By Guy Page
A member of the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission (CVRPC) has resigned because, she says, the organization’s policies restrict human access to transportation, the woods, and even the air we breathe. Disagreement is censored and ignored, Amy Hornblas says.
Hornblas, of Marshfield, delivered her resignation letter at the commission’s October meeting. The CVRPC serves 23 municipalities in Washington and Orange Counties, “working on their behalf to build strong and resilient communities, foster economic prosperity, and promote a high quality of life in an equitable and sustainable manner” through planning and community development assistance to municipal governments, the CVRPC website says.
Although little-known to most residents of those towns, the state’s 11 regional planning commissions help develop and implement local and regional plans – mandated by state legislation – overseeing development, water use, housing, energy, and other quality of life issues. Each RPC has a town representative, some of whom sit on the Executive Committee. The CVRPC Executive Committee includes Steve Lotspeich, Chair – Waterbury, Gerry D’Amico, Vice Chair – Roxbury, Janet Shatney, Secretary/Treasurer – Barre City, Michael Gray – Woodbury, Lee Cattaneo – Orange, Peter Carbee – Washington, and Laura Hill-Eubanks – Northfield. Hill-Eubanks is a candidate for the House of Representatives in the General Election next Tuesday.
According to Hornblas – an outspken opponent of masking during the pandemic – the RPCs oversee a “public process that creates an illusion of public input.” Research is required to conform to policy, and not the other way around. A dangerous Groupthink better known in fascist and communist bureaucracies has taken hold, she says.
The letter in full is published below:
Dear Central Vermont Regional Planning Commissioners, Thank you. My name is Amy Hornblas and since 2017 I’ve been the Board of Commissioners representative for Cabot. I’ve also served as the Chair of the Clean Water Advisory Council. I’m here tonight because it appears that Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission’s mask policy, relevant OSHA standards, and poor supervision of the mask use is not something that the Director or the Executive Committee are willing to discuss. Instead, they have sent me to you, the Board of Commissioners. That’s why I’m speaking to you tonight. Thank you, to my fellow commissioners.
You see, we, the Board of Commissioners, are ultimately responsible for CVRPC’s policies and procedures, whether we had any part in writing them or not. We are bureaucrats, basically, who’ve been appointed to represent our towns, and therefore we are responsible for giving the public’s approval to the planning and implementation of the policies and regulations that affect our region.
If I step back and consider the plans, policies, and regulations that we’ve been asked to weigh in on in my time on the board, I see a clear pattern. First of all, all of these plans and procedures restrict our access to the natural world and the resources that we need to survive, such as the roads we travel on, the wood we use to build and heat our homes, the farms where we grow our food, the natural landscape, the forests and rivers (where we belong), and now, the very air we breathe.
The second clear pattern that I see is that any dissent, such as any disagreement with the proposed policies, any concerns that the costs of these policies will outweigh the benefits, is censored or ignored. I think back to discussions we had about not being able to protect small farms, we have to treat them equally as large farms. Not being able to limit wind towers because we’d also have to limit farm silos. Renewable energy issues… all of those things.
In the end, it appears that what we have is a public process that creates an illusion of public input. I value all of your time and expertise, fellow commissioners. I’ve learned so much from each of you, from your unique perspective on all these issues. However, all of the wisdom you share in these meetings is falling on deaf ears. They are like the monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil. Nothing that opposes the policy is going to influence the policy. It’s like the Centers for Disease Control when they “peer review” the papers that they print; they peer review them to make sure that the research conforms with the policy, not the other way around. Their policy does not conform with the research, the research must conform with the policy.
I’ve spoken with several of you privately over the past few years and I know that, like most people, many of you see the harms of masks clearly, and you can see that they clearly outweigh the benefits. However, in this current climate of fear, censorship, and intimidation (that this organization, unfortunately, is participating in) it’s similar to living under Communism or Fascism or some other dictatorial regime. Unfortunately, in those conditions, mob mentality tends to rule. People become willing to sacrifice their long-term safety, and their own integrity, in order to belong, and avoid being cast out of the group by speaking the truth.
Well, I’m willing to say it. The Emperor literally has no clothes. None of these policies are based on actual real-world science, and they are actually abusive. Silencing people, ignoring their suffering, and with-holding their basic needs is abusive. Remember, in all the areas that we’ve discussed as Commissioners- the natural and human resources that we serve on this board to protect- have all been worsening by our efforts, not improving. I, personally, am no longer going to participate in this illusion of public process. With all due respect, and love, and compassion to each and every one of you, I resign.
