Pictured are members of the Southern Tier TEA Party Patriots during a protest on Third Street participating in the nationwide “Stop Socialism Choose Freedom Day.”

County Executive George Borrello was the featured speaker at the Southern Tier TEA Party Patriots monthly meeting recently at the Lakewood American Legion.

Borrello said he feels the county has “turned the corner on economic issues.” Citing Chautauqua Lake, 15 organizations and municipalities have an entered into agreement to make the lake clean, healthy and usable. Tackling the weed problem will involve the use of herbicides and weed harvesting.

Being isolated from and overly regulated by Albany, Borrello said the county is doing its best to utilize resources and build relationships through the newly formed Economic Development Alliance. Given the situation of the county bordering another state, efforts have been made to balance the unequal economic playing field to give area businesses fairer opportunities to succeed.

Regarding the controversial industrial wind turbine agenda in Chautauqua County, Borrello said, “Industrial windmill turbines are nothing more than an investment scam, profiting solely off taxpayer funded subsidies. Radical environmentalists have ignorantly become the blind-faith foot soldiers for the Wall Street companies that most of them despise.” The taxpayer-funded windmills will receive no support from the county government and there will be no further PILOT agreements with the IDA for windmill construction. A question was brought up about CARTS and the executive said that it is the only mass transit system in the county which needs expanded service to better serve the working and shopping community.

With respect to the governor’s ban on plastic bags, Borrello said that county is given the option to opt out, but the state makes it a no-win situation for the county. The revenue from the state for the policy would be cut off, leaving the county to foot the bill for the mandated subsidy of paper bags for anyone who claims they cannot afford to pay the five cent fee. He also expressed skepticism and opposition to left’s push to make a New York state version of the Green New Deal.

In addition to having the county executive, a PragerU video called DivestU by Charlie Kirk urged people to stop funding endowed universities and colleges that indoctrinate than educate students brainwashing their minds to hate on America and favor socialism and socialistic policies instead. Another video brought to light citizens of the Unite States in West Virginia being moved from the places they live to make room for Syrians whose homes and care are being funded by taxpayers. The TEA Party also viewed pictures taken of the local “STOP Socialism Choose Freedom” rally on the corner of Third and Washington Washington streets April 15.