State Overreach Goes Too Far With Accessory Dwelling Law
For over two years, federal and state governments have directed us all on health mandates, concerns and requirements. We have watched government force the closure of businesses and the eventual loss of so many.
Many employees were mandated to work remotely and many lost their jobs.
Schools were instructed to teach remotely, and then the mask and vaccine requirements on teachers, parents and the most affected, the students. Parental choice and direction were all but ignored.
We in local government were directed to restrict the number of employees allowed in our offices, alternate employees and have others work remotely while restricting the services we needed to provide to our residents.
Town revenues were challenged and budgets strained as normal programs could not be held.
Now state government wants to tell local governments how to zone their properties, that they know better how to handle local zoning better than those that live there and worked so hard to hold on to what little they have, their most precious investment.
There was a time when the people ran government; now the governments run the people. There was a time when government respected the will of the people and helped protect and provide for the needs of their constituents not overreaching their authority. Once the federal and state governments start mandating how local governments run, we have lost home rule and control by us residents.
We have had accessory apartment zoning in Mount Pleasant for many years; we have tweaked it over the years as our residents’ needs were recognized, and have made it work without changing the character or our communities. We have made it work where practical, safe and reasonable.
Our community has been working on a master plan for over four years, answering the needs of the community, not the needs of any Town Board member. The final product will be one formulated by the people, as it must be.
I have witnessed that the farther you go up the ladder in government the farther you get away from truly understanding and representing the real needs of those you are entrusted to serve.
I ask our federal and state governments to not lose sight of their responsibility to all the people, do not lose sight of who you represent, to those who you must eventually answer to.
Carl Fulgenzi
Supervisor, Town of Mount Pleasant
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