The C.A.V.E. Persona

TO THE EDITOR: THE NORTHFIELD NEWS OUR QUINTESSENTIAL C.A.V.E. man has taken on yet another cause. This Citizen Against Virtually Everything has proclaimed war against flowering crab trees and planter boxes. Visions of Don Quixote come to mind! These nuisance items can be found at the Old Freight Yard on Wall Street.

Since we purchased the ten acre Freight Yard a year ago, one particular citizen has attempted to thwart any change, which most people would undeniably deem as improvements. In this recent assault on planter boxes, this citizen alleged tractor trailer trucks could not navigate through them to get to 'his' commercial property. Oddly, if this were actually true, we would be limiting our own access along with all the other businesses in the Freight Yard!

The fact that these allegations are not based on truth or reality and are being used to create an injustice, not correct an injustice, is the real issue. The several Town officials and at least one State official that were contacted by this citizen have no way of knowing whether a claim is fabricated or not, yet they have a duty to respond. This is an insidious problem that uses your tax dollars to abuse the machinery of the system.

Our permit to renovate the 150 year old brick Engine House was appealed by this citizen to the Environmental Court. Eight months later, after the court sorted through the citizen's 32 statements of concern, the court ruled in our favor. Now in his latest assault on trees and shrubs, a lawsuit has been filed against me, the Town of Northfield, and another business. Your taxpayer dollars are being used to answer (yet another) 31 claims of impropriety and 21 requests for relief sought by this Citizen Against Virtually Everything, et al. The relief sought by the four plaintiffs appears to be in the range of 3.1 million depending on how you interpret their requests for relief.

Every citizen has the right to proclaim an injustice and to therefore look to the proper authorities to correct the injustice. But the real injustice is when the courts and others are intentionally misled with accusations purporting to be facts. Manufactured claims of impropriety are not to be confused with frivolous lawsuits. It is a deliberate and calculated means of getting a foothold in the door of our legal system in order to gain something that cannot be acquired through honest means.

When the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth cannot be told, then there can be no constructive dialogue. Meanwhile, these Citizens Against Virtually Everything will continue to drain the public coffers for an undetermined agenda, or just for kicks.
MARTHA J. MAHAN
Northfield