Milton has become a marketable community. The epic progression of “development” versus “preservation” is the battleground for the next decade.
Notably, both sides of the argument of development versus preservation want the same thing. While development is inevitable, preservation is not. Finding the common ground will lead the way.
The position papers of Milton’s four candidates for town council that appeared in this paper frame up some of the battle lines. All candidates have merits and have priorities relevant to all voters.
Two candidates, John Collier and Allen Sangree, promote process, a reliance on the town’s comprehensive plan, to ensure that progress does not forsake preservation.
I am unsure as to how to take Mr. Collier’s comment regarding the recent proposed rezoning to accommodate a health campus; that “although a grassroots effort helped deter a recent property rezoning request, I believe the source water protection ordinance in the town code was one of the primary reasons for withdrawal of the rezoning application.”
It seems to me that this comment fails to identify the fact that the Phoenix Group tried to bully the town and the council into accepting a proposal that was denied approval by the planning and zoning committee; and more than likely withdrew their proposal because they didn’t comply with their responsibilities to satisfy either DelDOT requirements or to address any of the concerns of the state planning commission. The attorney for The Phoenix Group, Mr. Paradee, had promised at the public hearing that these issues would be satisfied. They were not, and the petition was withdrawn.
Milton will be subject to similar projects that seek acceptance without compliance. And it is for this reason, of the two process candidates, I plan on voting for Allen Sangree, a prominent member of the grassroots people.
I will also be voting for Lee Revis-Plank. I view her positions stated in the Cape Gazette article to be predicated on a keen sense of pragmatism. Her concerns regarding the financial process of the town will be critical in advancing the process of growth. Hopefully her pragmatism will be an example and a reminder to all on council to an adherence to fiscal responsibility, so that unlike our neighbor in Lewes, the Milton city budget is not dominated by payroll and benefits for city workers.
I also agree with Emory West’s position regarding the need to solidify the sources, use and development of water for the town of Milton. However, while I agree with Mr. West, I can’t bring myself to vote for a single-issue candidate. But his vision is a critical condition of city growth and will need to be incorporated into the decision process of the city of Milton.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
