A Closer Look

If Save Willard Beach gather enough signatures, South Portland residents will decide next November if the following proposal becomes law:

“No person owning or in custody of or control of any dog shall permit such dog to enter upon Willard Beach between April 15 and Oct. 15. Dogs are allowed on Willard Beach between Oct. 16 and April 14 during park hours, if on leash and under owner’s control.”

A citizens’ group that wants to keep dogs off Willard Beach in the summer has begun collecting signatures to bring the issue to a citywide ballot in November.

Gary Crosby, the lead organizer, said this week that Save Willard Beach – the grassroots group he heads – needs 933 signatures from the city’s registered voters for a proposed ban to appear as a ballot question.

Crosby said the group will try to get up to 1,000 signatures, in case some of the people who sign are not registered to vote in South Portland.

If the required number is verified by the City Clerk’s Office, voters will decide in 2009 whether to ban dog walkers from the beach in the late spring and summer, and require dogs to be leashed on the beach during the off-season.

Last week, the city’s corporate counsel approved the following wording for the proposed law:

“No person owning or in custody of or control of any dog shall permit such dog to enter upon Willard Beach between April 15 and Oct. 15. Dogs are allowed on Willard Beach between Oct. 16 and April 14 during park hours, if on leash and under owner’s control.”

The signed petition needs to be returned to City Hall by the end of June. The city clerk requires up to 20 days to check signatures. Then the initiative goes before the City Council for review. The council has up to 60 days to adopt the proposed law, or to forward it to voters as a citizens’ initiative.

Save Willard Beach faces opposition from another grassroots group of residents, the South Portland Dog Owners Group, or DOG. President Crystal Goodrich said that members will campaign against the referendum.

“The South Portland Dog Owners Group will work hard to get accurate information out to the voters, so they can make a decision based on facts,” Goodrich said. “We will put forward efforts to keep Willard Beach what it always has been – a public beach for all of us to share and take care of.”

Crosby, who has the support of some beachfront home owners, plans an advertising campaign in support of the ballot initiative.

Current law allows people to walk their dogs, off leash, from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. year round. The council, with the support of a citizens’ task force, has been working to tighten the existing ordinance without changing it.

“Most of the council feels a referendum could divide the community,” said Mayor Tom Blake. “My preference is to undertake other processes. In this case, we’re trying to do it through the citizens’ task force. I’m going to continue to support the task force recommendation and the process we’re going through now.”

Council members are reviewing recommendations from the citizens’ task force for tightening enforcement and imposing fines for people who walk their dogs during off-hours or allow their pets to create a disturbance on the beach.

Councilor Tom Coward said that Save Willard Beach is offering a broad-brush solution to concerns raised about dog walking at Willard Beach, while the council is trying to offer a more detailed resolution that accommodates both sides.

The South Portland Dog Owners Group also supports the work of the citizens’ task force, and has no plans to file a competing referendum.

“Our group does not feel a referendum is in the best interests of the community members of South Portland and that the Save Willard Beach group, in pursuing their referendum, is working to take away access from a group of the public who uses it responsibly,” Goodrich said.

“We feel (Willard Beach) is a public park and dog owners are already limited to the amount of time we can access the beach, and there is not justification to take away what little we have in the summer months,” she added.

Crosby sat on the citizens’ task force that decided to uphold but refine current laws regarding dog walking on Willard Beach.

But Crosby, in a surprise move, broke ranks with the task force and announced the formation of Save Willard Beach, a grassroots group dedicated to restricting pet access at the public beach.

“Being able to take my granddaughter to the beach and being able to play with her there led me to this,” said Crosby, who has voiced concerns about dog urine and feces on the shorefront, where people sunbathe.

Crosby is predicting the proposed restrictions will easily win voter support.

He notes that there were 1,800 licensed dogs in South Portland in 2008. He said there are not enough dog owners to support current practices of allowing dogs on the beach year round. He added that requiring dogs to be leashed during the off-season mirrors Maine law for state-owned parks.

Crosby said this week that he has not talked with City Council members since he decided to pursue a citizens’ ballot initiative.

Crosby has the support of a handful of vocal oceanfront homeowners, including Dan LaBrie, vice president of Rufus Deering Lumber, who built a $1.4 million home on Beach Street.

Both LaBrie and Crosby argue that a law change is not just to benefit beachfront homeowners but is for anyone who uses the popular public beach in the summer.

“We’re attempting to open the beach to thousands of people who want to use it dog-free,” LaBrie has said. “We are trying to make the beach safe and equitable for people who want to use it without dog interference.”

Crosby, a local businessman who does not live near Willard Beach, said his group’s advertising in the months before the vote will be supported by private donations. Crosby said he may use direct mail to send out informational literature on health and safety issues regarding dogs at the beach.

Crosby said that volunteers collecting signatures will staff tables at the special election on Jan. 27 for the water district, and for the citywide vote on the school budget.

Volunteers also will go door to door and perhaps stand in front of the post office or City Hall. They will not solicit people at private businesses, such as the grocery store.

“This will put the issue to rest, at least for me,” said Crosby, a dog owner. “Win or lose, there is no better way to decide.”

Crosby is no stranger to city politics. He frequently attends City Council meetings and speaks during the public comment period. He previously ran for council but did not win.

Most recently, Crosby opposed a 2007 referendum to rebuild the high school for $56 million. He posted hand-painted, plywood signs around the city in the days before the vote, urging residents to reject the plan. The referendum was overwhelmingly defeated.

Crosby says that he was willing to take an unpopular stance against the high school project, when other people worried about speaking out.

Crosby said that the city would have faced financial hardship in the recession, if the project had passed. Crosby said he is taking the same common-sense approach to limiting dogs at the beach.

“I’m used to taking on causes I believe in,” he said. “Let the residents decide. It’s the democratic process, and then everyone can move on.”