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On today's "Buzz Blog" at the Duluth News Tribune, the guest blogger was City Councilor Jeff Anderson. He had some very interesting things to say about the East Superior Street Cell Tower Issue:
Cell Tower Update
"The Duluth City Council has received numerous e-mails concerning our decision to grant AT&T a conditional use permit for a cell tower on East Superior Street. In fact there was a Letter to the Editor in the January 20th edition of the Duluth News Tribune which was very critical of our decision.
I think it’s important for those concerned individuals to know how the conditional use permit granted by the council fits with the comprehensive plan.
The initial request for a conditional use permit ("CUP") came on August 13th. The city planning commission held a public hearing on October 13th. The planning commission sent the proposal to the city council without a recommendation because the motion to recommend the CUP failed on a 5-5 vote. On October 22nd, this matter came before the city council and was tabled until November 9th. At the November 9th meeting, the council voted 7-2 to approve the cell tower CUP.
Up until this point, there were few, if any, communications with the council that this tower was of concern to wildlife. In fact, one of my council colleagues spoke with a representative from U.S. Fish and Wildlife and they indicated no concern.
Our planning staff reviewed the CUP proposal for zoning and comprehensive plan compliance. In Minnesota, the law requires that if the comprehensive plan and zoning are in conflict, the zoning prevails. These types of towers are an allowable special use within the zoning at issue.
The city has now issued its final decision on the CUP. Revoking the CUP at this time would likely generate litigation for the City.
Federal law significantly restricts the City's ability to control the placement of these types of towers through zoning. Rest assured that the new zoning code is being carefully crafted to comply with the federal law."
I find it interesting that Anderson quotes an unnamed Councilor as a resource for information from Fish and Wildlife. He makes it sound like Fish and Wildlife was contacted prior to the vote. In light of the FACT that Fish and Wildlife took the time to send the City of Duluth an Official warning about the danger to birds at this site, I find his claim dubious at best. We'll see if he will give me an answer as to who he is quoting. I have a pretty good idea who it is and I know for a FACT that that councilor was NOT told there was no concern. This possible misrepresentation really disturbs me.
Also, he does not say that AT&T pulled this item off the agenda, which is why it was tabled in the first place. Fact is, it was also slated for a review from the Environmental Advisory Council and pulling it off the agenda caused it to also be pulled from that committee's agenda....convenient much? The Environmental Advisory Council meets quite infrequently, pulling this item fast tracked it to the council. It never did have an environmental council review.
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7 comments:
I was going to post this, you beat to the punch lol. I will have commetns later but going to a Christmas party. Yeah a little late but hey it is what goes on these days I guess.
Kelly, I hate to use the word "lie," but someone at the very least is not telling the whole truth. We really need to know who told Anderson that Fish and Wildlife had no problem with the tower. If Anderson doesn't give up a name, I will be very disappointed in him.
Kelly, this looks like a done deal now -- is there still a way that we can stop this tower?
Tony:
Presure is the only way. Phone, email, gonig to the meetings and speaking.
I was thinking about this and was wondering if any one would be interested in a rally, and then signing up and speaking or just coming and showing crowd support. All speakers would speak at the begining of the meeting unless we could get it on the angenda.
Presure is the only way to make some one buckle.
Tony and John,
I have sent a letter directly to Anderson asking for the name and the contact at FWS. I stated that his claim is incredible considering the official letter to the City. I also stated that since it was a conversation between two councilors about city business he must make public who it is. We'll see if and when he replies. What I find most ironic, is that he misleads the facts in that particular paragraph, he makes it seem like no one asked the council to bring up questions about migration, and that fws told them there was no problem prior to their vote. That, I am pretty sure, is not true. In the council emails there is a record of my email warning them of this exact problem...that email was sent November 3rd, the vote was on the 9th.
That this blog seems to be something of a rebuttal to my editorial (he mentions my letter in his blog) just proves one of the points I made in the letter! That politicians become so full of themselves that they expend a lot of effort trying to show they are right...when in fact they can be wrong! They can develop such self-importance and ego issues that they can't fix a problem! I find his tactic quite disappointing, and lacking in character. And this is our new council president.
This is not a done deal, Bob Russell at FWS says that many towers have been stopped right up to the point where building was to begin. He says, "Don't stop until they roll in the supplies and equipment to build."
I have a small contingent of people who have contacted me in just the last couple days, we are meeting tomorrow to strategize. It may take more than standing in front of the council at this point. We are going to look at all options including pressure on AT&T and the tower owner. So far I haven't gotten a statement from AT&T so we have to keep that up. Also I have a friend who's an attorney, I asked him today if he knows anyone who does pro bono environmental stuff, I'd just like someone to look at Gunner Johnson's statement (which Jeff Anderson pretty much cut and pasted to that blog) and tell us if it actually means anything. So..we're far from done fighting this.
Kelly, I think you should talk before city council and read Jeff Anderson's statement and ask him point-blank to whom he was referring -- and maybe ask the other councilors to disclose whether they are the elected official in question who F & W talked to. I admire your persistence, that's what makes our country great.
Hi Claire, I intend to spend some time rebutting his comment today. I already know the exact day that one of our other councilors spoke to fish and wildlife, and who the councilor was. I also know who that councilor spoke to because the person from fish and wildlife called me personally to tell me that a councilor had called him! Now, I intend to ask, did Jeff Anderson intend to mislead in his blog? Or, did the councilor (who I will name in my rebuttal) misquote Fish and Wildlife to Anderson? (I have a response from F&W to Anderson's blog to publish also) Or, is it really possible that there is ANOTHER councilor who contacted F&W and spoke with someone completely different who went completely against the official say of F&W? If this is so, Anderson should tell us who or I'd say he's misleading for his own purposes.
Kelly drop me an email on what is going on. What you guys talked about in the meeting and such.
duluthneedshelp@yahoo.com
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