Dougherty – It’s Immaterial
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Brian Dougherty is really smart. He’s also really dedicated to the town. He truly, it seems, wants to do the very best for the town and works hard at doing just that. He’s truly a very nice man and a wonderful neighbor.
It’s for all those reasons that it was so difficult to hear him spiel out six changes he apparently had inserted in the all-important amendment to the ordinance governing development and design in the historic and business areas of the borough. Not that he did it alone; certainly, the professional who worked on the code was involved.
Yet Dougherty called the changes “immaterial.” Surprisingly, he apparently thinks it is immaterial whether a builder, certainly out to make money, is told he MUST do certain things in order to get approval, or he SHOULD do them. Then again, if it is immaterial, why put it in at all?
And why think about this at the last minute. Did not he, and all the other council members, actually read the ordinance before they introduced it? Didn’t they approve advertising it so the audience could see it as well? Don’t they all think the public has the right to see the ENTIRE ordinance, not wonder what changes are going to be made AFTER it’s been advertised for them to read in its totality?
The borough has to advertise proposed ordinances in advance so the residents have a chance to look at what is proposed and can ask intelligent questions at the public hearing. But when changes are made after the introduction and only read out quickly at the very onset of the public hearing, it smacks of not caring whether the residents get the whole picture.
It also makes one wonder what else gets changed without their being told. What other “immaterial” things are done without the public knowing them? For that matter, what is the definition of “immaterial.” ?
IF one were purchasing a car, and the finance company regulations said monthly payments SHALL be made on the first of every month, purchasers react a heck of a lot differently than if they were told they SHOULD make those payments on the first of every month.
Mr. Dougherty also said we’re not Cape May or Princeton and he is absolutely right on that. We do not have specifics as to precise paint, height, depth, or decoration. “This is the first step,” he said.
But we ARE Atlantic Highlands. We know what the town looks like now and we know people move here because they like the way it looks now. So why not say SHALL instead of SHOULD? Why do we have to take “one step” leading to something bigger and better in the future? Why not simply take the better step first and save time, energy and money? It certainly isn’t because the borough needs more high rises, more apartment dwellers, more drains on the water and sewer systems which come with bigger residential and commercial buildings.
Sorry, Councilman Dougherty. You’re wise and thoughtful. But you insult my intelligence when you decide to make changes you don’t even give me a chance to read, research and digest without asking a single question before you try to make them into law.
Apparently, all but one of the rest of the council members present also think the way residents and at least one planning board member think do. To a resident’s way of thinking, they were the wise ones this time. They wanted to listen to what the public want’s this time.
