I don’t write very often. But after Tuesday’s Town Board meeting, I had to. I was in the room. I do not like the Comprehensive Plan. Parts of it seem to be written for a few developers and a few pieces of land. If those deals fall through, or that land is sold, the harm to Cornwall may never be undone. But the Plan itself is not why I am writing.

For the first 40 minutes, the Plan’s lawyer, who also lives in Cornwall, scolded the people who spoke against it. Then he said he was speaking “as a Resident”. For close to 30 minutes, he lectured the room about the need for change.

Without meaning to, he showed us the real problem. He told us how to act. But his own tone showed why so many people here are upset. His message was clear. Cornwall must change. If you push back, you are wrong.

Then Tim McCarty gave his statement. He spoke up. He spoke wisely. He spoke with respect. What came next was the worst thing I saw all night. No comment. No debate. No real reply. He was simply ignored.

Then the Board voted. The Plan passed. Only after that were residents allowed to speak.

Think about that. The public never had a chance to change this Plan. So why ask for our views? Why hold public meetings if the choice was already made?
And who gets to decide what kind of change is right for Cornwall? He does? Do they?

That night I saw how little say the people of Cornwall have left in their own town.

Here is one idea. Use two cameras for future meetings. One on the resident speaking. One on the Board and its consultants. People at home see only the speaker. They miss what happens across the table.

One resident finally spoke up about it. I felt the same way. There was little eye contact. Some looked at their phones. There were smirks. One was rude to residents who were polite. One looked at the ceiling or a piece of paper the entire time.

Two people stood out. Tim McCarty and Rokhsha Michael-Razi acted with class. Agree with them or not, they truly listened. The rest had already made up their minds. Sound familiar? No matter where you stand on the Plan, that should worry you.

Our town government is broken. It no longer speaks for the people of Cornwall.