News – Fal E – 5/25/12 – No Place For Obstinate Behavior

Falmouth Enterprise May 25, 2012   - From the Editor

Falmouth’s selectmen are either very patient people or they hide their irritation well. That was our conclusion after learning that the aggrieved neighbors of the town’s wind turbines refused to sit on a committee that is being formed to work toward a consensus on how to deal with the problems the town’s turbines have caused.

Granted it has been a long haul for those who find the noise from the machines unbearable. It has been two years since Wind 1 went online and while some accommodation has been made to alleviate the impact, it has not been enough for some. But that is not license for obstinateness. There is another side to this issue. The town is on the hook for millions of dollars; taxpayers are on the hook. Some will decry the point as though it is somehow corrupt to consider finances when people’s well-being is at stake.

It is not that simple. To suggest that finances and emotional well-being cannot be connected is callous in the extreme when so many in our community are financially stressed.

The best hope for resolving the problems the turbines have caused is for everyone to come to the table and work toward a consensus. What is more troubling than leaving empty seats at the table is the justification for it. A letter read at the selectmen’s meeting Monday night all but accused the selectmen of inflicting pain. It invoked imagery of war and suggested aggressiveness on the part of the selectmen.

The tone of the letter was not calculated to gain respect or sympathy. The selectmen showed remarkable restraint. The letter writers accused the board of not appreciating the “gravity of the situation.” Clearly they do; they would otherwise have thrown up their hands and said, “enough.” There was insult enough for the selectmen to turn their backs on the writers.

The town is fortunate to have a skilled negotiator in Stacie Smith of the Consensus Building Institute. Ms. Smith had the wisdom to recommend that empty seats be left at the table in the event that neighbors of the turbines have a change of heart and decide to participate. It is more than a show of good faith. A number of residents have not missed an opportunity to participate. We doubt they will, in the end, miss this one. Perhaps, despite their obstinateness, a solution can be found.