Editor Note: The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Spy columnist Dan Watson. By mutual agreement, Mr. Watson and the Spy have temporarily suspended his weekly column until after the November 2022 Talbot County election. In the meantime, Mr. Watson, like all Spy readers, is welcomed to share his opinions through our Letters to the Editor section on a periodic basis.
Dear Editor:
The Talbot Integrity Project (“TIP”) is the non-partisan, non-profit organization arising organically out of our fight over Lakeside. It has two near term goals to protect Talbot County:
- First, to bring a successful lawsuit related to Lakeside—at the least, to stop the State and County from ignoring our Planning Commission’s determination that Lakeside cannot further pollute La Trappe Creek. (A lawsuit is necessary because Councilman Chuck Callahan, along with Messrs. Pack and Divilio, voted against upholding the Planning Commission’s position…and the Maryland Department of Environment too ignores this violation of Maryland law. The Litigation Fund is described below.)
- Second, to create a vibrant, on-going citizen organization supporting honest government in Talbot County that is committed to actually achieving, and not undermining, the vision of our Comprehensive Plan. That vision—constant over the past four decades or more is this:
Preserve Talbot’s rural character and quality of life.
OBJECTIVE: We do not intend to just sit here and watch rural character and quality of life slip away. And we do not intend to be reactive, but proactive. In promoting government aligned with our Comp Plan, we will identify and support candidates who understand and are actually, not superficially, committed to that path. Party affiliation, if any, is completely irrelevant. (And do not let anyone tell you this is a “NO GROWTH,” policy, leading only to economic stagnation, trying hopelessly to freeze everything as is in 2022, or was in 1990, or 1956. Economic prosperity for the 37,000 people who live here is not dependent in turning bean fields and rural vistas into tract housing.)
RESPONSIBILITY: As citizens, we know we have to take responsibility, up our game, become much more sophisticated and organized. Work at it. It can be done, as demonstrated by The Valleys Planning Council in Baltimore County, for example, who has successfully protected 130 square miles against sprawl development since 1962! Fail in this, and we have no hope of keeping Talbot out of the developer’s’ maw, that machine that finds anything unique and wonderful and worth sustaining, and then tries to “monetize it” finding ways to cash in on that uniqueness, and in so doing, changes it all, chews up the special and coughs out pellets of mediocrity. Developers’ have rights too (I was one), but within the framework set by our Comp Plan.
ORGANIZING: A community wide informational meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday evening, April 21st, 7:30 P.M., venue to be determined. So save the date. If you would like to join The Talbot Integrity Project, send an email to [email protected]. If you would like to actually volunteer to help in some manner, in on the ground floor, please just say so in your reply. (Joining up does not require any financial commitment.)
The Lakeside Litigation Fund: This is the first and most urgent project that TIP is sponsoring: open with a bang, I guess. On TIP’s behalf, I reached out last Tuesday to just a small subset of the folks in Talbot County who I believe have—like all of us–important self-interests to protect by opposing Lakeside’s pollution, and also have the resources to make a substantial contribution to a litigation fund, since litigation can be shockingly expensive.
We are on the path to raising a Half-Million Dollars ($500,000) in a matter of weeks. Realistically, because of the sums involved and the speed required, this effort was envisioned to be supported by those with resources readily at hand, with a minimum contribution of $5000—but that minimum now has been eliminated at the urging of many in the community. This fundraising is not an email solicitation—it is a word-of-mouth community effort, and folks are looking at their own contact lists and the word is passing right now, phone call by phone call, email chain by email…no doubt social media, too. People are getting it: the village is on fire, grab your bucket and come running.
Naturally, I know a very limited circle of folks in Talbot, so few so far have received anything from me directly, whether or not fortunate enough to be able to help out at the $5k level. If you are, please step up. And if not, still, do what you can to see that everyone in Talbot at least knows that litigation is coming soon, and the TIP’s Lakeside Litigation Fund is the vehicle.
For more information on the Lakeside Litigation Fund, please refer to the attached Announcement of March 22nd and the Memorandum Of Understanding. Checks should be sent to: The Talbot Integrity Project 8404 Aveley Manor Lane Easton, MD. 21601.
Dan Watson, Acting Chair
The Talbot Integrity Project
Easton
jan bohn says
I heartily agree with Mr. Watson. Also wonder why his full letter wasn’t available? I’ve only lived here for 12 years but it appears that the politics here rival those of Hudson County, New Jersey, from whence we came. Not something to be proud of. They too have a ward system – can’t easily vote changes, can only vote for 1 member of the government – hard to change anything!
Editor says
Please note the this pdf format allows users to go from one page to another at the top left corner.