I attended the recent debate, and I am concerned that our congressional representative Tom Reed is developing amnesia.
In the debate, Tom complained that when Nate Shinagawa worked for the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency that work was “an example of government picking winners and losers.” Apparently Tom Reed forgot that he got about $1.18 million for the “Restore NY” program to convert his building in Bath, N.Y., to luxury apartments.
Also in the debate, Tom Reed talked repeatedly about jobs. Apparently Tom Reed forgot that as mayor of Corning, he had initially refused to ask for jobs stimulus funds. Later he did ask for $8 million. He also seemed to forget that the $1.18 million “Restore NY” funds sat in some bank account for two-plus years before any work was done and then no one from Bath got any jobs from the work. (If you are not familiar with the project in Bath, the competing application was for a village community center; instead the money went to Tom Reed.)
Tom Reed also seemed to forget his previous position(s) on hydrofracking. Tom has supported open hydrofracking and has claimed that there is “science” behind hydrofracking safety. There is a technology for hydrofracking but there is no science. Science is done by independent research organizations. For example, my brother at Rutgers University studies vegetable pesticides for the EPA. Since hydrofracking is exempted from the Clean Waters Act and the EPA, there is no one to fund research on hydrofracking.
DICK BARNEY
Penn Yan
I attended the recent debate, and I am concerned that our congressional representative Tom Reed is developing amnesia.
In the debate, Tom complained that when Nate Shinagawa worked for the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency that work was “an example of government picking winners and losers.” Apparently Tom Reed forgot that he got about $1.18 million for the “Restore NY” program to convert his building in Bath, N.Y., to luxury apartments.
Also in the debate, Tom Reed talked repeatedly about jobs. Apparently Tom Reed forgot that as mayor of Corning, he had initially refused to ask for jobs stimulus funds. Later he did ask for $8 million. He also seemed to forget that the $1.18 million “Restore NY” funds sat in some bank account for two-plus years before any work was done and then no one from Bath got any jobs from the work. (If you are not familiar with the project in Bath, the competing application was for a village community center; instead the money went to Tom Reed.)
Tom Reed also seemed to forget his previous position(s) on hydrofracking. Tom has supported open hydrofracking and has claimed that there is “science” behind hydrofracking safety. There is a technology for hydrofracking but there is no science. Science is done by independent research organizations. For example, my brother at Rutgers University studies vegetable pesticides for the EPA. Since hydrofracking is exempted from the Clean Waters Act and the EPA, there is no one to fund research on hydrofracking.
DICK BARNEY
Penn Yan
