The Town of Manchester, Maine will hold an open town hall meeting on January 29, 2008 to decide whether to settle a law suit brought against it by MCF Communications and also whether to adopt a “Tower Moratorium Ordinance” for six months.
The interesting feature of this story is that the elected officials are asking the community’s eligible voters to decide whether to settle the suit, rather than deciding it themselves on behalf of the Town. In an editorial published by an area newspaper, The Kennebec Journal, the editors recount the history of the suit, and talk about a proposed settlement:
“All could have ended right there, peacefully and relatively quietly. Manchester selectmen could have approved the consent agreement, the cellphone folks would have paid a portion of the town’s legal fees and other expenses and life would have gone on. A new cellphone ordinance could have been proposed and adopted.
Instead, town officials took a duck…”
…when the town decided to let the residents decide the issue.
Interesting reading, to be sure.
