Town Should Vote On Fairfield Hills Core Issues

To the Editor:

This Monday evening, March 1, the Board of Selectmen will discuss setting the goals and objectives for the soon to be established Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee. The desired outcome is to produce a new and improved master plan that will obtain real consensus from the community. This committee will have a much greater chance of succeeding if some of the most contentious issues surrounding FFH are settled with a public referendum first.

 At the heart of the problems surrounding FFH is the public’s perception of being left out of the decision process. The people of Newtown did not approve the master plan, or the Fairfield Hills Authority, nor did they authorize the leasing of our public land for private commercial development. They did not approve a massive Municipal Center project that cost $12-plus million nor any of the dollar allocations within the development plan specifics.

Public frustration and disappointment from being left out of the decision process has even fueled the formation and subsequent success of a third political party — the IPN.

Now, after a fresh election, we have a fresh set of campaign promises to conduct a full review of FFH. In an honest effort to make things right, the Board of Selectmen will create a committee consisting of representation from the town’s three political parties and a variety of voices from our community — the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee — that will be charged with revising the plan with the hope of connecting with the community and obtaining public consensus.

But given the public’s skepticism after having been ignored for so long and the enormous diversity of viewpoints that have evolved, how will this new committee begin to understand how to gain public consensus? The answer is to first settle those issues that have been the most contentious by using the public referendum. We should ask the public for approval of those things that have divided the community. For example: Does the public support spending millions of additional tax dollars to attract economic development? Do they support leasing town-owned land for the purpose of commercial development? If so, do they support a Fairfield Hills Authority to supervise the broad responsibilities of preparing, maintaining, and marketing the property for that use? If we allow the public to vote on those issues first we will provide the new committee with a big head start.

We can appoint 100 committees to review the master plan, but if the issues that have caused so much public unrest are not settled first, then we will never be able to obtain consensus in our community. In today’s political climate the public demands to be heard, so why not give them a vote. Only by settling the most contentious political issues via town vote will we be able to begin a truly constructive process of master plan review.

Since Fairfield Hills belongs to you, the public, I urge you to come to Monday’s meeting and let your voice be heard.

Bill Furrier

Selectman, IPN

9 Erin Lane, Sandy Hook                                        February 24, 2010