NEWS
Letter to the Editor No Thanks to Faso
Dear Editor:
While this election cycle has produced heated debate between friends, neighbors and family members over who should be president, there should be widespread agreement on who to vote for in the 19th Congressional District. One candidate has a very clear record in Schoharie County.
John Faso served as a consultant for Tennessee Gas, a company which pursued a ten year long law suit against the county demanding to get the taxes they pay on a multi-million dollar pipeline and compressor station reduced. It seems that Tennessee Gas didn’t think they should pay their fair share to our county, towns and school districts. John Faso agreed. The cost of defending the county from the lawsuit brought by Mr. Faso’s employer was borne by Schoharie County taxpayers. When the County ultimately gave up and reluctantly handed Tennessee Gas a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement, the taxpayers were left to make up the difference.
Mr. Faso later because a consultant to, and spokesperson for, Constitution Pipeline Company. As he stood before the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors touting his new employer’s plan to run a gas pipeline through the backyards, woodlots and farm fields of Schoharie County residents, Constitution was harassing those residents with unannounced high-pressure visits, intimidation and letters threating to take them to court if they didn’t voluntarily surrender their land for pipeline easements. Ultimately, Constitution used private process servers and Schoharie County sheriff’s deputies to serve angry residents with legal papers in their driveways and store parking lots then hauled them into court, seizing their land under eminent domain. The pipeline company believed they had a right to take private property to increase their profits. John Faso agreed.
John Faso’s record is clear. He is no friend of Schoharie County, no friend of private property rights and the last person we should want representing us in Congress. The last thing we need is another lobbyist/politician beholden to special interests, bankrolled by corporate money, working against us instead of for us.
Bob Nied
Richmondville
While this election cycle has produced heated debate between friends, neighbors and family members over who should be president, there should be widespread agreement on who to vote for in the 19th Congressional District. One candidate has a very clear record in Schoharie County.
John Faso served as a consultant for Tennessee Gas, a company which pursued a ten year long law suit against the county demanding to get the taxes they pay on a multi-million dollar pipeline and compressor station reduced. It seems that Tennessee Gas didn’t think they should pay their fair share to our county, towns and school districts. John Faso agreed. The cost of defending the county from the lawsuit brought by Mr. Faso’s employer was borne by Schoharie County taxpayers. When the County ultimately gave up and reluctantly handed Tennessee Gas a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement, the taxpayers were left to make up the difference.
Mr. Faso later because a consultant to, and spokesperson for, Constitution Pipeline Company. As he stood before the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors touting his new employer’s plan to run a gas pipeline through the backyards, woodlots and farm fields of Schoharie County residents, Constitution was harassing those residents with unannounced high-pressure visits, intimidation and letters threating to take them to court if they didn’t voluntarily surrender their land for pipeline easements. Ultimately, Constitution used private process servers and Schoharie County sheriff’s deputies to serve angry residents with legal papers in their driveways and store parking lots then hauled them into court, seizing their land under eminent domain. The pipeline company believed they had a right to take private property to increase their profits. John Faso agreed.
John Faso’s record is clear. He is no friend of Schoharie County, no friend of private property rights and the last person we should want representing us in Congress. The last thing we need is another lobbyist/politician beholden to special interests, bankrolled by corporate money, working against us instead of for us.
Bob Nied
Richmondville