Councilor John Gosek listens to the mayor's remarks Monday night.
OSWEGO, NY – Mayor Billy Barlow fired back at Council Vice President John Gosek on Monday night refuting claims the councilor made at last week’s committee meetings.
Gosek initiated discussion regarding a proposed local law to prohibit the spraying of herbicides on city properties. After a lengthy debate at committee, Gosek’s attempt to bring the matter to the full council was stymied.
The purpose of the proposed law is to protect the public health, Gosek explained.
However, the mayor pointed out on Monday that it’s pretty much a moot point. The city already has a spraying policy in place, adding that for any spraying to be done, the proposal must first be approved by the council.
Before Barlow took office, the city had someone certified to do the spraying. That person has since retired, he said.
Last year, the city sent out Requests For Proposals (RFP) for someone to do some spraying. After the spraying contract resolution was approved by the council, there was a groundswell of opposition from members of the public.
“Since then, we have not sprayed on any city property,” Barlow said Monday. “In order to spray, we’d have to come back to council, hire another contractor and award as bid. I think we all agree, I know I don’t want to spray the chemical on city property.”
The mayor said Gosek’s claims that he had talked to him and had solicited input from the DPW commissioner “were not true.”
The councilor’s claim the city has sprayed around the pool was also not true, the mayor said.
“I’m not saying I don’t support the (proposed) law. I support not spraying,” Barlow said. “We’re not spraying now; we have no plans to spray.”
He urged the councilor to propose legislation “in a positive light, without coming down on the work being done by city employees.”
He went as far as inferring some of Gosek’s remarks were lies.
Gosek said he did take offense to being called a liar in public.
He said he feels he didn’t say anything that exaggerated or untrue.
He’ll ring the issue up again at next week’s committee meeting.
“I’m looking forward to discussion, debate and dialogue,” he said. “I would encourage the citizens of Oswego to weigh in.”
The proposed law isn’t just to make Oswego look good, he explained.
“It’s significant. It is to protect the citizens of Oswego from this dangerous chemical … for the future. For posterity not just the time being,” Gosek said.
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I’m looking at the story and thinking it would be helpful to have a visual of what exactly we’re talking about.
Like take Breitbeck, where exactly has the stuff been sprayed? West Park? East Park? Other parks?
Just show a diagram of the park, and highlight the spots the stuff has either been used, or would presumably be used.
Then as citizens we could look at it, think about it, judge whether it’s a threat, and take action.
This issue was brought before the public ten years ago when the OCSD sprayed soccer fields at the Middle School. The public came to the school board and requested that a method of ‘close mowing’ be used instead as safer for children who are close and personal with grasses.
In this era of ticks and the diseases they carry, this has GOT to be a difficult decision for all elected officials. Is the intercession worse than the disease?
IS there not a more NATURAL remedy for this? Something not toxic and carcinogenic?
Pretty much it was used along the fence lines, sidewalks, light poles and sign posts – wherever weeds grew and they couldn’t mow or use a weed whacker ….