Town of Shandaken

ANTI-RESORT POSTCARDS TARGET SUPERVISOR:

"To the person behind this attack, I say, show yourself."

That's the challenge laid out by Shandaken Supervisor Robert Cross Jr., who is livid with whoever launched a recent postcard attack on him, and, as he sees it, his wife.

The postcard being circulated around town parodies billboards set up by Crossroads Ventures, the developer of the proposed Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park in Shandaken and the neighboring Delaware County town of Middletown. The billboards feature an image of the proposed hotel on the mountain near Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, with slogans about the number of jobs the project would bring and the benefits the developers say will follow.

"Support the Belleayre Resort," the billboards say.

The postcard has the same image as the Crossroads billboards, but contains an inset featuring the supervisor's smiling face. Splashed atop the card is the following line: "My wife has a high paying job but that don't mean you will!!"

Across the bottom, the card reads "STOP THE BELLEAYRE RESORT."

"This attack pokes fun at issues most people take a lot more seriously ... jobs and family," Paul Rakov, the vice president of public affairs for the resort, said on Tuesday. "It shows a total disregard for how difficult it is for families to survive here with little economic growth or career possibilities."

Some believe the author is calling attention to the fact that Cross's wife is currently employed by Crossroads Managing Partner Dean Gitter, at another Gitter enterprise. Cross has come under fire for this association, which began after he was elected. Critics say it's a conflict of interest for Cross to decide on town matters pertaining to the resort proposal.