But here in Gloucester, it seems that government is "by the developer, for the developer." The City Council has cast a unanimous vote to grant a special permit for a private-use wind turbine that Mac Bell plans to install on the banks of the Annisquam River, rising 240 feet into the air and only 315 feet from a playground.

Sixty neighbors who live in the immediate vicinity of the proposed turbine site signed a petition opposing it. Ward 3 Councilor Steven Curcuru dismissed this number as "insignificant."

Numerous homeowners voiced opposition in previous planning meetings but Ward 1 Councilor Jason Grow still voted "yes" because no one from the Pathways day-care center was present.

A powerful, in-depth, factual report illustrating the negative impact this turbine will have in terms of noise, hazards and shadow flicker was presented. Ward 2 Councilor John "Gus" Foote justified his "yes" vote by joking that, at his age, he "likes a little extra noise."

The only Gloucester residents that spoke in favor of the turbine live in East Gloucester and Rocky Neck, far, far away. In fact, none of the city councilors who voted for the turbine lives anywhere near the proposed site either. In their zeal to brand Gloucester as "green," the councilors seemed eager to discredit the neighbors' concerns as "nimbyism" or "not-in-my-backyard" snobbery.

To add insult to injury, the council waived one of the setback requirements by nearly half the distance. Across the nation, communities that have experienced the dangers of turbines in densely populated areas have enacted much more stringent guidelines, ensuring that residents are at least 1,000 feet away, not just 600 feet like Griffin Court.

Mac Bell's architect admitted that at least 12 residents will fall into the flicker zone, where they will be subject to an intrusive ongoing shadow strobing throughout their homes.

The council's vote indicates that these residents are mere collateral damage in the race to be "green." Community Development Director Sarah Buck admitted that if Gloucester's setback requirements were like other towns and cities, then "we'd never have any turbines!"

Mac Bell's argument that he won't be able to attract a company to his office park without a turbine is wrong. Imagine how many new turbines Gloucester would have to permit if every developer bought into this logic? Bell's design already includes green materials, solar panels and a green roof and should attract many an energy-conscious tenant without a turbine.

Bell has also implied that he will lose the grant he received from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative if the turbine is not built. This is not true. The grant can be used to finance the other green aspects of his building.

Ultimately, at-large City Councilor Sharon George got it right when she said, "Only Mr. Bell will benefit."

Unlike the Varian turbines, Bell's turbine will power only half of his building's energy needs and won't feed any electricity back into the grid.

Nevertheless, the council favored Mr. Bell and sent a strong "you don't matter" message to the hundreds of citizens of Gloucester whose quality of life and property values will be forever degraded by one developer's vanity project.