To the Editor:

Much has been written about the recent Race Track proposal off Glen Charlie Road.

Over the coming weeks and months we will receive further information which hopefully helps the community decide on the pros and cons of this initiative. Jumping to conclusions without further information is a useless endeavor.

I’m confident that our elected officials will gather the necessary information, take input from all constituents and ultimately make an informed decision. We all know the town could use new sources of revenue. Pot shops are not the magic elixir to solve our fiscal woes. It’s likely that this debate will be decided by a town-wide meeting or ballot initiative. Unfortunately turn-out is usually poor for a multitude of reasons and special interests often rule the day.

Here’s a suggestion I would hope the Selectmen consider. Any ballot/vote initiate should be mailed to the taxpayer of record in the Town of Wareham. These individuals should be allowed time to evaluate any proposal which impacts their property and/or tax rates and vote as appropriate. This would eliminate votes in the dead of winter and allow seasonal residents who are also full time taxpayers the opportunity to participate in this or any other important fiscal decision.

I recognize that this type of approach is not perfect. It is however worthy of debate. Seasonal residents pay a substantial amount of taxes in Wareham. While they pay the same tax rate as full-time residents, they don’t utilize the schools and many of the other services offered by the Town. This is their choice. They should not, however, be penalized from participating in the democratic process because of their lifestyle decisions.

Neil Sullivan