Well. looks to me like there's an awful lot of:

"if's",

"Yes, but"

and

"I may not have been clear"... statements. I wonder if Bill Clinton helped her write that speech...ba dumm dumm.

So, where did she say that the 7.2 MILLION would definitely be available and we taxpayers would NEVER have to pay a penny....the Mayor just to be mean buried it and is a bad person and whatever?

Sorry folks, but I just have a hard time seeing four people excoriated and THEN - the actual facts come out and in my book, based on Marlene's uncertainty Annie was right in not committing to the potential white elephant.

Now on to "Hillary 16!

Just to be clear: what Ms. Casey said at the M&C meeting was: "Yes, but...you won't get all the money in one year." She indicated that it would be a multiyear effort but that the money was there and VERY accessible. It should have been pursued then. It wasn't. Just because we missed that opportunity does not mean we should abandon all hope and cave into United Water, Hekemian and Inserra now. This is a battle to maintain quality of life and it can still be won. Residents of New Milford, let UW and Inserra know that you are NOT HAPPY with this proposed development. Write letters, call, and email to let them know that the changes Hekemian has proposed are not acceptable. Let them know how disgusted you are.

Mr. Drake,
I have to say that it is really disturbing to read your comments on the Patch. I am a twenty year resident of this community and care very much about its future. I can only imagine that you do as well. I truly believe that if we could all take toxic rhetoric out of our statements, a more meaningful discussion can be had. If, however, the idea is to keep people from becoming involved by the constant staging of a public dog fight, then I believe you are accomplishing your goal.
Lori, thanks for the clear statement, as usual.

Is the town a non profit? How long have we had a grant writer? Why has it been made public the yes but? Or the he said she said? I may stand alone in this but, if companies want to generate revenue for a themselves, and in doing so generating revenue for a town, then doesn't that help? Isn't it common sense to allow owners of industry to dictate and direct us on a direction that can positively impact our town. What's the fear of having a nice shop rite or a nice field or a parking lot or apartments? What is the big deal already. Lets just get things done and stop with the he said she said.

Hey Alex, how are you?

forgive my non equity example please.

Imagine yourself directing a play which is backed and paid for by investors. You have stage/set/wardrobe designers who want beautiful sets, gorgeous furniture and glamorous garment design. and then you have the investors who are a bit more interested in making sure their investment will be guaranteed.

How would you go about Guaranteeing to your investors that the cost would be covered by PotentiaL ticket sales?

That's the problem with being the responsible one. The Mayor had to make the call based on uncertain and NOT guaranteed monies coming in.

btw, any news on my musical play "Priorities"?

I did attend the meeting - my very first! - and heard Mrs. Casey talk about available grants - not just in relation to the U/W property and Hirshfeld Brook - but also possible grants for fire engines and police building or fire station improvements, maybe more. My question is - why are we not going after every possible grant available? If you heard the police chief detail the inadequacies of our current police department building and then wrap up his testimony by revealing that the list he was reading from was written in 2004 (!!) -- clearly there are upgrades in our infrastructure that need addressing, so why aren't we taking advantage of every single opportunity offered by way of Mrs. Casey's services (which, I believe, she said are free of charge)? If there are ways to address the needs of New Milford without placing undue burden on the taxpayers, why aren't we lunging for them as a matter of course? Why isn't Mrs. Casey welcomed at every M&C meeting to provide immediate updates on what's available so that the M&C can determine how it might serve us? I mean, is there a downside to accepting grants that I am unaware of? If not, this seems like a no brainer to me.

Mrs. Casey and her firm makes money on grant that she gets for the town. I am assuming it is percentage of the grant. I don;t know how much. Notwithstanding that, you are correct. New Milford has to make better effort of going after every single opportunity to get grant for whatever sources. Every little bit helps. It is essentially that much less burden on taxpayer.

Mrs. Casey is a long time resident of New Milford and works for us and many other northern NJ communities. Her efforts are resposible for improvements being made all over our area. She has stated in public and is backed up by recordings that in 2011 she told the Mayor and Council that there were funds available to purchase this property. The minutes of these meetings do not reflect her comments correctly. The recordings are availble at boro hall for anyone to purchase. However, it is counter productive to spend a great deal of time considering the history of this sale. Elections will decide if the public approves of the way it was handled. Let's dirct all our energy in stopping this development from scarring our community. Working together, putting vitriol and poison behind us we can insure ourselves and our children a good life in a good community. At this point politics really do need to be put aside. Dialogue is good. Opinions are valid. Anger and demagogary have no place in this discussion.

I can't hear anyone because of the noise.

On a positive note, our attention on the United Water property has made everyone in town more aware and active in our town government!

You are right on the money, Robin. And this engagement by the NM residents needs to spread to other issues beyond United Water property. Issues that can bring the town together instead of dividing it.

Thanks for the clarifications!!