The Milton Coalition is a non-partisan group of concerned citizens advocating for clean, competent, and courageous government.

The Milton Coalition was formed in November 2015 to oppose the “conservation” subdivision ordinance (CSO).  We saw the CSO for what it was:  a gift to Special Interests that would accelerate development in Milton and actually hamper green space conservation in Milton.  The CSO and so-called “conservation” subdivisions are merely thinly disguised profit maximization schemes for developers.  Their intent is to open up marginal land in Milton to development.

The Milton Coalition was originally formed by eight concerned citizens, six of whom were neophytes to city government.  We have since added members to our core team, as well as brought in other volunteers.

While we continue to organize against the CSO, we have expanded our mission to include acting as citizens’ counterweight to the influence of Special Interests in our city government.  During the CSO debate, the battle lines were clearly drawn:  citizens on one side and Special Interests on the other.  Consider the December 7th City Council meeting when Council unanimously voted down the CSO.  The vast majority of speakers in favor of the CSO were not ordinary citizens, but rather Special Interests:  developers, builder lobbyists, community septic vendors, large landowners, consultants, and political advocates.  Most were not even Milton residents and most had/have much to gain from adoption of “conservation” subdivisions.

It became clear to us that someone in Milton needed to stand up for ordinary citizens.  Clearly, some of our elected officials have abandoned us.  Consider the following statement by one City Council member (in an e-mail dated November 16, 2015):

“You’ve mentioned that the Conservation Subdivision Ordinance is a ‘gift to developers’.  That is your opinion.  It is not mine, as I’ve been witness to developers at every meeting stand up and state that they are not in preference of the CSO.”

Of course, at the December 7th meeting, quite a few developers and their partners spoke in favor of the CSO; no developers spoke against CSO.  This surprised none of us, as the CSO was gradually revised over time to satisfy the builders.  The June version of the CSO was certainly a “gift to developers” as the requirement to conserve buildable land had been deleted.  It is at this time the developers embraced the CSO and two Council Members publicly endorsed it (in the Milton Herald)–long before the Planning Commission had finished its work or the public had weighed in on the issue.

The Milton Coalition is a voice for the ordinary citizen.  We are organizing on your behalf and representing your interests.  Our efforts to defeat the CSO have made us smarter.  We know how to get out our message and how to mobilize citizens.  However, we still need volunteers.  If you are interested in clean, competent, and courageous government, please reach out to us at miltoncoalition@outlook.com and let us know how you would like to help.