Against the Tides....

AGAINST FAILED ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
THAT LEAD TO SPRAWL...


Letter to the Editor:

Should we accept what’s happened to our county as part of the normal process of growth?
Should we allow the local government to proceed as they have before virtually unilaterally without discussion, without debate in making decisions affecting development as they have before? Shouldn’t we have the right to change the status quo if it is in our interests to do so?....

These are among the questions the upcoming election will decide.

If we vote in the same people, there is a very high probability that nothing will change. And if that doesn’t trouble us, we need to do nothing! However, if you as an intelligent questioning voter are seriously concerned about the path we are on, if you are unsure that the county officials have our best interests at heart, you have to look at your best available options… And you have to listen to the arguments of candidates who stand up to the developers and argue that unplanned development has not brought what our local officials have promised.

Citizens of Sussex County, I think we have come to an important cross-road.
For years, many of us have chosen to look the other way when business got the green light to develop areas considered “sensitive.” It didn’t affect us—or so we thought—so we looked the other way.

Now, we are reaching crisis stage and what many think may be the tipping point and, for the most part, many are still unwilling to see the disastrous path we are on…A path that will change our life-styles and the quality of our lives in ways that we may not have anticipated.

We know that Southern Delaware is the best place in the world to live. But if you look at what’s happened over the past few years, you have to seriously ask yourself is that as true today as it was yesterday. Why? We are starting to see the price of not demanding more from our county officials and by voting in those again and again who perpetuate growth at any cost.

Our business people have encouraged unplanned development with such zeal now that they have scrambled the Golden Egg. They have built on every square inch of land without considering the accompanying infrastructure. As a result, we now have more homes than the county needs with less of the things we need to assure that each home owner can retain a quality of life. And all we need to do is look around us to see what unplanned development can do to an area. We have growth but we don’t have a dependable water supply. We have growth but we don’t have adequate sewers. We have growth but our roadways cannot accommodate the traffic; we have growth but we don’t have the kind of schools we need to accommodate the growing demands of an expanding student base.

To accommodate even more growth, we invest in power sources that are dependent on coal. Coal is one of the worst pollutants—even when its upgraded to burn cleaner.
Pollutants dumped into the waterways, pollute our water. Pollutes pumped into the air that are not recycled contaminate our air affecting the air that we breath. We are through the power of the vote, supporting the State’s efforts to poison us wholesale.

When will we say enough is enough!.

Today, some of the newer, more committed politicians are working to change the status quo. In the 41st District, for example, a courageous resident has stepped forward to promulgate needed change that will protect the home owners quality of life, that will result in planned development instead of rampant growth at any price, that will protect the sensitive marsh lands. A populist candidate who will vote what the people want; not what is expedient. Never before have the choices been clearer. Residents can vote for the status quo with the appointment of John Atkins, who has never seen a development he hasn’t liked, a businessman with a personal stake in over-development; or you can vote for change with the election of Barbara Lifflander, a populist who wants to maintain the quality of life for all the people in her district. A candidate who recognizes that the key is planning, infrastructure and protection of wetlands and marshlands.

Supporting Barbara Lifflander’s efforts is supporting your own right to a quality of life. Ms. Lifflander does not stand against development; but, insteads, supports planning so that all development is accompanied by infrastructure to eliminate crowded streets, power outages, insufficient waste management and the burning of alternative fuels that do not poison the environment or the air we breath. . She believes that if you are going to develop that has to be part and parcel of an infrastructure plan. That’s why she’s active in the Sierra Club; that’s why she I a consultant and adviser on the Comprehensive Plan for Sussex County and that’s why she stands for positive change for the people, not preservation of the status quo..

















Barbara cautions us that it is time to get serious about keeping Sussex County for the people, not the developers. It is about keeping the 41st District as a desirable area for sporting and outdoor life offering the quality of life that makes people want to keep coming back.

It only makes sense that we support Barbara Lifflander who is running for us in the 41st District for she is only supporting us. Invite Barbara to speak at your group; learn what you can do to support the goals of your area; and don’t let the prophets of self-interest destroy your stake in the future. To volunteer or support the efforts of Barbara Lifflander, call 302 945 2888 or email Barbaraliff@aol.com.

Respectfully,