Some members of Scarborough Town Council have fooled themselves in to thinking that the Dec. 3 referendum vote was really about the manner in which the council passed the new leash law. The council is still adamant on passing a new leash law. Their attitude is phooey on that referendum vote, we know what’s best for the people, plovers and dogs.

As an interested Pine Point resident, I attended the first meeting of the ad hoc committee on Dec. 27. There are two women from D.O.G.S., two men who say they want to work on this for the town. Two women who are deeply involved with the plovers, and there is Councilman Donavan. Councilman Donavan said the council has to pass a new leash law because the U.S. Fish & Wildlife said they had to, and according to him, they have to follow the law because the law is the law. Really, Mr. Donavan? U.S. Fish & Wildlife doesn’t make laws, they write guidelines. D.O.G.S. followed the letter of the law in overturning the council’s new leash law. It now appears that the council wants to thwart the will of the people. The powers that be couldn’t directly remove the dogs from the beach, they had to use the old “end around play.” Thus the one dead plover in 20 years was the perfect regulator. Mr. Donavan is highly motivated to get a new leash law implemented in lightning fast speed. When the topic of “predators to plovers” was brought up by the committee, Mr. Donavan said they didn’t need to discuss “other” predators. Why waste time on that, dogs are the primary predators – period. In fact, dogs are not the primary predators to plovers. However, the Decepticons that are on this council desperately want to make the public believe this. Why?

An overwhelming winning vote is being ignored by the very people we pay (regardless of how small of an amount) to do their job. We elect these councilors by process of who gets the most votes. Yet this council is not honoring the same democratic process that put them in their positions. Why? What and who is driving this council to ignore the will of the people?

Pammela Rovner

Scarborough