Closing week’s “Woog’s Global” was once dedicated to pleasure. In honor of the once a year LGBTQ+ birthday party, I introduced many the explanation why I’m happy with my Westport group.
This week, it’s freedom. Certain, The us’s birthday is subsequent month. However our fireworks are subsequent Thursday, June 29 (it’s a barge factor). But even so, why now not take a couple of further days to honor our country? In the course of polarization, rancor, and severe debates about the way forward for democracy, america wishes the entire find it irresistible can get.
A century and a part ahead of our nation was once based at the idea of freedom, the Connecticut colony was once established by way of refugees from Massachusetts. Thomas Hooker and others have been uninterested in being advised learn how to worship (by way of Puritans who had come to the brand new land for precisely the similar explanation why). The Progressive Struggle was once fought for the correct to be freed from British domination (and taxes). The Civil Struggle too was once about freedom, for all other folks. (Freedom for girls got here a long time later.)
Nowadays, a few of the ones freedoms are beneath assault. Girls have much less regulate over their very own our bodies than they did within the Seventies. Citizens in some states in finding it tougher to solid ballots.
In some states, scholars aren’t loose to be told the entire historical past of america. And in towns and cities around the nation they don’t seem to be loose to learn books that may problem, marvel, or most likely encourage them.
I didn’t assume a few of the ones freedoms can be imperiled in Westport. But if one in all them was once, freedom labored how it was once meant to. A resident was once loose to problem the verdict to incorporate 3 books within the Staples Prime College assortment. She was once loose to give her case, in an hour-long public listening to. A different committee was once loose to talk about her concepts. They have been loose to counsel, in 3 unanimous votes, that the books stay at the shelf. The resident was once loose to enchantment to the verdict – or to drop her problem, which she in the end did.
Westporters are loose to voice their reviews about many stuff – they usually do. The Cribari Bridge, college get started occasions, a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers – all are contentious problems that elicit as many reviews as there are opinion-givers. The general resolution can’t please everybody. However everybody’s voices are heard.
Infrequently fashionable opinion does now not win the day. I will’t in finding any Westporter who favors of the brand new residences being sandwiched into the heavily-trafficked nook of Wilton Highway and Kings Freeway North. However a courtroom dominated in choose of development, in accordance with Connecticut’s 8-30g reasonably priced housing law. A part of the liberty we revel in comes from the truth that we empower a judicial department to be without equal arbiter, in sure circumstances. They made their resolution, in accordance with state legislation.
We after all have the liberty to elect legislators to make, or exchange, rules on topics like reasonably priced housing. In a state with many various constituencies, then again – towns, suburbs, rural spaces; reasonably priced housing advocates and builders; householders and renters; Fairfield County and the remainder of Connecticut, to call a couple of – the combat to craft law that satisfies each one (or perhaps a majority) is intense. Freedom is seldom simple, and now not all the time lovely.
Westporters were very loose, during the last couple of weeks, to voice their opposition to proposed renovations to Parker Harding Plaza. The Downtown Plan Implementation Committee plans to get rid of the cut-through alongside the Saugatuck River (site visitors would change into two-way, nearer to the backs of Major Boulevard shops). The DPIC needs citizens and guests to be happy to revel in extra of the waterfront. However, over1,000 signers of a (loose!) Exchange.org petition counter, the exchange would exacerbate site visitors woes during downtown.
Petitioners additionally protest the removing of 44 parking areas. Downtown parking has all the time been loose; it’s a loved, nearly unalienable native proper. The new brouhaha has resurfaced the occasional resolution: a parking storage on Elm Boulevard. That’s pricey, so one strategy to pay for it could be to rate customers. Westporters are loose to proceed to discuss that factor. And they’re going to.
We can additionally stay discussing a (slightly) loose perk of residing right here: a $50 seashore sticky label that permits limitless get admission to to Compo, Previous Mill, Burying Hill (and Longshore). In the meantime, the fee to out-of-towners is $75 for day-to-day seashore parking, $575 for a every year cross.
Some citizens consider our seashores will have to be (slightly) loose, as a result of we pay for them via our belongings taxes. Some really feel they will have to be (slightly) freed from other folks, as a result of crowds take in area and barbeque grills. Different citizens really feel that the out-of-town worth is some distance too top, and feeds into the in style trust that Westporters are unwelcoming to outsiders.
I’m with that remaining team. I consider we will have to percentage our seashore bounty with as many of us as imaginable.
After all, you’re loose to disagree.
Dan Woog is a Westport author, and his “Woog’s Global” seems every Friday. He can also be reached at dwoog@optonline.internet. His non-public weblog is danwoog06880.com.
