40R: The Fall of the Democratic Process
The Town Administrator’s opening statements and directives at the October 1st TM meeting on 40R were not upholding our constitutional rights and open meeting laws.
It appears the TA invented a new kind of info public meeting with her own rules. Asking the public to sit in the back at the meeting and not speak, and then telling TM members- no debates, or she will stop the meeting,
The TA has put the people in Fairhaven into classes of importance and has created division among the whole of the public body. Speaking out legitimate concerns along with a question, continued to be blocked/ censored by the town administrator. To watch this amount of censoring and interruption to TM members was disgraceful.
There was one man who spoke about concerns with passion that they silenced at this meeting, so no one could hear him. This is not constitutional.
I now agree with the many red signs that are posted in Fairhaven. It was not until I watched the October 1st TM meeting on 40R Overlay, that I lost all confidence in our Town administration.
Any TA who tries to oppress the people’s voice and public involve-ment, in this country, does not belong as a town administrator.
One lady who spoke at the meeting was concerned about new units on the waterfront being used as Short Term Rentals (STR’s) and the TA finally acknowledged that we have STR bylaws, The TA knew for over a year that we are over our STR cap amount of 120. I strongly suggested at a meeting last year that we put a ban on STR’s until we can level out our housing disparities. Families were becoming homeless and some moving out of town all together. Nothing was done.
Now they want to force feed and burden the people with dense housing in the name of affordable housing, on the waterfront, where per 40R consultant, said they could sell for as much as 1.2 million. GET REAL.
Let it be said here. This is about Money and Profit for a few who can monetize from it. But this development on the waterfront will not offer economic relief or benefit and fix our housing disparities for the majority of the residents and our families who live here in Fairhaven.
Also the waterfront was voted out of the 40R application and it ended up back on without public agreement.
Look it up. Chapter 40R states on the front page, the primary purpose of 40R is to decrease housing cost. That is the preamble. However the developer can make unlimited profits, per chapter 40R. And we have a proposal for the waterfront, the most primary location in Fairhaven is our waterfront.
This entire situation is an insult to the intelligence of Fairhaven residents. I truly understand why I see so many red signs on people’s lawns saying vote no confidence in our town administration.
Michelle Costen, Fairhaven
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