue already boiling over in White Sulphur concerning what appears to be a blatant disregard of the town codes.

Jeremy Gorelick who is known to many in Sullivan County for his extensive public service as former Chairman of the Board of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chairman of the Liberty Democratic Party, Treasurer of the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, and Treasurer for Habitat for Humanity contacted me about this issue. I asked Gorelick to tell us in his own words what appears to mirror the concerns of many in the Town of Liberty and throughout Sullivan County.

Here is what Jeremy Gorelick had to say:

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining.  You make progress by implementing ideas.”  – Shirley Chisholm

“A little over a month ago, I learned that my neighbor was in the process of selling her horse farm.  As she maintains more than one residence, the property sits unoccupied for much of the year, and I was curious to see who might move into the property, especially because more than half of the acreage was zoned as Service Commercial, which allows for a multitude of uses. 

I learned, after conversations with a number of neighbors, that she had sold to an organization that had purchased and built up multiple other properties in Sullivan County. 

For me, this signaled that there would be an inevitable densification of the fields zoned as Service Commercial.  As a homeowner who has enjoyed the under-use of the property, I was disappointed; as a developer myself, I realized how hypocritical it would be to start a Not-In-My-Backyard complaint. 

What I was not, however, expecting was the blatant disregard for Town, County, and State code that my new neighbors would exhibit.  Within weeks, they hired a contractor to repair a damaged roof. 

While this is a desirable and understandable activity by any property owner, the Town’s regulations specifically call for a permit for a repair like this.  Because the owners might not have been aware of this, the Code Enforcement Officer visited the property with a Stop Work Order until the permit had been properly filed.  He was ordered, using expletives, to leave the property immediately and told that he had no jurisdiction.  Work continued, and the owner and contractor have been summoned on six charges to Town Court.

Unfortunately, the situation has escalated. 

Over the three-day Labor Day weekend, the owner hosted over 200 people on his property.  There were no permits for gathering or the overnight camping that occurred, and the property had insufficient lavatory facilities.  This was made abundantly clear by the open defecation that I personally observed into the body of water that directly feeds the aquifer where the Town draws its water supply (beneath the local fireman’s field). 

The 60-hour party ran past midnight with volumes so loud that my home’s perimeter alarm system was tripped twice, summoning the police (the excessive noise of the bass from the music after 9 PM being another violation of Town code). 

The fire department was summoned by another neighbor when the host attempted to illegally burn all of the trash generated.  And the gunshots fired erratically shattered one of the windows in the owner’s home, causing general concern in the community about where the next property damage might occur.  I know that the Town Board is taking these offenses very seriously, and I appreciate the fact that, during the meeting on the 6th of September, they publicly acknowledged that these would be fully addressed. 

My purpose in writing this column is, therefore, not to shine light on this problem – I have the utmost confidence that the Town, County and State officials will follow this very closely to ensure that no further infractions occur.  It’s instead to shine light on the larger problem and try to propose a solution. 

I have watched as the Town of Fallsburg implemented a moratorium earlier this year, allegedly because of the rapid densification of the Town without sufficient infrastructure or capacity to meet growing demand as well as concerns over non-code-compliant construction. 

In a cash-starved municipality like Liberty, the answer is not to stop development, though; it’s to encourage development that is compliant with the local Code and enable the Code Enforcement Officer to do his job.  Other communities in the Hudson Valley, like Beacon, have directly stated that they credit code enforcement with the city’s dramatic economic redevelopment.  While we undoubtedly understand that Liberty is not Beacon, that doesn’t mean that there are not valuable lessons to be learned through adhering to the laws that bind the community together.     

I’m writing to the general public – and particularly my fellow neighbors in Liberty – to encourage our publicly-elected officials to apply law and order fairly and justly.  Remind them not to give special interest groups or lobbies special treatment. 

Attend Town Board meetings (every other Monday, and easily confirmed by checking the Town of Liberty’s website at www.townofliberty.org.)  Voice your concerns to elected officials on the Town Board.

Sullivan County is a beautiful place, and everyone has a right to enjoy it.  By following the laws, and making sure that others do the same, it will make for an even better quality of life for every member of the population, regardless of race, religion, color or creed.”

Thank you Jeremy Gorelick for writing this and expressing what many are feeling.

Jeremy Gorelick is a primary homeowner in the Town of Liberty.  In addition to lecturing at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he works with municipalities around the world to assist them to access finance for infrastructure projects and to encourage universal participation in the political decision-making process, particularly in areas where voters feel disenfranchised.  He has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chairman of the Liberty Democratic Party, Treasurer of the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, and Treasurer for Habitat for Humanity; he has also been involved in numerous local community activities as a member of the Liberty Rotary Club.

Bill Liblick has made a name for himself on National TV Talk Shows where he spouted his outspoken views from the front row. Now he offers you his opinion every week in the “MOUTH THAT ROARS” Column in THE SULLIVAN COUNTY POST.

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