In my opinion, my views are being shot down by Amy Poturnicki who said not to sign my petition, by Jon Brayshaw because he called me "unprofessional," by Dave Rowe who does not even live in town, by Sean Hayes because he said I do not understand finance, and by Jenny Brown because there have been too many people whining and complaining about these deals in the past.
There are plenty of opinions out there, but here are a few facts:
Fact 1: I have lived in Middlefield and paid taxes on that property for the past two years, I have lived in Connecticut for 10 years.
Fact 2: I have an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut, and an undergraduate degree in Economics.
Fact 3: I have over 10 years of insurance industry experience, particularly in the areas of Actuarial and Finance, at Fortune 500 Companies including Progressive Insurance and The Hartford, and Fortune Global 500 Hartford Steam Boiler.
Fact 4: I have an 18 year old son who loves to snowboard, and the two of us have snowboarded up at Ski Sundown together, so we would love to do so here in town.
Fact 5: I have expressed opinions that run counter to the current administration, both in regard to the town's budget, as well as Powder Ridge financing during my participation in town meetings over the past year.
The fact is, to have a healthy debate, you need to have 2 sides that participate fully in the debate.
Let's actually have a meeting for a change that allows facts to be shared and articulated, instead of attacking the character of our fellow residents in town, who happen to have courage to speak out when something does need to be said to be sure that our land is being used wisely.
Laura Williams
Middlefield
Everyone has a right to their viewpoints, including you, but I WILL stand up against your petition entitled "Save our Ski Area" because it is misleading and deceptive. I will absolutely make for certain that people are educated in the fact that by signing your "Save Our Ski Area" petition, they are in fact signing against the brownstone deal. Brownstone has already stated they do not want to nor will they lease. Why try to force them out by pushing a petition? It all boils down to the unfriendly game of politics that has forced previous potential prospects right out of town. I embrace Brownstone and wish the best for our town and Brownstone! For those that wish to became better educated on this subject, please join us during one of our upcoming Meet & Greet dates: http://durham.patch.com/blog_posts/meet-greet-series-with-sean-hayes-of-brownstone Sincerely, Amy :)
When we get involved and state our opinions we should expect to have opposition. If you do not want opposition you should remain silent....not a great option. This is what happens when we get involved. It takes time and not everyone will agree with us, this is one of the prices of freedom. Everyone is free to attend and partake in the numerous opportunities to get out to meet with Sean Hayes and whatever opportunities come about. We too have been in town over ten years. No deal will be 100% to everyone's liking, there are often people who find something wrong with everything unless it is the deal they came up with. AND, if your comments and opinions are meant in the best interest of moving forward, you still have to be willing to let it go, if it is not the popular opinion. Let’s all do our best, be professional and ethical and if it does not go your way, be mature and let it go, and wish everyone the very best.