Politics & Government
Letter to the Editor: Proposed Town Ordinances Face More Criticism
Another Barnstable resident sounds off on several proposed town ordinances.
To The Editor:
I am greatly troubled about the about the harmful community impact which will be produced by the passage of five highly controversial Town of Barnstable ordinances which are scheduled for a December 6th town hall hearing.
As drafted in their existing form, the combination of proposed ordinances numbered 2013-031, -032, -033, -34 and -035 will result in gross violations of the federal and state fair housing rights of the most vulnerable members of our municipality, including the disabled, low-income persons, minorities and the homeless. Furthermore, they will drastically infringe upon the private property rights of local homeowners and business people alike.
Based upon their publicly presented oral and written statements, the proponents of these unsound measures are clearly motivated by a self-centered and unrealistic NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitude filled with arrogant self-righteous indignation of what Barnstable should and should not be like. If they could have their way, these nosey busy-bodies would also inconveniently spread publicly assisted social service, human service and medical provider offerings from one far end of town to the other. They would aggravate an already dire homeless problem by trying to force the closure of the NOAH shelter in Hyannis, and they would try to impose their concept of how you landscape or decorate your private residence. Their unwise proposals to the Barnstable Town Council must be defeated!
Filled with grandiose self-imagery, these self-styled agents of change of the Greater Hyannis Civic Association are trying to sell the rest of us onto a bill of goods that simply is not what they would have us believe. They have been attempting to paint an altruistic and utopian outcome from passage of the aforementioned measures; however, such will not truly be the case. Intolerable infringement of the constitutionally guaranteed right to equal protection of the law upon many of us who have resided in this town for generations is what the actual result will be. For these reasons, a formal request has been made to the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the United States Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division to monitor, scrutinize and take all appropriate action necessary to protect community members who are being unfairly targeted by these controversial and discriminatory “vigilante-style” ordinances.
As mentioned earlier, a public hearing on the proposed ordinances is set for Thursday, 12/06/2012 at the Barnstable Town Hall. All are highly encouraged to attend and express their concerns.
Sincerely yours,
Ron Beaty
West Barnstable
