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Dear Editor:

Respect. It is lacking. People complain of the lack of respect given them by the commissioners. Glen Stotler was voted out, not because he did a bad job — his popularity has since risen. He simply did not respect us enough to explain new fees and taxes. The courthouse taxes were driven mostly by State Supreme Court requirements.

With more lack of respect for the people, the Morgan County Planning Commission has repeatedly recommended only more and more government control of our properties, such as zoning, when government is not approved by most people.

In a continuing lack of respect for the people, the planning commission failed to meet the requirements for comprehensive plans in West Virginia state law. They ignored the difficult requirements of creating a single, most efficient plan, and forming a budget to make this plan work.

Unfortunately, the state legislature did not include in that law any provisions for enforcement. As I was told by a lawyer in the Attorney General’s office, the legislators left enforcement to us. Somehow, we are supposed to make our commissions responsible.

This lack of required planning has not been taken seriously by The Morgan Messenger. It has published only three sentences total in two issues.
Upon being notified of this violation of the law, the commissioners once again showed their lack of respect for us by accepting bogus arguments from the planners. Getting the government’s act together was not considered. Personally, we have to have our act together or we suffer. But when the government does not have its act together, they don’t suffer, we do.

Since there are only lists of wishes, no single plan as required, in the “Comprehensive Plan,” we can only guess what the commission’s plans are. However, after attending the public meetings, being on Glen Stotler’s Land Use Committee, and getting to know many of the pro-zoning folks, we can expect substantially harsher zoning amendments in the future.

These amendments will virtually halt growth, only allowing construction in limited areas of the county. To save farms, farmland values will plummet. But like us, farmers will get no respect. The pro-zoners respect certain snakes and tree frogs more.

Send a message to the commissioners on November 2. Vote No Zoning.

Eric K. Pritchard
Berkeley Springs