Buckroe travesty
By Al Gammler
Daily Press
February 2, 2007
Once again the cabal that really runs Hampton has shown its teeth. Its agents on the City Council - Ross Kearney, Paige Washington, Rhet Tignor, Joe Spencer and Charlie Sapp - have shown disdain for the clearly expressed wishes of the citizenry of Hampton by voting for more high-density housing at Buckroe where the people of Hampton have said it should not be. We do not have government by the people here. We have government by cabal.
The decision to adopt Option B was no compromise. If the Daily Press believes that, as stated in the editorial, "Success," Jan. 27, then perhaps it is a little naïve as to the way politics works in Hampton. It was a subordination of the will of the people to the needs of the cabal to feather its nest. The result of this vote will be to restrict access of the citizenry to the beachfront. Parking will be at a premium. People live in residences. They are not going to want a bunch of beach-goers to interfere with their quiet enjoyment of their residences.
The statement that Buckroe will be safer because there are "more eyes trained on neighborhood streets" is ear wash. If safety is truly an issue then the area in question should be set aside for commercial enterprises. That would give the police a vested interest in watching Buckroe more closely. It would also attract more people to come to Buckroe.
This is not civic leadership. This is government by whispered conferences in hallways and in unnamed restaurants.
Al Gammler
Hampton
