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Torrey Referendum is Democracy in Action


Adus Dorsey’s July 8th letter in The Insider is full of inaccurate statements.
First, the “Pied Piper” nickname suggests a single person has lured the whole town down a dangerous path. In fact, 87 residents signed onto the referendum, 60 told the Planning Commission they opposed gas stations, and 100 signed a community letter to that effect last year. Villainizing me doesn’t change that math.

The challenger to the mayor is not “solidly backed” by the Friends of Torrey. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization is barred by federal law from promoting or assisting any candidate for public office. (When people speak it doesn’t mean they’re speaking for an organization they might belong to, just as Adus doesn’t speak for the Wayne County government every time he opens his mouth.)

The referendum was not “suggested and sanctioned by the Friends of Torrey.” It originated among many local residents bothered by the Town Council’s approval of gas stations in April. This is not an anti-business referendum, but it does ask what kind of business? (Adus’s letter suggests he’s OK with gas stations on Main Street 50 feet from someone’s house. Though he has said he doesn’t want one next to his house.)

Finally, a 25% minority cannot “decide the fate of Torrey Town’s future” or make property owners “bow down” to them. It takes over 50% of town voters to change the law. This referendum is not a “dubious choice,” it is democracy in action. It is a chance for the whole community to decide what the town should look like in the future. Why is Adus afraid of that?

Bill Barrett (aka Pied Piper), Torrey, A consistent Wayne County voter