I thank you for your time. Sincerely,
Amy Hornblas
Categories: State Government
Thank you Amy for saying what needs to be said. Hopefully others see your courage and follow suit. It’s far past the time to refute this madness and fascist regime that has taken hold in America.
Bravo, Amy! Thank you for having courage.
Amy, Thank you for speaking out, but why is it that it is always the Conservative who quits? These institutions that no longer represent the average Vermonter need more people like you, not fewer!
Because we don’t’ have a density of numbers in certain situations to make a difference. It could make no sense for two football players to go against and entire team. The other team is not playing constitutional football, but democracy football, where the mob rules, not the rule of law.
We need to come together in areas where we can make a difference and grow from that. Together we can make a difference. We can’t be diluted by rino’s either. No rino would stand beside her and even understand what she is saying let alone back her up.
Worthless and abusive! This sham of a bureaucratic board needs dismantling. Pronto.
Zowie. Vermont Communists are attempting to now “control” the very air we all utilize automatically as living organisms.
Communists do begin to believe they are God, very obviously. Despite first believing that there is no God…..confusing, I agree.
What fantasies we do conceive, when first we decree who may breathe!!!
Amy
Your resignation letter was excellent, truthful, and spoken with honesty and integrity. Very hard to find these qualities today, Thank you for standing on your principles.
Amy- I am so grateful for you and your strength, wisdom, and work. Thank you for standing up with integrity for all of us. We are so blessed to have you in the movement for truth. freedom and humanity. I am honored to know you.
Amy. Thank you for your years of service and for trying to hold a position of leadership with honesty and integrity. If every person who sits on a public service committee today, would have the guts to stand up for what is right, and not what they are being COERCED to go along with, we would have no one left on these boards and committees. And maybe that’s what needs to happen. Wipe the slate clean of corruption and start over. At least you can look at yourself in the mirror and know you did the right thing. For all others who go along to get along, they must feel so ashamed and disgusted with themselves. They are either corrupt to the core,or cowards. There is no “in between”. I don’t know how they sleep at night!
Rest easy just knowing that maybe your job all along was to expose the strong arm of corruption and coercion within this state.
In life you’re either the Bully, the victim, or the hero. Your role is crystal clear.
God bless you, Amy.
Thank you for standing up to protect all of us, but especially the young. Amy, you were there and ready to open your classroom doors before the media was talking about opiod concerns and most knew nothing about human trafficking. You’ve been vigilant on our front line medical concerns in so many ways. I hope this rattles some cages to bring about some much needed change. Hope you find some fresh ugly fodder to champion. You are just that – a champion!!!
Wow, go Amy! Tell it like it is!
Wonderfully spoken Amy! You are a true hero! So blessed to have connected with you over these past couple of years.
Amy Gets it.
Agenda 21, this is how they are going to roll it out. This is the exact situation we experienced in the Mad River Valley. Normal people clamoring for a normal house. NOPE>>>>> But they get free money for pocket parks, fancy sidewalks, huge recreation fields, massive amounts of expensive land, bike paths, walking paths ANYTHING BUT a house for a normal person to live in.
I was asked onto the affordable housing committee by a selectboard member, as I’ve mentioned its an easy problem to fix, we have after all created it ourselves. They went around the table, asking who would be president, they asked everyone but me, which is ok. they all knew each other well.
I asked them in the beginning, are we going to be open to building small homes and condominiums for ownership are reasonable expenses? Or are we going to fullfill the United Nations Mandate of Agenda 21 where by we build massively expensive rental properties via grant money, state money and connected non-profits?
They looked at me puzzled, well of course we’ll consider that.
9 months later, they wouldn’t consider any of it. All the programs were going for said roll out I initially asked about. I asked the then president, “Karl, it feels like i’m rowing the boat in a wrong direction, playing brahms when the board is playing beethovan. Are we just going to build rental housing? (Agenda 21)” Karl, “Yes that is our goal”
To which I resigned, they don’t need me for that.
Regional planners are not funded by the town, not elected, and you can’t apply for permitting to them, but they control everything. Convenient huh?
We need to abolish all regional planning commissions, immediately.
Amy Gets it. She’d be great to have in an upper management situation, she get’s it.
“Planners” demand power, not just influence.
Property Rights groups failed to turn this political tide –
unpaid volunteers VS the horde of planner bureaucrats !!