Ghost From Councils Past

At the Common Council meeting on Dec. 11, the Ghost from Councils Past was put to rest. Through the haze of "institutional memory," there was confusion about whether or not the city had prohibited aerial spraying of pesticides (fungicides, herbicides or insecticides) in the City of Fitchburg. So, some farmers and sprayers were refraining while others were not. While I understand the desire to clean up the books, it seems like overkill to me (no pun intended) assuming nothing was found in the books to clear up. But, I'm not a lawyer. That's why I thought the city attorney should have been asked if a resolution to rescind a ghost resolution was even needed.

[If you are still following me, you probably watched the last two Council meetings where this was discussed.] The bottom line: A resolution was passed to rescind any previous resolution in case one existed. Neither the ghost resolution nor the new one actually has any teeth since it appears the city has no jurisdiction over control of aerial spraying in the first place. I thought simply giving that information publicly would be enough to clear up the confusion and therefore this resolution was unnecessary. Some council members felt this way too.

This action did bring up a lively discussion about the use of pesticides (on farms and lawns) and whether the city would be promoting/encouraging their use by the wording of the original resolution which included phrasing like the city "affirms" the ability of farmers to use aerial spraying. This was later changed to "recognizes" and eventually it was removed from the resolution altogether leaving just the statement rescinding any contrary resolutions.

So, although I didn't think the resolution was needed, the final wording did the job of cleaning up the record without promoting anything. But, more importantly, almost every alder expressed concern about the dangers of pesticides and some wanted the city to explore alternatives such as conversion to organic agriculture.

I know that some alders and residents thought that arguing over something beyond the city's jurisdiction was a waste of time but I don't see it that way. This is an example of an important public health issue where the city can play a leadership role by educating the public and setting a good example.

Does the city use pesticides on any of its property? Are they poisoning the grass where our most vulnerable residents (kids) are playing?

What can you do? Three things:

(1) Attend any future presentation by fellow Fitchburg resident, Professor Warren Porter on the dangers of pesticides. In the meantime, FACTv has been replaying his November presentation as part of "Healthy Lawns, Healthy Children, Healthy Pets," and you can request a copy from FACTv.

(2) Learn more about maintaining a healthy lawn without pesticides. A talk on this subject given by Dr. Astrid Newenhouse, PhD Horticulturalist during the Healthy Lawns... event. So, again, watch for the replay or ask for a copy of this presentation.

(3) Contact your alder, get involved with a neighborhood group to explore this issue, or both!