2012 Town Meeting - Night Two

Only one real vote tonight.  After a long discussion, the proposal to allow the creation of a memorial park within certain Conservation Commission properties was defeated 95-75*.  This was a proposal that I strongly supported.  Arlington is quickly running out of space to lay our dead to rest.  However, "not is my backyard" rules the day.  There were many arguments about procedure and whether an appointed board should be allowed to make decisions about where the memorial park(s) could be located.  Overall, the tone of the comments was very negative; no one had any alternatives about what to do.  By law, we have to deal with this problem, and we are quickly running out of time.

We spent a fair amount of time discussing accessory apartments, but we adjourned before taking a vote.  I spoke in favor of the article and against two proposed amendments.  The amendments would limit the units to seniors and affordable rents.  The presentations were, in my estimation, disingenuous because the proponents were asking the members to vote down the article whether they accepted the amendments or not.  There was a mean-spirited tone to the presentations, repeated by other speakers, warning about the possibility of others moving into our single-family districts.  Those others would bring children and cars and other things no one wants.  I tried to point out the problems with the amendments and make a case that many issues expressed with the article, have nothing to do with the article.  Who lives in a house, how many cars they have, whether the house is too big for the lot, and the lack of affordable housing are all issues that exist today and have nothing to do with this article.  I fear that this article, like most of the presentations by the Redevelopment Board, will be voted down Monday night.

*  It was sad to see that only 170 of the 254 members, only 2/3 of the full meeting, stayed to vote on this article.  We all took an oath to come to meeting; how come 1 in 3 don't bother to participate?