If one were forced to find something positive with the recent antics of the Rochester Town Board, one could say that they at least displayed a willingness to do a little research about an issue placed before them. The same cannot be said about many of our representatives as they are faced with the possibility of Wal-Mart opening a store in the Napanoch Valley Mall. As reported last week, when asked directly by the Ellenville Journal if they had done any research to support their conclusions about the project, no one other than Trustee Krulick said that they had. (Following publication, Mayor Kaplan indicated that he indeed had done some research, and did not realize the question was addressed to him as well.) Yet despite the admitted lack of inquiry, some board members seem to feel comfortable with the impact a new Wal-Mart might have on the Village. How is it possible to come to any conclusion about such a large project, for or against, without looking into it in some detail?

There is no question the community desperately wants something to happen at the mall, so it is easy to equate the desperation for change with a desire for the only option on the table, namely Wal-Mart. It is also easy for politicians to let themselves off the hook by simply following the perceived "will" of the people, and for them to think that in a democracy, their responsibilities end there. Wawarsing's Town Board did as much a few weeks ago by refusing to even consider a moratorium, after a petition was presented to them with over a thousand signatures "for" Wal-Mart. At the last Town Board meeting a petition with several signatures "against" Wal-Mart was presented with assurances that more signatures were to come. Regardless of either petition, to give in to a visceral demonstration of desire is not the same as making sound public policy, which must take into account many more factors than pages of signatures. This information is available, in studies, the media, and other municipalities. What seems to be lacking is a will and energy to honestly consider it.

The Village will be profoundly affected with a new Wal-Mart only a mile away, so to somehow think that the question is only a Town issue and not a Village issue is problematic. While the Village may not have any regulatory authority over the development, it is a large part of the Town of Wawarsing and it should make its opinion known in a formal way, and have that opinion considered in whatever actions the Town takes. Thus, the Board of Trustees will be voicing its collective opinion on Monday, February 26 as to whether or not it will ask the Town to consider a moratorium on construction. Both the Village and the Town owe it to the residents of the communities that they represent to make an informed, researched assessment of this potentially huge change, not just offer a knee-jerk reaction. The conclusions they reach as a board may be completely different than those of Trustee Krulick's, but they should be based on the same due diligence and attention to detail that he has displayed.

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