Since it was created as an appointed committee 21 years ago, our boroughwide planning commission has struggled in its role as an unbiased, professional body that uses code and standard practices to plan for our future and oversee orderly development of our valley.
Lowlights include years of contentious appeals to our borough assembly of poor commission decisions, unnecessarily consuming valuable assembly time. A trailer is no longer a trailer if it’s jacked up and put on cinder blocks? Do helicopters make noise? Why not have industrial gravel pits in residential neighborhoods? The list goes on.
Too often, friendships or political ideology drive the commission’s decisions instead of laws and regulations the commission is sworn to uphold. Too often, rules and standards are bent, broken or ignored for some but enforced on others.
Too often, special interests – developers and large landowners or their minions – are appointed by mayors to this empowered board whose decisions are often more consequential than those made by the assembly.
Volunteers are circulating petitions this week to hold an election on having an elected commission instead of an appointed one. This change would give all of us affected by planning commission decisions a say on who makes those decisions. Signing this petition only means you support putting this issue to a boroughwide vote.
To sign the petition, contact sponsors including Becky Nash, Jim Green, Heather Lende, 766-2852, Jim Stanford, 767-5558, Sara Chapell, Tom Morphet, 303-2688 or 766-3775, Patty Kermoian, 766-2606, Gershon Cohen, or Burl Sheldon. Sign today.
Tom Morphet