Lawsuit threat unfair

Dear Editor:

The Morgan County Commission, Planning Commission and Land Use Committee did an excellent job in drafting a zoning ordinance. They thought outside the box and drafted a non-traditional ordinance that is simple, as non-intrusive to property rights as possible, and protects our rivers, environment and hunting areas.

At 75 pages, it is probably one of the shortest zoning ordinances in the country. The zoning consultant hired by the Land Use Committee found it unique among all the ordinances she has ever helped draft due to its overlapping districts.

There are those that will oppose any zoning ordinance, no matter how reasonable, rational or limited in scope it may be. I attended both the public hearing on zoning and the County Commission meeting on making changes to the ordinance. I was disturbed by the opponents to zoning repeated assertions that the ordinance is illegal and that there would be lawsuits filed against it if it passed. There are many reasons to oppose zoning. The threat of lawsuits should not be one of them.

Richard Gay is the lawyer advising the county on this ordinance. He believes it is legal. Gay has decades of legal experience, advises Jefferson County on their zoning law and is possibly the foremost legal authority on zoning in West Virginia.

If zoning loses by a large margin in an election, its supporters will fade into the night. No lawsuits, and we will not attempt to have a revote on the issue. We will accept the will of the people. I suggest that the zoning opponents take a similar approach and pledge to respect the will of the people if they lose.

One of the main opposition points is that zoning will cost the taxpayers of Morgan County too much money to enforce. It is the height of hypocrisy to complain about the costs of enforcement and then threaten to sue if you lose.

The voters of Morgan County will not tolerate being threatened, bullied or intimidated into voting against this ordinance. If it comes to a lawsuit, my wasted taxpayer money will be on Mr. Gay and the many people who spent hundreds of hours drafting this ordinance, not those who will go to any length to try and prevent zoning in the county.

I advise them to drop this tactic and pledge to support whatever the voters decide. It’s called democracy.

George Farnham
Unger