To the editor:

I read with alarm about the proposed marina on the western side of the bay. Portsmouth residents have short memories when dealing with such "visionaries." This arrogant charlatan brags about gouging consumers with his cheap, spray-painted houses in his "hungry days" as if it was a badge of honor. Now we find out that this developer has hired lobbyists with personal ties to the R.I. State House. What a surprise.

But Portsmouth residents should also remember numerous past developers proposing marinas and Weyerhauser condos with no plans for sewage disposal or environmental damage control. They and their glossy slide shows were sent packing in disgrace after it was learned they owed millions of dollars to creditors around the country. They merely moved out of state to avoid holding the bag. The Town of Portsmouth fell for every one of them.

Portsmouth does not need the tax dollars from this project. In the past decade its hard-working taxpayers have been subjected to financial crucifixion although I don't even get trash pick-up and my drinking water is substandard. Believe me — no one's taxes will go down as a result of this development.

As a Portsmouth property owner for 40 years, I demand that the town's officials investigate the cash flow, credit rating and legal history of this developer with the intensity of an electron microscope. When Pearson Yachts shut down years ago the water quality in the Arnold Point area rebounded to a purity unseen in decades. But the attitude and track record of this developer leaves me with no doubt of his disregard for the environment.

Floating sewage from pleasure craft, oily powerboat exhaust slick on the water and asphalt parking lots will be a tragic legacy if the town allows this development. This is all too common in a state nationally known for "the best government money can buy."

R. F. Hodge

Portsmouth