To the Editor:
Some of you have received several notifications from us. This will be one of the last.
We want you to know we realize asking people to attend town meeting is a big ask. Let’s face it, sitting through a town meeting isn’t high up on anyone’s list of fun activities. It certainly isn’t on ours. Nor were all the planning board meetings we attended. And we are grateful we did it.
Grateful why? you ask. Grateful because we are still encountering people who don’t know what the Oak Bluffs planning board is attempting to do to our zoning. During the process we advocated for outreach to residents, and were repeatedly told that if voters wanted to know, they could access the town’s website. Very few people have the inclination to do that unless notified of the need. That’s just one example of how poorly this process has been handled.
Changes that will negatively impact our town, our environment, our health, our property values, and downtown businesses deserve to be done with care, time, and transparency. And residents must be aware of each step, consideration, and proposal. Pushing these changes through swiftly is egregious. Oak Bluffs and Island residents deserve better.
We must attend town meeting on Tuesday, April 9. Too few have too much power right now. We need to take back our power, make our voices heard, by voting no to zoning changes. Giving up an evening to protect ourselves, our environment, and our health is a great way to spend a few hours. It might not be fun, but it sure is worthwhile.
Susan Desmarais
Oak Bluffs