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Zutt Alors!
Dear Editor:
At last week's ZBA meeting, it appeared as if a well-mannered duplicate had taken over DeVido lawyer Bill Zutt's body. Instead of swaggering around, as he had done during the previous hearing, he stood respectfully; instead of loud declarations, he spoke so quietly the audience had trouble hearing him; instead of patronizing ZBA members ("If you would take the time to read the code section ..") he delivered several disclaimers ("I hope I didn't say that ...") But if his goal was to distract the ZBA from the 3- ring circus he brought with him, he didn't appear to succeed.
In one ring was DeVido himself, attempting to juggle the 14 cabins he has been moving around for months without required PB approval. Five cabins were moved; 3 stayed where they were; some mysteriously disappeared, just like several lot lines and the conscience of certain participants. Fourteen cabins, but the plan showed only 10. No, that's the old plan, look at the new plan! But the new plan didn't show that DeVido moved more cabins several hours earlier, just in time for the ZBA meeting. It's hard to keep up with this group!
There was fire-eater Kenneth Gould, a new lawyer brought in because Zutt suddenly remembered that he also works for the Village of Cold Spring, whose access to its own reservoir he was currently trying to take away. There was an invisible man, Glenn Watson, who sent a letter on behalf of DeVido saying the Old Road controversy was "somewhat complicated" followed by a bunch of boilerplate designed to buy the developer more time. Then there was Watson associate John Delano, who shot himself out of a cannon by explaining how DeVido managed to start building even though he had broken laws and received a stop work order: "It happens." Right!
The straight man was residents' lawyer Robert Gaudioso, who reiterated that DeVido had supplied courts of law with incorrect information, ignored stop work orders, done several end runs around our PB, and broken our laws. Also not amused by the circus was the ZBA, especially Lenny Lim, who held down the furiously wiggling Zutt by insisting "Either [the cabins] were moved or not moved!" until he could conclude, "Then we have it on record - they were moved" and Paula Clair, who asked Zutt several embarrassingly pointed questions.
Speaking of self-imposed hardship, DeVido bought 3 legal lots, pulled a few sleights of hand, filed for a 4-lot subdivision and now seems poised to sue if he doesn't get it. If I stand in the middle of town and shoot myself in the foot, can I sue Cold Spring, too? And what about the fact that he has taken over the reservoir road that Cold Spring has used since the 1800's, initially prompting Garrison resident Irene Karlen to declare, "OK - if DeVido can take over the Village's road, then I'm taking over 9D"? I shudder to think of the ripple effect should this circus burst its boundaries.
Suzie Gilbert
Garrison
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