To the Editor
Many people in Greenwich honestly believe if you have enough money you should be above the law.
Greenwich is a “home rule” municipality, meaning it governs all matters without overview, based on its own town charter, which has been written to conform with state statutes and federal acts.
An accounting of how the town administers state and federal law is contained in a legally required document, produced by the town, called the “Plan of Conservation and Development,” which must be updated and submitted to the state of Connecticut every 10 years.
Sadly, Greenwich seldom adheres to its own Plan of Conservation and Development and, when called to task by state and federal authorities, has often provided materially false accounts of its actions.
Recently, a group of less affluent Greenwich citizens learned a group of more affluent Greenwich citizens planned to move their house of worship from a spacious “back-country” setting in a wealthy part of town to a small, federally protected wetland in a less affluent part of town, without first providing proper notice and obtaining all required permits.
Neighbors in the less affluent Greenwich neighborhood (Cos Cob) are petitioning the first selectman (aka the mayor) to ensure the town adheres to all federal, state and municipal rules and regulations with regard to The Clean Water Act.
Their petition can be found at this address: ccffrr.org/petition/
If you believe rich people should be subject to the same laws as poor people, please click on one of the above links, electronically sign the petition, and ask others who agree with you to sign it also.
Bill Effros
Greenwich