IJC favoring south shore interests

A recent article in the Times, "Lots of letters sent to IJC," contained some very interesting information. It said, "It (the IJC) can adopt a firm deadline for an environmentally focused plan favored by many environmental groups and New York state official or it can honor its 50-year-old commitment to the protection of the south shore of Lake Ontario."

Later in the article it says that many letters from the Rochester area include the phrase about the 50-year-old commitment. Over the 22 years that I have been involved in water levels issues, it has been ever apparent that there is something special about the south shore.

IJC commissioners have come and gone over that time span, and yet all of them have always bowed to the demands of that area. For some time I have had the feeling that some years back a deal possibly was cut with the south shore. A deal that, to my knowledge, was never made public. This is the only logical explanation for the present and past commissioners continually bowing to the demands of that particular area.

I would respectively request that the present commission make such a deal public and put all stakeholders on the same playing field. Commissioners past and present always quote "the treaty" as the reason for what they do. The treaty does mention riparians, but it does not say south shore riparians. If there was such a deal, this present commission has an exceptional opportunity to start off with a clean slate and truly represent all riparians and stakeholders.

Bea Schermerhorn

Hammond