I hope everyone read yesterday’s letter from the Republican Central Committee. Two comments in reaction, directed in particular to the many Republicans in the community.
Mr. Panuzio, longtime chair of the Republican Central Committee, concluded with this: “neither party will allow them to make a mockery out of our local political process in Talbot!”
First, the Bipartisan Coalition is a genuine, bona fide, grassroots citizens’ movement that sprung to life at the September 11th meeting, when the camel’s back simply cracked. Engaged citizens have long been deeply concerned about the Councils’ wrong-headed attitude towards developing our rural landscape. Then came the Council’s proposal to double noise limits to benefit a few when some neighborhoods are already having problems. But on September 11th came the in-your-face 3-2 votes whereby Ms. Williams, with Pack and Callahan in support as usual, voted down three modest proposals to improve regulations on short-term vacation rentals, a new phenomenon that is damaging the social fabric of communities and lowering the property values. That was it.
But Mr. Panuzio asserts citizens must not be allowed to act—only the parties’ Central Committees. (In fact, mere hours after the first petition was circulated, the long knives came out to take down Laura Price. A surrogate for the Republican Central Committee attacked her directly (See “Vote Against Laura Price” by Mr. Sheer, September 13th Spy). He wrongly blamed her for initiating the citizens’ uprising (a “dirty trick”) when all she did was to vote in support of citizens’ interests as expressed at the public hearing, instead of following the lead of Ms. Williams. So much for party loyalty and the 11th Commandment.)
Secondly, what is the “local political process” Mr. Panuzio wants to protect, and how is the Coalition jeopardizing it? The “process,” perhaps on both sides of the aisle, is that the Central Committee picks the candidates and everyone votes straight party line, no thinking allowed.
What seems to outrage Mr. Panuzio is the audacity of the Coalition to compile and publish, at great effort, a complete telling of the Council’s 4 year history in dealing with zoning, sewers and land use in general, and its actions on other important issues like STR’s. Each issue is fully documented with video clips from Council meetings, extracts from official transcripts, and, for example, a link to an extraordinary letter signed by all 5 members of the Planning Commission rebuking the Council for trying to upend Talbot’s commitment to its unique “quality of life and rural character.” All accessible at CountyOverParty.org.
Last note: contrast the Bipartisan Coalition’s effort to present hard evidence in a cogent manner to a section called “The Facts” found at commonsensetalbot.com/pros. But move fast, before it’s taken down. (“Common Sense Talbot” is a PAC set up by Ms. Williams and Callahan in the wake of the citizens’ Coalition being formed, perhaps to impress gullible voters.)
Dan Watson, Chair
Bipartisan Coalition for New Council Leadership
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