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Laying Aside Politics

As a life-long Republican and 30-year Clinton resident, I’m disheartened and severely disappointed by the recent performance of some Republicans on the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC).

Opposition to the proposal to relax regulations on contractor’s storage yards expressed at the PZC July 5 public hearing was bipartisan, intense, and virtually unanimous. While I was attempting to speak against this proposal, I was heckled. Chairman Gary Bousquet did nothing to stop this unruliness. When I tried to speak against this proposal, Mr. Bousquet rudely and disrespectfully cut me off.

At the July 11 PZC meeting, on these items: the proposal for relaxing regulations of contractors storage yards, the floating zone proposal for CVS, and the low income housing proposal for 8 Liberty Place, Chairman Bousquet showed his favoritism. He participated inappropriately in the debates and only briefly relinquished the gavel when challenged.

Under Robert’s Rules, once the chair relinquishes the gavel to participate in debate, he or she is not permitted to resume moderating the debate as the chair on that question. Mr. Bousquet repeatedly relinquished and reclaimed the gavel during deliberations.

Mr. Bousquet refused to recuse himself during this public hearing on his father-in-law’s (Arthur Isaacson) application and abused the gavel by preventing Kirk Carr from giving testimony.

PZC member Carl Neri recused himself during this public hearing on his daughter Kim Simoncini’s petition to relax contractor’s storage regulations, but refused to do so during PZC deliberations on July 11.

I commend those PZC members, both Republicans and Democrats, for laying aside politics or personal ambitions, listening to the people, and doing the right thing for Clinton by defeating the floating zone for the CVS and the Contractor’s Storage Amendment.

Videos of the July 5 public hearing and July 11 deliberation meeting are available at www.gocta.org.

Pamela Fritz

Clinton

Pamela Fritz is president of the Clinton Taxpayers Association.