I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been at the Lumberland public hearing for the new zoning—but yes, the leader of the Lumberland Concerned Citizens submitted a misleading letter to the board claiming it was—and I quote—a “letter from a Manhattan attorney with 35 years experience who is volunteering to defend us” (the letter said nothing of the sort); the town accidentally made a hamlet in the town completely disappear from a zoning map they’ve been staring at for 18 months; and the public zoning input meeting was rescheduled at the very last minute to the same date as the Eldred school Christmas concert, forcing parents to choose between their children and their town.

The supervisor’s response—the “real” attorney pro bono letter was “in the mail,” the hamlet that disappeared a “mistake,” and the parents who couldn’t make it could always “submit their concerns by letter.”

Like I said, sometimes the truth is much stranger than fiction. But one thing is for sure: back in July, Lumberland’s process was looked at as an exemplary model and now, after six months of dithering, other towns are using it as a model of what not to do. Nadia Rajsz has not proposed one realistic, job-friendly initiative in either her position as supervisor, or her position with the Upper Delaware Council (UDC). No trucks on Route 97, no expansion of Holbert Quarries, mandated conservation subdivisions, restrictions on how homeowners use their land and spend their money, and mountains of paperwork for even simple business propositions.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone didn’t come up with a nifty nickname for her like “No Jobs Nadia,” or something similarly clever. Her profound lack of concern for the local business community, job creation and job creation facilitation is remarkable.

Since when are the conservation/no-growth policies of the UDC the priorities of Lumberland?

Charles Petersheim

Eldred, NY