First, thank you to the Stuart News for printing the opposing arguments Aug. 1, concerning the Hometown Democracy, Amendment 4, controversy. We are all better informed by reading both sides of a public issue. Ed Candela (yes) and Toby Overdorf (no) did a superb job in presenting their positions.
What we learned from these gentlemen is that: 1) Hometown Democracy was (perhaps) successful in the small town of Yankeetown in Levy County; and 2) Hometown Democracy was (described as) a failure in other areas of Florida and could be expected to fail if imposed elsewhere in the state.
Can we apply some logic here? If the concept works on a small scale, why in the world would we want to mandate it on the larger (statewide) scale? If you don’t trust your elected officials, why do you want me to castrate mine? Such overreach is the hallmark of the environmental extremists who would have all of us on bicycles.
Here in Martin County, one rabid, environmentalist commissioner, and one District 2 candidate, offer the same flawed logic and recommend Amendment 4 to accomplish what they cannot. Because they see evil developers lurking behind every tree, salivating to cut it down, they want us to hobble the very process by which our elected officials may reasonably manage growth in our area.
Our group is generally opposed to the comprehensive plan on the grounds that it has corrupted the civil planning objective into a weapon of sustainable development. Any such plan that usurps your private property rights is antithetical to constitutional principles. Amendment 4 just removes those rights farther from the property owner and places them on a ballot. Socialism is not the solution to fascism.
Jim McGovern
Martin 9/12 TeaParty Committee
Stuart
