W ith the Village of Ellenville's Local Development Corporation (LDC) approving the position of Interim Economic Development Officer, it appears that the town has either refused, forgotten, or simply not "got around" to reorganizing their dormant Revolving Loan Fund into a more aggressive LDC that could assist in funding an economic development officer or fund one of its own.

This recent occurrence is symptomatic of each administration's character as we have seen village officials attempt to be proactive when confronting the area's worsening economic fortunes, sometimes rushing in where angels fear to tread. At the same time the town board's conservative, some would say stagnant, approach appears to keep the town mired in the minutiae of everyday governance, readjusting the rear view mirror as the car heads over a cliff.

Each approach should raise questions about each board. Looking at the village's administration, there is a sense of enterprising action, that the future can be better than our present. But that sense has been unfortunately tainted by recent revelations about the administration's finances and by swirling whispers of unfair practices. It makes one wonder, can they pull it off? And if they can, who will benefit?

Looking at the town's administration and its seeming lack of intention to do anything to assist in the area's economic wellbeing makes one wonder if they ignore it because they are not aware of what is happening, or they do not believe they are up to the task?

In either case, the ones who will suffer will be our community's residents. As the village government remains defensive and defiant in its budgeting practices and saber rattles about the possibility of dissolution, the town's administration remains suspicious of village officials and unmotivated to propose any programs or initiatives to assist residents. Between these two alternatives, hope for progress dims, the area's citizens feel worse about where they live because they feel that help is not on the way, and they are forced to choose between incompetence and complacence.

It is coming close to the time that town residents, including those inside the village, must start taking some time out of their own hectic lives and attend our local board meetings if only to announce and remind our elected leaders that their conduct has been woefully lacking and that cooperation — and that means identifying valuable resources and abilities both within and without either administration — must be the guiding principle for the area's future.

To shrink from such a goal is to get mired in the tired delineations of "village" and "town" and head toward a description that no one wants to bear: failure.

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