Had the recent August 24th Hastings Board of Trustee meeting been a prize fight it would surely have been stopped. The deer overpopulation issue has been so horribly mishandled by Mayor Swiderski that Tuesday evening he was confronted by disgruntled persons from either side of the issue. Hastings resident John Gonder and others were outraged having learned that Mayor Swiderski has apparently 'shifted' course and is now pursuing immunocontraception, rather than the lethal option of net & bolt. This abrupt change in plan comes after nearly a year of pursuing and promoting net & bolt. The announcement was made without any public discussion. Mr. Gonder challenged Swiderski's ethics and accused the Hastings Mayor of back room politics, telling the board, "you should all resign." Not a bad idea.
However, it was the withering public comment of former Hastings resident, Corey Shaff (now of Sharon Ct.), which left the Hastings Mayor shaken and disoriented. (video link below - warning, frankly it's pathetic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrj9Pp61iio&feature=player_embedded
With a measured demeanor Mr. Shaff recounted a visit Mayor Swiderski made to Irvington trustees in September 2009, where Swiderki misrepresented Hastings residents as having "rolled over on the issue" and that the village would be netting & bolting deer, "no matter what." Shaff pointed out that only 38 hands were raised in favor of a cull and none of these hands were aware that the culling technique would be that of net & bolt. At the same Irvington trustee meeting, Mr. Shaff recounted how Mayor Swiderski demeaned Hastings residents referring to them as, "having a reputation for being desperately green and earthy crunchy." In what were the most dramatic and damning moments of the board meeting, Mr. Shaff then read portions of Mayor Swiderski's emails, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, in which Swiderki called for 'wiping out all the deer.' Shaff asked that the net & bolt permit, which Mayor Swiderski has "set aside for now" be returned to the N.Y. state D.E.C., calling Swiderski's retention of said permit, "an abomination."
Ashen and wobbly, though still seated, Swiderski searched for words, measuring them with the delusional hope that they would provide some damage control. Instead, he and they (his words) proved more damning then even Mr. Shaff's expose, tough trick as Shaff all but gutted the sitting Mayor. If Mayor Swiderski's retort had been offered by a high level public official, it would surely have lead to his or her ridiculed dismissal. The Mayor defended his Irvington visit saying he "overstated" his case as "leaders" often do in order to enlist Irvington's support for net & bolt deer slaughter. Ignoring that he misrepresented Hastings residents, using them to gain this support. In what was most difficult to watch, the Mayor tried to explain away his 'earthy crunchy' description of Hastings residents. Swiderski explained that he is a vegetarian and drives a hybrid, chiding Mr. Shaff for not seeing "the polite irony" with which his comments were made. "They don't come earthier and crunchier than me," Swiderski exclaimed. The current headline of Buck Vandeer's Facebook page (a vocal opposition group) tags this quote with -- Oh yes they do, Fredo. In droves. ( Fredo Corleone, the fuck up brother in The Godfather) It is clear, Peter Swiderski visited Irvington to SELL SLAUGHTER. Am I missing something, is there such a thing as earthy crunchy slaughter? Mayor Swiderski's response was pathetic, the logic reeking of desperation. The Mayor continues to have no qualms when it comes to insulting the intelligence of Hastings residents, obfuscating his position no matter the video evidence to the contrary. Perhaps most troubling is the manner in which Swiderski, yet again, presented the D.E.C. as 'the fall guy' in this equation. The Mayor earlier this year said that the D.E.C.'s "process" had "led him" to the net & bolt permit. Tuesday evening describing it as, 'a technique that was handed to us.' What are we to do Mayor Swiderski, conjure up images of the D.E.C. as drug dealer, calling out from a dark alleyway? "Psssttt, psssttt. Net & Bolt, yo. Sweeeeeet virgin permit, P. Swid. Here, just let me hand it to ya Mayor." Or did they force feed you the permit, shoving it down your throat while holding you at gun point. The video clearly shows that Kevin Clark of the D.E.C. did not bring up net & bolt as an option when visiting Hastings in September of 2009, in fact Swiderski did. Clark was in fact "leading" the village in other directions, not surprising as net & bolt was illegal in the state of New York at the time of his visit. Peter Swiderski acted impulsively, he sought and fought for "his" net & bolt permit, the first such permit issued in the history of NY state, a distinction which former Hastings resident Corey Shaff is not proud. Mayor Swiderski has displayed again and again what appears to be a constitutional incapability of simply telling the truth. The diminutive, bespectacled, pot bellied corporate analyst, is far more dangerous to the village of Hastings than any deer tick carrying buckets of Lyme disease could ever dream to be. Peter Swiderski should resign as the Mayor of Hastings on Hudson, as he has lost all credibility, and it is far too late for an apology. No matter how "earthy crunchy" that apology may be.
