The Youtube link will take you to a video parody of the way our Town Officials are handling the Planning Board's consideration of an application to permit developers to constuct and operate a 24/7, 7-11 convienience store.
Although the video is a parody, there are some strong similarities in the video that seems to have ocurred. And certainly the parody will open the eyes of the residents so they can see that they may never be able to stop the actions of the Planning Board. After all, at the initial meeting(s), the residents were outraged and flooded the meeting room. Almost no one has spoken in favor of this endeavor, other than those who stand to gain personally if approved. Subequent meetings have occurred un-announced.
But the point of the parody is to have the residents take an interest in how these things occur in town politics, and to realize that there are elected officials who oversee the actions taken. If you disagree with the actions taken, and you have told your elected officials you oppose this application and the application is ultimately passed, then you need to vote. You need to get all your family and friends to vote as well. Recent Town elections have been decided by a few hundred votes. I would hope that your elected officials consider the will of the voters that put him or her in office, as they are the same voters who will remove them from office if their desires are not being representated by their elected Representatives. It is the American way.
I say we either stop this application and keep the elected officials we have around for another term, or if we have a 7-11 shoved down our throats (or shoved up another body cavity) then we double our efforts at this level and ensure that these elected officials are voted out of office at their next elections. I hear 7-11 is hiring!
You mentioned the town holding unpublicized Planning Sessions and discussing the proposed 7-11 project. Would you know the dates on which those meetings were held?
I no longer live in West Islip, but my family does. They have discussed with me this topic for a while. I was told there was an initial meeting to consider this application and hundreds of residents packed Town Hall, virtually unanimous in their opposition to the application. I was told subsequent meetings were scheduled, cancelled, rescheduled. Also that insufficient notices were given for at least one, if not more, of the meetings. I admittedly do not have dates, details, or first hand knowledge as to what has transpired. My information is second, and sometimes third hand. Hopefully, others, can post a better response to your question. My whole purpose of the Parody is this: People were trying to persuade the Planning Board to reject this application. They research zoning laws and noted that numerous zoning laws would have to be relaxed in order for this application to be granted. Basically, my family and friends were suspicious that this decision was feta compli. My advice to them was if they feel that the Planning Board is going to approve this application, no matter what the residents wanted, then they are shoveling do-do against the tide in battling the Planning Board. I reminded them there is a local goverment in place with elected officials. I am trying to make residents aware to not underestimate local elections. Those elections, you don't bother to participate in, can affect your life, just as much, if not more, than national elections.