To the editor,
Thomas Jefferson once stated “A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.” And as we near the election in Prospect on Tuesday Nov. 8, we hear daily and sometimes multiple times per day from our chief magistrate, Mayor Chatfield who provides constant, repetitive updates on the power outage. What did we do before this new robo-call technology? Were we not sufficiently intelligent to figure out to “check on our elderly neighbors”, keep our kids away from downed lines, etc. We know the firehouse is a place of refuge as each town offers places for those in need to receive some warmth, water, etc.
But to have the candidate constantly working the bully pulpit with warnings and advice just before an election is convenient at best. And before any of you decide to reply to my letter, understand that each time to relinquish your decision making to a higher authority, you lose yet a little more of your freedom. And yet as Americans and residents of Prospect we are allowing that to happen each and every day, with calls for government health care, demonstrations on Wall Street and elsewhere, all asking for a government to save them. I say save yourself. It was the way of the world at one time and America was a much better place because of all of us and not some lifetime senator, representative or mayor.
Has this town become a place guided and directed by one man, a king for all intent and purposes? I have sat in far too many town meetings this past year in my successful fight to protect residents from unwanted massive wind turbines in residential areas. And don’t let anyone tell you any different, our fight was necessary due to the early support for the project from the mayor and Planning and Zoning long before any of you knew what was underway, way back in 2008. This is the problem with our town government under the current administration. So much is done without transparency and the input of you, the residents. Apathy is the fuel for government growth.
Well I have been a big believer in term limits my whole life, and 34 years as mayor or king of a town spells royalty to me. Our founding fathers never intended that public office would become a lifetime position. And so it is time for you to exercise your rights.
There is a qualified mayoral candidate who offers interesting, new ideas for our Town. I have met with Anthony Dorso numerous times and have become more impressed each time he presents his plan to me. He wants to protect seniors with property tax freezes and find a way for our teenagers to have a place to spend afternoons and evenings, something this town desperately lacks.
With all the taxes coming in the past few years from the “Regency at Prospect” development, I wonder where all the money is going? These are taxpayers who maintain their own roads and don’t have children in the educational system, so where is the money going?
I urge you to vote for Anthony Dorso, and respectfully ask for your vote as I run for the Planning and Zoning Commission. I promise you I will work as hard as I did in the fight to stop the imposition of industrial wind turbines in neighborhoods. We won that battle as a group of concerned neighbors, just like in the old days, and I’m hopeful we can bring about change this Tuesday in the same way.
Timothy Reilly
Prospect
Unaffiliated candidate for Planning and Zoning Commission
