June 11, 2008
Ms. Lesley Blackner
Chair
Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc.
123 Australian Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Ms. Blackner:
Since adopting a Hometown Democracy-style measure requiring
referenda on any comprehensive plan amendments, St. Pete Beach
residents have suffered through endless legal battles and countless
delays at taxpayer expense.
While the bills mounted, nothing got done.
Playing by the rules you advocate, a citizens group succeeded in
placing four compehensive plan changes before the voters. Their
plan to reinvigorate the economy was called "an easy
choice" by the St. Petersburg Times. Last Tuesday, residents of the small
Pinellas county town agreed, and decisively passed each of those
four amendments.
Now, Hometown Democracy disciples in St. Pete Beach have filed a
lawsuit to invalidate the results of last Tuesday's election. Ironically,
this brazen attempt to overturn the expressed will of the people
comes from the same activists who turned St. Pete Beach into a
Hometown Democracy testing ground by campaigning on empowering
voters. Today,
they are showing their true colors. Hometown Democracy isn't
about empowering voters, it's about stopping all growth at any
cost. Speaking of costs, have you stopped to think about who is
going to pay to defend against these nuisance lawsuits? No
surprises here: the taxpayers. The charade in St. Pete Beach is
proof positive that Hometown Democracy would cost taxpayers
millions in higher property taxes, take power away from local
residents, and would - quite simply - make the system worse.
You have claimed that Hometown Democracy is about the voice of the
people. However, the message from your followers is perhaps more
accurate: "you can have any opinion you want, as long as
it's ours." If your motivation is truly to promote the
will of the people, then join me in publicly condemning the lawsuit
filed by your supporters in St. Pete Beach and by demanding that
they immediately withdraw it, before even more tax dollars are
wasted. In free and fair elections and playing by your rules,
the resident's of that town decided they wanted change. Their
decision should be respected.
Sincerely,
Ryan Houck
Executive Director
Floridians for Smarter Growth
