A Day Late

Seems I never hit the publish button for this one yesterday.  So here it is.

Whether you are in favor or against pot plants int town, tomorrow night is your chance to be publicly heard on the proposed by-law change in zoning dealing with the same. Click on this link to see the draft by-law that has been posted on the town website.

Read it, comment on it, support it, object to it, do whatever, but be heard if you want a chance to be heard. while your comments here are most often welcome, remember that making comments here do nothing for your input and stance on the actions of the planning board, or subsequently town meeting.  

This is a prime example of when to get involved on an issue if it is important to you. 

I keep getting asked why this one seems so important to me. Again, I have no personal or financial stake in locating such a facility in town.  My motivation, the oft used seldom paid attention ballot initiatives in the Commonwealth. 

Quite frankly, it is not often one has the opportunity to take steps/action to be part of the process for the initiation of a citizens' enacted law.  Being just as frank, I am not a huge fan over the referendum.  I could take it or leave it on an individual basis.  

But as an individual, that is an individual opinion.

As a citizen, I expect the law to be respected and implemented in accordance with the vote of the people of the Commonwealth.  

In a rare instance of abiding by the vote of its people without trying to somehow do an end run to torpedo a citizen's vote (such as the campaign finance reform a number of years ago), my hat is sincerely off to the state for the steps taken to implement the law and regulate the subject matter.  

On the town level, there were two choices: do nothing or put its thumb print on the matter. The proposed by-law  is the town's attempt at that.  

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a zoning ordinance to address this issue. Again a personal opinion, yet one I strongly believe in.  

The issue we as a community should be addressing is not whether such facilities should be zoned, but creating proper reasonable zoning.  The planning board has taken its preliminary steps to get that done.  Disagreements on aspects of the same aside, it is now public hearing time and eventually town meeting time.

So no matter where you stand, here is you chance to be heard.  Well tomorrow night, 6:30 p.m. or thereabouts at town hall is actually your chance to be heard.  Do you want it more restrictive, less restrictive or is it just right?

Remember this was ment to be published yesterday, so the hearing is actually tonight.