E-mail to Town Council 4/12/2005

I sent this email tonight in response to some of the comments at the Town Council meeting. Please feel free to discuss... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Mayor and Town Council, I think each of you need to step back and think about what the decision you make at the special meeting on April 13, 2005 will do. If you approve this amendment, you will propogate the perception (some would call it belief) that most or all of the council made decisions last year for Blue Back Square in a biased manner. I urge you to let the appeals process run it's course, that's what it is in place for. If I were able to attend tomorrow night's meeting, I'd say exactly that. That's why we all live in this country, because there is a system of checks and balances. In addition, I'd like all of you to think about the comments you made tonight against the small parking lot proposal on Ellsworth in respect to your decision to approve Blue Back last year. Let me know how you think you sound here. Forgive me if these aren't exact quotes, I was fighting off laughter.

• Mr. Slifka stated, "...town should be more proactive on the issue of encroachment." That's interesting, I guess a parking garage in the face of Burr St. residents isn't "encroachment."
• Mr. Slifka again, "...not what the neighbors think..." is a good idea. Each member of the council dismissed pleas from the neighbors around Blue Back. In fact, many of you made it a point to talk back to some of the neighbors points in your remarks prior to voting.
• Mr. Verrengia stated that the decision on this parking lot is the ..."toughest decision he has had to make, " or something to that effect. Wow.......I guess Blue Back was an easy decision. What does that do for the town's perspective on your analysis of the decision you made in Blue Back.
• Mr. Slifka stated that he can't support the "destruction of a building with historic value." That's interesting as well. The Board of Education building may not be a "Historic" building, but I think everyone will agree that it's a building with historic value, and the town council voted 9-0 to allow a greedy developer to destroy the building and put in a movie theater, while on the other end of town a historic movie theater is being torn down right now. Oh, that's right it's in Elmwood.
• Several council members, including Mr. Coursey and Mrs. McClay likened the parking lot to a "buffer." Are you kidding? What kind of buffer? A buffer with loud cars....How is a parking lot a buffer. What kind of argument is that?

If the vote tonight reflected using your heart to make a decision, as Mrs. Cantor stated, what did you use to make the decision to approve Blue Back? One can only guess... Thank you, Mark Quigley p.s. I know you all weren't on the council for the Blue Back decision -------------------------------------------------------------------------------