To the editor,

Well, it appears that the good old boy network is alive and well in Wareham politics. I tried to participate in Community participation at the Board of Selectmen meeting and was shut down by the Chairman. So I decided to take my opinion to the public.

Ron Enos is the trustee of 18 Burgess Pt. Realty which owns a 30' piece of property off of Winship Avenue. Mr. Enos and partners who live a half-mile up the road have spent three years trying unsuccessfully to permit the construction of a golf cart pathway through wetlands.

Originally the project was approved by the Conservation Commission. Another friend of Enos' sits on the board and pushed the application through; he later had to recuse himself from further discussion.

The decision was overturned by Plymouth Superior Court; the Commission's decision was deemed erroneous. The Bylaw expressly prohibits alterations of wetlands within the 30' No Activity Zone. Now Mr. Enos wants to improperly apply the Americans with Disabilities Act to his cause.

At no time was the ADA mentioned during the past three years. The problem is the ADA does not apply to bylaws regulating the use and protection of wetlands located on private property. The ADA is for public access and public projects, not private projects.

The Conservation Commission is not even considering the new request to change the bylaw. But the Enos' have now used their influence with the Board of Selectmen to put the article on the Town Meeting warrant with no public hearing, no input from the Conservation Commission, no legal review from Town Counsel, and no input from citizens.

Mr. Enos hired Margaret Ishihara to represent them in this matter. Ms. Ishihara also works for the Wareham Fire District Prudential Committee that Mr. Enos sits on. We believe this is also a conflict.

It is our opinion that the ADA is not applicable to this matter and there is no compelling reason to undermine the wetland protections in the Bylaw to facilitate the construction of a particular pet project for friends of the boards. This is nothing more than a back alley attempt to circumvent the denial by the Superior Court on Bylaw applicability. The Town of Wareham needs to stop these back door politics.

Bill Clemmey
Winship, LLC