Dan's Papers - April 18, 2008 - Twentysomething...By David Lion Rattiner

Stuart F. Lane has the title of Mr. Broadway, but I have to give the title of Mr. Broadwater to Governor Paterson. He may have admitted to having sex with a bunch of women during a rocky point in his marriage, but the man said no to Broadwater. Hallelujiah!

Paterson's vision was crystal clear when he told Broadwater to go scratch. To be honest, I had given up all faith in the political system from the state level up, and on the Broadwater issue, felt they were going to be parked in the Sound by summer. But when Paterson got up there and pretty much said, "Broadwater, you suck," it made me feel a sense of pride to be from New York. Not only that, but it made me realize that there are still politicians who are not totally in it for personal gain, but also for the people they represent. Cue "God Bless America."

I'm mad about my propane bill just like anybody else, but I don't believe for a second that having Broadwater in the Sound would lower it. Anybody who thinks Broadwater would have reduced the bills substantially is not living on this planet. Big oil is the most profitable business right now and it isn't because they are lowering prices.

I was so angry when Broadwater tried to muscle their way into the Sound. I know not of a single entity or person in support of this project. Everybody has pretty much demanded that they come up with another solution. But like bullies, they just pressed on like they didn't care. They aired commercials trying to get us all used to the idea of this monstrosity. They hired scientists who delivered environmental impact statements. "Oh, a giant floating gas machine in the Sound? That's no big deal. It's not gonna bother anybody. By the way, where do I pick up my check?" Do I blame them for doing this? Of course not. After all, there is money to be made. It's what these companies do and for some reason it seemed like our environmentalist groups and lawyers ran out of ideas on how to stop Broadwater from turning the Sound into their personal commercial space.

Was anybody else as angry as I was after we simultaneously watched a wind power project get turned down for the Sound and Broadwater's plans appear to move forward? How could we vote down wind power on the ground of visual pollution and not vote down Broadwater on the same grounds, plus environmental and terrorist threats? That just doesn't make any sense.

But what does these days? Not a whole lot, if you ask me. But Paterson's decision on Broadwater was a real morale lifter. It was more then just a vote against something he didn't want. It represented, to me at least, a sign that not everybody in politics is gonna cower to things like this. It represented doing the right thing even when money is thrown in your face. I give the guy a lot of credit for standing up against a company like Broadwater. There is no doubt in my mind that they showed up at his doorstep with a suitcase full of cash.

Can you imagine how terrible it would have been if last week Paterson got up there with a big smile on his face, sporting a new Rolex and said Broadwater was the next best thing since sliced bread? It could have happened, folks, it almost did happen, but it didn't and we have Mr. Broadwater to thank.