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Editor:

I believe the Suffolk City Council has become a dictatorial, communist committee and every single member should be voted out. Below is a quote, from a person attending the “Give the Council Input for Suffolk” Sleepy Hole Borough meeting:

“These are samples of some of the friendly, productive talks throughout the majority of the meeting. However, at the very end of the meeting, Council Member Roger Fawcett, of the Sleepy Hole Borough, got up to make some closing statements. He started out by saying that they are trying to do what is best for the city as a whole. He went on to say that if citizens say something, but it isn’t reflected in the comprehensive plan, don’t get upset. He further stated that the city has no control if a farmer wants to sell his land and make money, at which point, one of the community members stated, ‘the city doesn’t have to rezone it from agricultural to residential.’”

Fawcett responded that he doesn’t want to talk about rezoning and he went on to reiterate his previous point about a person being able to sell their land. Several community members spoke out in response and stated in various ways that the farmer can sell and it can be developed as agricultural land like it is zoned for and not rezoned. Fawcett then made the statement, “If you get the attitude that you are going to stop something, get a life!” This set off a firestorm of responses from the crowd as a whole. His statement was not viewed favorably by the vast majority of attendees. 

To summarize, Roger Fawcett, a City Council member, who is also head of the steering committee for the comprehensive plan, the very group that determines future development in Suffolk, has told the citizens of Suffolk that they can’t change things and they need to get a life. This tone deaf response is insulting.

If we, the citizens of Suffolk, truly believe in our rights, and that the people we vote for have our best interests in mind, you’d better think again, and vote our current Council members in the next election. I don’t know where our elected officials have gotten the idea that they know better than the citizens they represent, but it is disgusting, and should not be tolerated by any American, black, white, yellow or red. Our very freedoms are at stake!

 

Edwin Friend

Suffolk