4/13/2009 8:54:00 PM UPDATED: Fluoride still a no-go Board votes 3-2 not to fluoridate village's water supply
Scott De Laruelle photo
A sign displayed in a front yard in Poynette before the election makes fun of not having fluoride in the village’s water.
By Jim Winter Times-Tribune Correspondent
Fluoridation of Poynette's drinking water will have to wait.
The Poynette Village Board Monday night voted 3-2 not to refluoridate the village's drinking water.
The board voted 6-0 in July to no longer fluoridate the village's water supply.
Trustees Dave Branish, Kevin Marquardt and Jenny Van Schoyck Teeter voted in favor of Monday's motion, while trustees Steve Tomlinson and Bernie Wells were against. Trustee Andy Ross abstained.
The vote came despite more than 68 percent of Poynette voters calling for fluoridation of the water in a non-binding referendum April 7.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," said Poynette resident Tracie Gavinski, who works as a dental hygenist in Fitchburg. She pushed for re-fluoridation of village water. "We had a vote and our public spoke more than two to one to fluoridate, and for the board not to take that into consideration, they're not doing their civic duty."
The vote totals were a factor in Branish making a motion to leave fluoride out of the water. He also said the outcome reflected what a majority of the voters wanted, but didn't reflect what registered voters or the village's population wanted.
Branish said 17 percent of the voting population and only five to six percent of the village's population voted for refluoridation of water.
Four hundred and eight people voted on April 7, which represents 29 percent of the village's 1,399 registered voters and 16 percent of the village's estimated population of 2,534. Two hundred seventy-eight people voted for refluoridation, representing 19 percent of registered voters and 11 percent of the village's popluation.
"What the voter turnout tells me is that most people don't care if fluoride is in the system or not," Marquardt said. "If people are so up in arms, why didn't they turn out to vote?"
Ross countered Marquardt's stance by saying very few of those for leaving fluoride out the water turned out to vote.
"I think it's an error to go ahead and assume people as a whole didn't have a chance to have their say," Ross said. "We had a President of the United States elected by far fewer than 50 percent of the people eligible to vote."
Ross started discussion before the vote by suggesting a study be done to determine the process and cost to refluoridate the water. He didn't agree with the board's motion not to refluoridate or even study the issue.
"Your rationale is flawed," Ross said. "To not even consider or looking into refluoridation, to put this motion to a vote at this point is not the right thing to do."
Despite his stance, Ross abstained from the vote. He did so in part to voice his objection to the motion, but also to set up a situation where refluoridation can be brought up at another board meeting, as long as Tomlinson allows it to be.
"My stance hasn't changed. I think we ought to refluoridate the water and take the steps necessary the voters put forth in the referendum."
Tomlinson said he hadn't thought of the issue coming back to the board.
"I'd have to sit down and think about it," Tomlinson said.
Ross admits he should have voted no to Branish's motion, which would have made it fail, and then introduce a motion to table action on refluoridation until the next meeting.
Branish and Wells will not be a part of the board when it next meets. Taking their place will be two newcomers, Doug Avery and Mark Clement.
Avery said he would be in favor of bringing fluoridation back to another board meeting.
"I'd be in favor of talking with Andy and seeing what more could be done," Avery said. "I would think if the people of Poynette vote in favor of refluoridation knowing there's a monetary liability, then I don't see why we would stand in the way of that."
Clement said he intends to make a motion at the April 27 meeting to rescind the board's July decsion to discontinue fluordiation of the village's water supply.
In other action, the board:
• Voted unanimously to vacate a portion of Clinton Street between Hudson and Grant streets.
• Approved the purchase of a new lawn mower as recommended by public works.
• Convened into closed session to consider applications for the vacant village administrator position.
