To the editor:
Many local candidates are trying to capitalize on the public’s frustration with the Metacomet issue with promises like, “We will keep Metacomet green” or “We will put Metacomet on the ballot and let the people decide.”

Unfortunately, these are simply empty promises and political theater.

For example, Councilman Mourato and Councilwoman Sousa presented a ballot question on Metacomet this summer which was nothing more than stunt pandering to the KMG crowd. The proposed ballot question was NOT a bond referendum that voters are more accustomed to seeing. It was misleading to voters about the legal process and wasn’t even “binding” on the council.

The charter requires all bond referendums to include a sum of money, a statement of estimated maximum cost of the capital project, along with several other requirements. Their proposed ballot question included none of these. There was no amount listed. There was no estimated cost to the project.

This was not a drafting oversight; the truth is we have no idea how much money it would take to “keep Metacomet green.”
We do not have an updated appraisal of the land after the rezone, nor do we even have a consensus on what the city would do with the land once we acquired it, we do not have enough information to even begin to estimate cost.

As a result, the ballot question they proposed was meaningless and just a political stunt. It was not a bond referendum, it had no power, and merely served to mislead and confuse voters.

Similarly, John Rossi and the rest of the self-proclaimed “people’s candidates” are campaigning on a promise to put Metacomet on the ballot. However, the legal and financial picture will certainly continue to evolve as Marshall moves forward in the development process before the next election making this promise even more unreasonable than the first.

The discussion around Metacomet has always been oversimplified as if supporting rezone means you don’t value green space. That is simply not the case.

The reality is the decision to rezone ensured over 50 acres of the Metacomet property to remain green. That is no small feat. The city received 9.6 of those acres outright, which is more than the twice the size of Sabin Point. The remaining 48.1 acres is deed restricted to remain either a golf course or conservation area.

To put that in perspective that is more than 5 times the size of Rose Larisa Park, or more than twice the size of Squantum Woods which the current council was able to protect through the rezone process.
Empty promises and political theater do not protect our green space, only sound decision making does that.

Sarah Smalley
Riverside