2 Attachment(s)
Rocky Point Civic Association meeting 3/5/09
Meeting notes:
It was great to see all the fishing support. About 50 people total, maybe 20 of them fishermen. I sat at a table with Eisey and Frankiesurf, good to meet you guys. :HappyWave: Also got a chance to meet Tom Farrell of the NYCRF, and some of the other fishermen.
Mark Lesko and Tim Mazzei introduced themselves, and spoke of their goals. When it came time for questions, Eisey asked Mark Lesko, who has a background as a US attorney, what his position was on the Access and Public trust issues for Shoreham.
Mr Lesko
Attachment 5445
Mr Mazzei
Attachment 5446
I feel that Mr Lesko didn't answer the question directly but danced around it instead. As an attorney, I felt he should have anticipated he would be asked a question about the Public Trust and could have given a more direct answer as to his position.To his credit, Mr Lesko did say he was meeting with the NYCRF group next week and will look at all the options.
There was a similar scenario with Mr. Mazzei. He did make a joke about fishing a long time ago, to break the ice. Another fisherman asked him about his position, and I didn't feel a direct answer was given either. However, he did say he would try and work something out.
I hope they can actually do this, as the election is March 31, and voters need time to make up their minds.
Ms Bonner's reponses and action plan
There was a decent amount of time allotted at the end to fishermen asking questions. Jane Bonner responded. It was the first time I had seen her in public. Honestly, I had a poor opinion of her because of the buck passing that seemed to be happening. I have been to 3 meetings up there already, and it doesn't seem like much is getting done.
Some of her comments:
On litter:
"One of the main concerns was litter. There were many used condoms, broken beer bottles, and fishing hooks. People were living on the beach and sleeping on the bluffs."
On the "no fishing or boating" legacy statute on the books:
"This came about because we had problems there. The Law Dept, Parks Dept, & Town Supervisors Dept is responsible for the research, not me. I was left with no choice. If you think I made that decision lightly, you are wrong!"
On the Public Trust Doctrine:
"You are not stopped from gtting on the beach at the high tide mark, but you can be denied access in the areas where this touches the private property of property owners. The law is shades of grey. There are attorneys who will argue this on both sides"
On resolving Access for fishermen:
" I have spoken with Stan Hentschel, John Skinner, and several others in trying to resolve this. I realize you are all being restricted. I am not a fishing person, but my brother, sister, and father are. You have my committment on that that I am trying to resolve this in a peaceful manner."
Tom, RP, and any others who may be skeptical as to the actual progress made by Ms Bonner resolving this: I'm still skeptical, but am glad that she got up there and spoke. It was the first time I have seen her address fishermen publically. I remember the other meeting when there were over 75 fishermen in that same hall, and she did not show up.
I asked her about this, and she said she wasn't invited. I can't say whether this is true or not, but at least she faced us last night. That's what elected officials are supposed to do, no matter how unpleasant the task.
On a more serious note, Tom and others may have noticed that she seemed agitated or emotional. I think it's important to mention here that some genius on another website put up a google map to her house on the internet. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ons/icon13.gif Of course, when she saw this, it freaked her out, and maybe she has been a little nervous or guarded because of that. That's completely understandable.
It's cowardly to do something like that instead of going to a public meeting and meeting with someone face to face. Additionally, pulling crap like that makes all fishermen look bad.
If any of you reading this know if that post still exists, for the sake of all of us please contact the webmaster and ask them to remove it.
Sure we are angry about lost access. We will not forget or take the issue lightly. We have a right to protest and make our voices heard, either at public meetings or at the voting booths.
Sending implied threats over the internet, and causing a woman to feel unsafe in her house, is not cool. I'm still not convinced I believe everything she said, but I give her respect for standing up there in front of us.
For anyone who is so irritated about this that you feel you want to stand up and be counted, please join us at the next meeting, and let your opinion be heard in a respectful manner. Don't count on the other guy to do it, it's up to each and every one of us.
I drive 85 miles each way every time I go there. Why do I do this? I'll probably never fish up there, unless one of you guys invites me. :D I do it because we got the same stuff going on in NJ. We lose access in Monmouth county every year, and in NJ, it's mostly the fault of fishermen.
Here, in Brookhaven, it seems to me it's more the fault of people going to the beach at night and partying or camping, local teenagers, etc, and less the fault of most fishermen. But they're getting blamed anyway, and are in danger of losing access.
More importantly, let your opinion heard that there are other ways for the town to go after litterers. They could pass a $250 fine against litterers, where anyone tossing so much as a piece of gum would get a ticket. Of course, that means some of the local tenagers would be hassled by the police, and thier parents might get upset that their child got a $250 ticket. But it you want fairness and equality, you need equal enforcement. The added fines would help the budget shortfall for this year, so the town can't complain there is no money to institute this. Ticket and violations revenue is used by many towns to supplement the budget. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif
Even been to Connecticut? I was there with my girlfriend last year as we tried to scout a few fishing spots. Street after street had fences, no trespassing, and no fishing signs posted. If you guys on LI don't band together, that could be your reality very soon.
So if it happens in NY, it will happen soon after in NJ, the places I hold as sacred to my fishing enjoyment. I'm not about to let this happen, and am asking anyone out there who is upset about lost access to get involved.
Come and be a voice with us, show the elected public officials that we are more than a few, and we are not going to stand for this. :thumbsup: