Page 16 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • November 19, 2014 To turf or not to turf? To turf or not to turf? That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outra- geous cancelations due to rain, or to take arms against a sea of grass, and by turfing, to end them. To turf; to plasticize; no more; and by plasticizing to say we end the heartache and the 1,000 natural shocks that come for hidden rocks and rain-gouged ditches that real grass is heir to. ‘Tis a consum- mation devoutly to be wished. To play, perchance to skid: ay, there’s the rub; for in that rub of turf what carcinogens may come when we have shuffled off the grassy sward must give us cause. That’s the respect that makes calamity of so short a life.” Shakespeare might have summed it up that way, but the dilemma in pragmatic terms is this: Natural turf worn down by constant use eventually wears out and turns into mud-holes and rocks that are a hardship for recreational athletes and a deep embarrassment to their coaches. Con- versely, plastic turf is a threat to the environment and a suspected carcinogen, and when young athletes skid on the stuff, they not only get friction burns that do not happen in grass, but may pick up particles that lead to skin cancer. The evidence is not all in yet, but the evidence that linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer and emphysema was not all in -- according to the tobacco companies -- until the results killed more Americans than all the wars in Ameri- can history combined. Nice older people who dabble in conservative politics sometimes argue that there are just as many scientists who dispute the carbon imprint as a source of global warming as there are scientists who concur that carbon emissions are a threat to the planet. Some 97 percent say carbon emis- sions are linked to global warming, while three percent say carbon is not linked to global warming. However, if you run as an incumbent with a clean record and say you believe in global warming, you may not win the next election. The same is true of anyone from the tobacco states who favors tighter control -- read here elimination -- of cigarettes. The message is that living in a republic gives you the right to free speech, but living in a democracy can make it politi- cally disadvantageous. Democracy, however, has one advantage. The people at large, assuming any significant level of education, can generally out-vote a clique or a claque motivated by a fac- tion. That happened in the Glen Rock artificial turf vote. Artificial turf advocates spent about three times as much money on advertising as turf opponents and got 1,176 votes in favor of bonding $3 million to install artificial turf after re-grading Faber Field. Another 2,999 voters opposed the artificial turf. That should have settled it. The fact that the United States is a republic allows freedom of speech, but the fact that the United States is still a democracy means, one hopes, that one person out of four cannot tell the other three persons out of four how their money will be spent for what are, however wholesome and exciting they may be, special interests. The turf vote reflected on some curious anomalies. GOP Congressman Scott Garrett, who has his office in Glen Rock, “lost” the local election to Roy Cho by almost 400 votes. Democrat Amy Martin, in her second campaign for council, won with 2,555 votes to 2,279 for Art Pazan, a popular Republican incumbent who retained his council seat, and 2,198 for the GOP’s Robert Bourne, a board of adjustment member with a strong financial background, who lost his election bid. People told me they were sending the Republicans a message: Do not try artificial turf again. The last time any- thing like this happened was in 1995-96 when the seated council initially stood behind a tax revaluation in which identical houses a few blocks apart showed a disparity, in some cases, of $60,000 in tax assessment and there were 800 tax appeals, most of them successful. The mayor at that time and the council at large had a chance, advocated by many residents of both parties, to reject the assessment. They stood by it. The next election started a trend in which the council eventually split evenly between Democrats and Republicans with an Independent as mayor. Cliffhanger elections were a staple in Glen Rock for almost two decades afterward. Let us be kind while being analytical. Many a council candidate established a local profile by coaching sports and they were honestly convinced by rubbing shoulders and shaking hands that the majority of Glen Rock residents support all sorts of recreational sports. This is true, up to a point. Glen Rock also strongly supports all sorts of environ- mental activities and was a leader in recycling as early as 1971. Way back in 1951, Glen Rock set aside land for the arboretum, a living tree museum adjacent to Faber Field. The council members certainly meant no harm when they ignored their own previous demands that the sports groups come up with the money for the artificial turf proj- ect -- originally said to cost $1.5 million. The money never appeared, but after two years of standing their ground, the council members suddenly decided that $100,000 from the coalition of sports groups was enough to justify bonding $3 million from the taxpayers, most of whom were obviously not now dedicated to recreational sports outside the school system, if they ever had been. The results of the election spoke loud and clear to anyone who had not drifted into denial. Glen Rock does not want artificial turf at the tax- payers’ expense. Here is an idea. Let us assume the council got the mes- sage that artificial turf at the taxpayers’ expense is unac- ceptable. Let us also assume the community at large understands that Faber Field is not acceptable in its present condition. Getting your head busted on a boulder is not an acceptable alternative to getting skin cancer from plastic turf. Neither is any good. Let the recreational sports advo- cates recruit volunteers or hire contractors to get rid of the rocks, and then approach the municipal government for a much smaller amount of money to put in the toughest natu- ral grass available -- as long as the sports groups put up half, not 10 percent. Let them also understand that many people do not want massive development into a spare athletic field for the field at the high school, but will accept recreation games with natural light and natural grass. The taxpayers are already paying for artificial turf and lights at the high school, and for men and women of fiscal prudence, that should be enough. The average educational level of younger and middle-aged people around town appears to be two college degrees for adults and, for people in that demographic framework, sports have their place but are not the reason the sun rises in the morning or a substitute for lucid economic policies. Out of regard for the kids and the environment, they might be willing to pay for half of a real grass field. They were obviously not ready to pay for 90 percent of a poten- tial environmental catastrophe. People who originally moved here for the schools, not the extracurricular sports, are bright enough to understand this sort of thing. Letters to the Editor Family grateful for support Dear Editor: On behalf of the entire O’Hagan family, I want to send out my sincerest thanks for all of the love and support we have received over the last few months for my son Patrick. To say we are humbled and feel so blessed would be the understatement of the century. The outpouring of love, prayer, and support we received was unfathomable. The love and goodwill we have received from so many saved my son’s life. I am convinced of that. It is now almost five full months from his accident and he is on his way to a full recovery: a true miracle. There are too many people to thank individually, so I want to send out this heartfelt, humble thank you note to everyone who had a role in my son’s recovery, for every prayer you said, for every bracelet you bought, for every dollar you donated, and for every T-shirt you bought. Thank you and we love you all so much. My family has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiv- ing and holiday season. However, the love and support we received from all of the great people of Wyckoff and our neighboring towns was, and is, a true blessing. Patrick O’Hagan Wyckoff Committeeman thanks volunteers Dear Editor: I would like to sincerely thank all those who partici- pated in the democratic process in our community on Nov. 4. It’s clear that the efforts I have made to bring an inde- pendent, positive, and non-partisan balance to the Wyckoff Township Committee resonated with voters of all political persuasions. During the campaign, I visited 2,151 homes to hear residents’ opinions and answer their questions. I plan to continue to bring new ideas to our township committee as we all work to maintain the lowest possible municipal tax rate and to protect our town character. I’m very proud of the campaign we conducted, present- ing the facts and sticking to the issues. My immense grati- tude goes out to the 40 volunteers who gave so freely of their time and cheerfully of their talents to help me over the last five months. What an amazing group of people! I would also like to thank the nearly 150 individuals who donated to my campaign; their contributions were especially impor- tant because I accepted no funding or assistance from any district committee, county or state organizations, or politi- cal action committees. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mayor Doug Christie on his re-election to the township committee; I look forward to continuing to work effec- tively with Doug. I would also like to wish Susan Yudin well and thank Susan for her service to our town and for her ongoing contributions to the charitable causes she has supported over the years. Brian D. Scanlan Wyckoff