On Wednesday night, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. the Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing on the report submitted by the Charter Revision Commission. There are a number of changes proposed by the CRC, which, if accepted by the Selectmen, would go to the voters in November.

The issue of the role of the Board of Finance is NOT one which is addressed by the CRC report. The Board of Finance's negative vote on our petitions to acquire the Bennett's Pond property by eminent domain has brought to light a glaring anomaly in our Charter - namely, that the Board can refuse to allow a vote on a petition-initiated referendum when expenditures of money are involved. The negative vote by the Board of Finance on February 19 deprived all of the voters of Ridgefield the right to vote on this critical issue, and trashed the 2,800 signatures ROSA members collected on our petitions.

ROSA is prepared to present our concerns about this problem in the Charter tomorrow night, and we encourage all to attend this important public hearing. It will be held at the lower level meeting room at Town Hall (400 Main St.) If you cannot attend, you can write a letter to be read into the record - fax your letters to the First Selectman's office at 431-2311 no later than 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Letters to the Editor

As the debate over the future of Bennett's Pond, eminent domain, and the role of the Board of Finance continues, we urge you to write letters to the editor expressing your views. It is important that we keep this issue in the public eye, and you can help by writing letters to the Ridgefield Press. They can be emailed to the Press at newsroom@acorn-online.com

Ellen Burns
ROSA