The Buck stopped here

There was a time, not so long ago, when town officials both elected and appointed felt a necessity to comport themselves with dignity, to try to uphold their oaths of office, to set an example through word and deed for their constituents. It was sort of what we expected from the people we put in office, and the people that they appointed to unpaid, volunteer posts.

But somewhere along the line, all that stopped. Somewhere, local officials got it into their heads that a town post was a good path to take for personal enrichment. And I have to admit, the sudden proliferation of proposed wind farms has brought this out in spades.

In October, Oswegatchie Councilman Kenneth Wilson let people know he is unashamed of using his vote to cash in on the, er, windfall. The Times reported recently: "What's the big deal?" Mr. Wilson asked when contacted Thursday. "These things are coming and you're involved. I have nothing to hide and no intention of recusing myself from voting, unless there's a legal issue, at which time I would seek advice from our legal counsel."

Huh? Ken doesn't see any problem voting in favor of the wind farm that's going to line his pockets. Wow. Way to go, Ken — at least you're up front about it. Most people give at least a passing effort to hide that from the voters.

Now, in Hammond, a Planning Board member, Crayton Buck, has distinguished his office by tearing down a political sign in favor of an anti-wind-farm slate of candidates and, well, urinating on it. Crayton is 78, and if I were him, I'd seriously consider using an arteriosclerosis defense.

Crayton was captured in the act on one of those nifty trail cameras that are primarily used to get candid shots of wildlife afield. In this case, the Buck was caught red-handed. Or, you know, red-some-other-body-parted. When the property owner looked at his pictures, he called the cops. And Crayton was (I'm sorry) outed — and ticketed.

You might expect this kind of behavior from someone in their teens. Kids, after all, will be kids. Crayton is well beyond that excuse. He oughta know better, as they say around the kitchen table.

The whole sordid incident points out just how divisive the wind power issue is. It has become the new landfill-siting fight of the 21st century. Unfortunately, the wind power brouhaha is tinged with the greed factor, as landowners who might host wind towers see nothing more than dollar signs. And whether intentionally or by facilitous accident, it has been complicated as wind-farm developers have started cutting checks for public officials.

In Hammond, as in Cape Vincent and Lyme and Orleans and Henderson and Clayton, there is significant blowback against wind-farm proposals. A lot of people, especially those along the lake or the river, don't want the visual pollution attendant to these 400-foot-tall behemoths, and the flicker and the noise and the radio-signal interference. They have legitimate concerns that town officials should objectively consider. It's hard to be objective when you've got a $5,000 check burning a hole in your pocket.

Meanwhile, Crayton Buck will head to court Thursday, to answer his charge. And no matter how you feel about his action in light of his position on the Planning Board, he will always have this: he is the 2009 poster boy for prostate health.