To the Editor:

In response to “Local Business to Move if Wind Power Approved”, it seems that I owe Sandy Maine an apology because I characterized her and judged her. I’m sorry it gravely offended you. It was rude.

Will there be apology from Concerned Citizens for Rural Preservation to my wife and myself for the derogatory comments directed at us as we walked into the town hall for the open house given by Avingrid. The murmured a**hole, or the veiled threat from one of your group directed towards an Avingrid employee that “it would be too bad if you had an accident on your way home.” He didn’t think anyone overheard that.

Where’s the apology for the bullying tactics of your group toward the citizens of Hopkinton and members of Avangrid?

And more...at the Hopkinton town board meeting on March 20, comments were made by the town supervisor from Brandon, NY to the effect that the lawyer advising the Hopkinton Wind Advisory Board had affiliations to the wind industry. That was deemed unacceptable.

Did you stop to think that the man would know wind law? No, a new lawyer should be gotten. Would you use a patent attorney when you need a divorce attorney? What was acceptable, and applauded, was the appointment of an anti-wind supporter to the supposedly neutral Town Wind Advisory Board. Amazing.

A citizen spoke of a one-year moratorium to bring in experts to address health and safety issues. These experts were there at the open house. Did anyone go? Also voiced was a measure to draft a law, or laws, to protect Hopkinton in the future from large corporations wanting to come in and ruin our town.

Wow, I didn’t know we had such vast resources here. We have open fields and wind. And cow manure. Reynolds and GM are gone and Alcoa is going after the $73 million of our state tax money is gone.

What I heard are comments from people who seem to be afraid of the future. Our children are going to suffer, what about the vibrations, what about the noise and the slaughtered wildlife. There are over 50,000 wind turbines in operation in the progressive areas of the U.S. with neighbors who are living and working in close proximity to these turbines every day.

Those areas are thriving. Hopkinton, not so much.

It sounds like a few people want to build a wall around Hopkinton. Not a physical wall, but a legal wall to “protect” us from the scary future. Let’s all be afraid. That’s the mentality today.

Our forefathers, when they settled Hopkinton didn’t just see virgin forests, but tillable fields, homes, flour and saw mills to be built.

A progressive future with growth for their families. But now a minority wants to convince the majority to be afraid. To not worry, we’ll protect you. That Hopkinton doesn’t need any additional money, that progress in the form of turbines is bad for our town. What are the Concerned Citizens offering instead? Increasing taxes.

Comments were made in the paper concerning PILOTS and that Avangrid would ask for one. They would be stupid not to ask. Avangrid didn’t invent a PILOT, governmental agencies did to attract business and growth into their areas. Would you buy a vehicle and refuse a discount?

As for subsidies that the wind industry receives pales in comparison to the subsidies given to the fossil fuel industry. All your coal, oil or gas heating your homes and running your vehicles is heavily subsidized, and has been for over a 100 continuous years and will continue to be through open ended government subsidies, your money.

Concerned Citizens are a minority, as are the landowners and neither group speaks for the majority of Hopkinton and Parishville citizens. By the majority’s silence I can assume that they are trusting in the integrity and hopefully neutrality of their town boards to do the right thing.

Frank Potenzano

Hopkinton