Carol Hill of Bordentown
To the editor:
As part of the core group of concerned citizens who have asked the Bordentown community to carefully look at the new group of zoning changes that were to be voted on last Wednesday, I have mixed feelings about the meeting and last week’s Letters to the Editor of the Register-News. I, too, was saddened if not surprised, when a few isolated individuals showed anger and frustration in an inappropriate manner. Never have we wanted anything other than fair dialogue, openness and clarity about the goals of the new zoning codes. We are all diminished when we disrespect one another.
Jack Sade has clearly and consistently voiced the opinion of our group that while we applaud the hard work and dedication given by the people who conceived and wrote the new 343 page Land Development Ordinance, we respectfully remind the Planning Board and the Commissioners that we, as citizens, have the right to disagree with the opinions and conclusions of the document. The vision for the future of Bordentown put forth in this document of high-density growth and its commercial applications is not what many of the residents want.
Our group has been carefully informing ourselves. Hours and hours of reading and discussion of the new Land Development Ordinance resulted in open meetings of citizens, discussion, emails, leafleting (in the tradition of dissent pioneered by Thomas Paine) and over 100 people at the Commissioners’ meeting. I don’t consider this thoughtful, open, considered, if hurried process of educating ourselves “rumor and hearsay” as implied by Margaret O’Gorman in her Letter to the Editor. Nor do I consider our democratic right to disagree “a textbook example of how a few people can create fear and distrust by using misinformation on an uniformed populace” as stated in Jim Downey’s Letter to the Editor. Our goal has been, and remains, the open discussion of the parts of the Land Development Ordinance that concern us. It is true that we feel there was not enough communication between city officials and residents about the goals and impact of the new ordinance. However, now that the ordinance has been tabled for future consideration and discussion, we feel that this is an opportunity for working with our Planning Board and Commissioners for the common good of all of Bordentown’s citizens.
We intend to continue reading the present zoning codes, proposed Land Development Ordinance, state guidelines for smart growth, the city’s Master Plan and anything that will help continue our education on this subject. We will send out emails and be at the meetings. Personally, I think the involvement of so many citizens in the process of determining what Bordentown’s future will be should be embraced and capitalized on by the city’s officials. After all, isn’t this what Democracy is really about? Our email address is [email protected].
Carol Hill
Bordentown