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Article comment by:
Jim Schultz
Go to www.nteu280.org and read on the EPA scientist union website the fish bowl what scientists think the science means. They cite outright fraud and deception by rewritiing medical opinion to push fluoridation as safe when it is not. Fluoridealert.org and waterloowatch both have lots of researcher videos and links to government data like full 507 page NRC which showed max level is not protective but EPA has done nothing to protect after 3 years. This schould be about science not PR by the CDC with not a single toxicologist in the oral health division. It is all fluoride rabid fluoridation promotion minus any science or concern for whole body effect at uncontrolled life time doses. The biggest US study showed in 1986-7 no measurable cavity decrease untill they cooked the data then very small amount for 5 year olds as delayed eruption. Delayed cavities by one year--but same number. 66.4% of kids with evidence of dental fluorisis when in 1945 they said more then 10% of the very mildest would be a failure. Mission accomplished long ago of total failure with no cavity reduction by ingestion. Pizzo review 2007 looked at every recent english language study and it showed no meaningful benefit and no reduction in social inequities which is the biggest claim proven false from the begginning. The Uk did a look at 3200 studies but the York review was shocking as not finding a single high quality bias unlikely study ever done. All were poor quality with so many defects and not controlling variables as to prove nothing. 60 years of garbage quality studies is not much of a foundation to medicate the population with the most reactive elelment as it is the most electro negative and small ion. It combines things like calcium ,magnesium to never leave your body loaded in your tissues and some in your teeth also as they form enamel when young. We now know the science shows this theory never reduced cavities ..It was industrial strength PR and altered faked data by industry and our government to protect the nuclear industry and military contractors under the direction of the AEC..Read the fluoride deception by Chris Bryson and see transcripts and documents once secret how this farce was controlled by our government to protect bombs not teeth. Millions of tons of fluoride were required for the nuke manhatten project to make a rather small amount of u235 nuke grade uranium. We built a entire secret town of Oak Ridge also which was all uranium enrichment factory. Nukes require huge amounts of fluoride for the fuel- All industry now uses huge amounts of fluorides for modern industry with much contamination. They have lied themselves into a corner. Dentists were just duped as bright as they appear..They just do talking points not understanding the issue usually.
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Article comment by:
Jim Schultz
Only 5% of the world fluoridates as it is a american invention of industry to dispose of toxic waste products and get rid of huge fluoridation lawsuits in one brillant step..From 1957-68 more airborne fluoride lawsuits then the next 20 airborne contaminates combined. It was proven excellent for killing cattle and crops downwind long before we were forced to drink this same exact toxic waste collected from smokestack pollution scrubbers in 1970 to save the cattle. Better to spread small amounts of toxic waste and receive money then pay huge toxic waste disposal fees. Phosphate mines now produce this toxic waste but it was Aluminum plants before that and Andrew Mellon of Alcoa Aluminum did the studies so he could sell his toxic waste to cities when he was in charge of the US health department for 10 years. EPA union scientists discovered and fraud in 1985 of studies and altered documents in order to save fluoridation. They have asked congress to halt fluoridation many times and in 2005 11 EPA unions of 7,000 professionals asked for a moratorium and gaol of ZERO..Just like other cumulative toxins arsenic and lead. Did you dentist mention that real scientists say it has no ingested value and great risks over a lifetime of uncontrolled doses. H2SiF6 is evil corrosive even at 1ppm for damaging pipes and leaching lead from brass and solder. It is by far the leading source of lead in a homes water. The EPA now pushes chloramine as a disinfectant and this makes it hyper destructive. Washington DC had the worst lead contamination recorded but hid it for almost 3 years as H2SiF6 and chloramine caused it. A new article just came out on the cover ups and deception of the CDC puting damaged kids last and hiding their screw up first. Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech documented the cover up and DC agencies even losing lead data somehow. Hundreds and maybe thousands of kids were lead damaged by government when they refused to inform the public for almost 3 years of lead levels hundreds and thousands of times over max of 15ppb. Go to DC watch or washington Post .com or the Jan peer reviewed study by Edwards and Best documenting kids lead damaged by government. At the same time DC was closing apartments with lead paint but doing worse with their water.
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Article comment by:
Jason
I am happy to see that the Board opted against compulsory medication- I mean fluoridation.
The biggest factor that bothers me about fluoridation is why anyone (including neighbors or members of a representative council) thinks they possess an inherent right to determine which enhancements will be added to the drinking water affecting everybody. Why not add aspirin, multi-vitamins, cures for baldness or impotency as long as we are enhancing the water?
Honestly, nobody has gained that right. This issue needs to stop coming back.
