We know we have members of the lunatic fringe and free
staters running around Exeter masquerading as the town Republican leadership;
but we’ve known that for the last couple of years and steer away from them in
the elections.
Now we are faced with a new issue and that is dam removal;
if you haven’t noticed the issue of removing the dam is being rammed down our
throats with such phrases as “restore the river to its natural state”, and “it
will improve our water quality” and “it will reduce nitrogen in Grate
Bay”. The only one I haven’t heard is it
will help us find the space ship that landed here in 1965.
Let’s make no mistakes; this issue of dam removal is
political and getting personal.
The Chairman of the Board of Selectman, who is on record as
wanting to tear down the dam, was recently quoted in the Exeter News Letter as
complaining that there is no leadership on the Board. I think he forgot that as Chairman he is the
leadership of the Board, self evaluation is a good thing; but sometimes you
shouldn’t publicize it, it makes you look bad.
Evidently he is distraught that he cannot deliver 3 votes on the board
to push an agenda that will negatively affect our water supply.
It simply appears that we are being pushed too hard, too
fast on such an important issue that will affect us well into the future.
The fact is the voters and taxpayers of Exeter, in 2008,
voted by a 3/5’s margin to study rebuilding the dam, not tearing it down, then
DES came in and asked us to stop what we were doing, they had a different or
better idea and that was dam removal.
The decision will ultimately be made by the voters, who are
well informed, and whatever they do the town will have to live with for
generations to come, water vs. no water.
I have been told that much of our drinking water in the summer comes
from the river, doesn’t that tell us something?
