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07/20/2017 12:00 AMOn July 13, in heavy turnout, Westbrook voters decisively defeated the proposed blight control ordinance, an ordinance that an ad hoc committee had worked on for two years and on which two public hearings had been held.
To many of those involved, a campaign of misinformation about the ordinance fueled the surge of “No” votes. Others suggest the rule did not pass because some in the community thought that hiring an blight enforcement officer, as the rule suggested, was unnecessary, would cost town funds, and could be too intrusive on private property rights. Finally, others point specifically to Jeff Kriete’s comments and his posting of a list of 27 blighted properties, prepared independently by one of the Blight Committee’s members, on the Facebook page People of Westbrook.
Whatever the reason, voters had doubts about the proposed rule and sent it down to a resounding defeat.
“The comments [online] and the blighted property listing contributed to a larger than anticipated turnout,” said First Selectman Noel Bishop.
Of the 756 ballots cast, 296 voters favored adoption of the rule and 460 opposed it. More votes were cast in this town-wide election than in each of the past three town-wide budget votes. Out of the 756 total, 28 were absentee ballots and 16 were from eligible property owners.
“I’m disappointed in the outcome,” said Ad Hoc Blight Committee Chairman Dennis Hallahan. “The ordinance was in the middle of those [we studied] from other towns and was modeled after Guilford’s which works.”
“I think the letters to the editor in the local paper and the use of the Facebook page [People of Westbrook] as instruments to promote false statements about the ordinance and its impact is unfortunate. Together they put out false information that the public relied on,” said Hallahan.
Bishop said he was given a copy of the Ad Hoc Committee member’s list of 27 properties in town that the member felt met the definition of blighted in the ordinance. It was also referred to by a speaker at the most recent blight ordinance public hearing, which is how Kriete and others became aware of it. The document listing specific properties and their addresses, was not discussed in Blight Committee meetings, according to Hallahan.
Once he learned of the list, Kriete contacted Hallahan by certified letter and demanded a copy of the blighted properties list, which is part of the public record. When he did not get a quick response, he then demanded the same from Bishop, who provided a copy. Days before the Thursday, July 13, vote, Kriete got the list and then posted it on the People of Westbrook Facebook page, along with his comments opposing the ordinance.
Other commenters then joined in, posting their own comments in opposition to the ordinance on the Facebook page, some suggesting that the ordinance could mean higher taxes, and others that, if the ordinance passed, it would allow the town to take over a blighted property.
“We had no time to counter the misinformation,” said Hallahan.
Kriete, who opposed the proposed blight ordinance at public hearings and in two letters to the editor printed in Harbor News, had a different perspective.
“What we had was a small group of people [the Blight committe} that went to the extremes. We’re not in any danger of having blight in Westbrook,” said Kriete. “You don’t have blight ordinances that discuss property appearances and cosmetics. Blight is a hazard to the public health, safety and the community.”
His example was that blight to him would be a consecutive row of houses that were uninhabitable.
From Kriete’s perspective, the ordinance was not necessary, and he opposed the hiring of a blight enforcement inspector, one element of the ordinance.
“You have to live and let live in this world,” said Kriete.