As one of the approximately twenty three founding supporters of the Talbot Preservation Alliance and most specifically Citizens for Sound Growth PAC, you are aware that these organizations have served Talbot County well. Eighty seven percent of county land has been downzoned from two to twenty acre zoning. This will help protect our rural life. However, the purpose of this letter is to inform you of the current actions of these groups which continue be disastrous for the citizens of the County.
As these organizations have aged they have created problems for Talbot citizens. Using your funds, TPA gained control of the Talbot Council, the Planning Commission and the Public Works Advisory Board. These representatives have put forth an extreme environmental agenda. Their scheme shows little or no concern for the citizens of the County.
The update of the Comprehensive Plan and recent legislation has been a forthright attempt to stop growth in the County, most specifically in the villages. One member of the Council who is a TPA candidate, Dirck Bartlett, is running on a platform of restricted economic growth. Three members of the Planning Commission are attempting to down zone village properties on sewer to a two acre minimum lot size. All of these maneuvers are contrary to the 2005 Comprehensive Plan, Smart Growth policies, and a promise the County made when downzoning farms to keep villages as areas for affordable housing. These initiatives will limit opportunities for native Talbot Countians to work or live here.
Please stop these extreme approaches to economics and land use. I am the last of four generations of my family in the County. I have seen the effects of elitist economic policies on my and my friends children. Following restrictive land use initiatives, the villages will ultimately be gentrified like St. Michaels and Oxford. TPA has gone beyond your original intentions.
Talk to your friends and especially to long term residents of the villages. The TPA and CFSG PAC are working against the residents of the county. Do not vote for TPA candidate, Dirck Bartlett. Tell Planning Commission and Public Works members to back off. Demand that the remaining approximately $18,000 in your PAC be redirected.
Clint Wadsworth
Royal Oak
Dirck Bartlett says
Dear Mr. Wadsworth – TPA, Citizens for Sound Growth, and other groups who lobby decision makers regarding protection of the environment have just as much right to provide input as the Mid Shore Board of Realtors or the Chamber of Commerce. These are not “extreme” groups nor should you categorize them as “elitist economic policies”.
You are a property owner/developer and I am quite sure you consult with and rely on advice from organizations that support your financial and business interests. You are clearly entitled to your opinions, but I can assure you that the County Council is not beholden to any groups, nor are we working on behalf of any groups.
There are 5 individual council members and each council member relies on a wide variety of input and advice as we seek to make wise decisions.
Ann Hymes says
I am saddened by this letter. To me, “extreme approaches” would be holding on to the past and ignoring the science that compels us to change human behavior in relation to the Bay. We cannot pretend that land use is whatever benefits us individually. We are stewards of the environment and should not be contributing to its ruin. Dirck Bartlett is a thoughtful participant in the discussion.