Letter to Editor: Gunsallus and “Irresponsible Growth”

I never cease to be astonished at the audacity of some politicians, their certainty that voters are gullible chumps, too dumb or uncaring to understand and act on reality…AND that the pols can get away with anything.  The Talbot Integrity Project has experienced it in the past—you watched the Lakeside fight play out, right? 

Well, Frank Gunsallus’s brazen disregard for truth directly threatens the Town of Easton right now.  In a flier last week, Mr. Gunsallus had the chutzpah to falsely claim not just that he opposes irresponsible growth, but—wait for it—that HE IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO WILL STOP IRRESPONSIBLE GROWTH!  Bullocks, as say the Brits.  

Tell’em what they want to hear, Truth be damned!  Affordable housing notwithstanding, Gunsallus and everyone else knows that Easton voters oppose excessive and unbridled development, the ungodly traffic it brings, ultimately the erosion of those charms that make Easton and Talbot County so special.  So Frank claims to be the Champion of that view.  Do not believe it for a nano-second.

TIP believes Mr. Gunsallus is backed (in spades, and with embarrassingly unprecedented money) by the same group of folks who at the County level supported—and continue to support—the Callahan/Steppe/Haythe faction that were the salvation of Lakeside.  For three years that group (one a Democrat) simply ignored documented facts–aka, the truth–and charged forward doing whatever was needed to assure that outlandish development went forward undisturbed.

The Spy last week published a letter endorsing Mr. Gunsallus written by Tom Mitchell (like me, not a townie), the Trappe businessman and restauranteur who has so vociferously supported Lakeside at every turn. Very revealing, as birds of a feather do indeed flock together.  (I will add that the politicians who have prominently endorsed Gunsallus—Johnny Mautz and Tom Hutchinson in particular—would never speak up regarding Lakeside, notwithstanding many entreaties, having had the facts explained, and that the issues involved State level skullduggery (e.g., Dept of Environment improprieties).

Contrast to all this to the fact that Don Abbatiello has an established, a multi-year record opposing the very “irresponsible growth” that Gunsallus headlined in his misleading flyer.  TIP urges that folks vote for Don Abbatiello for Easton Council President.

Dan Watson
The Talbot Integrity Project

PS—Politics aside, in my experience Mr. Mitchell’s Mamma Maria bistro is terrific.