Following is a link to a letter to the editor that was published today in the Milton Herald.  

Milton Citizens Must Remain Vigilant

It has become clear that positive change in Milton will only come through replacing some members of City Council.  In particular, Council Members Matt Kunz and Bill Lusk are at the center of the dysfunction in Milton city government.

Council member Kunz has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the development community in Milton.  Council member Bill Lusk, whose construction company has benefited from Milton’s construction boom, also contributed $1000 to Kunz’s campaign.  It was the best $1000 he ever spent, as Kunz has become his second vote on Council.

There is not a dime’s worth of difference between Lusk and Kunz.  Both are strong and unapologetic advocates for developers in Milton, as their voting records clearly demonstrate.  For example, Lusk made the motion to approve the rezoning that allowed the abominable town home development across from Cambridge High School.  Kunz seconded the motion, (wrongly) asserting that 50% of land would be conserved as greenspace.  Both Lusk and Kunz also actively promoted a developer’s rezoning and subdivision on Ebenezer Road, in violation of Milton’s rules against Council members taking even an indirect interest in a matter before Council.  In doing so, Lusk and Kunz supported cluster housing (homes on 1/4 acre lots) in unsewered areas of Milton.

Recently, Kunz and Lusk (and Council Member Rick Mohrig) reversed their opposition to (and their votes against) a subdivision platting when a developer and major campaign contributor weighed in on the platting.  Lusk was responsible for the developer-applicant getting a second hearing, where Council ‘s earlier denial of the platting was reversed.  It was another obvious example of Lusk and Kunz bowing to the will of their political patrons and special interests.

Both Lusk and Kunz were also caught using private e-mail for City business, which is prohibited and a violation of open government laws.  Both have also circumvented the City Manager and city processes in their effort to pass an ordinance to allow cluster housing in rural parts of Milton.  This was revealed in e-mails obtained through an open records request.

Following is the text of the Letter to the Editor.

Milton citizens must remain vigilant

The City of Milton will soon be celebrating its 10th birthday. I voted for the creation of the city and have seen some positive changes over the years. However, all is not well in Milton. Over the past year, as a private citizen, I have attended nearly every City Council meeting and dozens of other city government meetings. And I have been dismayed by what I have witnessed. The city has not had a competitive election since 2011 and it shows. Lack of electoral accountability has led to complacency and arrogance in some elected officials. It has led to the increasing influence of special interests.

Who are these special interests? They are land investors and developers. Many of them live outside of our community; they care nothing about Milton. They have time, money, knowledge and highly paid attorneys. They know all the tricks, loopholes and angles. They are generous with their campaign contributions. And unfortunately, they have their agents within the city government.

To advocate for citizens, a small group of Miltonites formed the Milton Coalition in November 2015. We had no money, no organization and no name recognition. We only have a strong love for our community and a strong desire for good governance. We exercised our voice through petitions, blogs, flyers and speaking before the City Council. And the fine citizens of Milton are heeding our call. Our last petition advocating for smart land use and good governance garnered nearly 1800 signatures. One City Council meeting was so packed with supporters that a holding room had to be established. Over the past year, citizens have won a number of victories. However, securing and building upon these successes will require changes at the ballot box. Competitive elections are needed to fix what ails Milton. Some City Council members will try to distract citizens by highlighting their volunteerism and patriotism. Don’t be fooled. These politicians have long voting records that clearly reveal their allegiances.

Citizens, to mark the 10th anniversary of Milton’s founding, please consider attending a City Council meeting. Witness firsthand your government in action. I am convinced you will get it. As someone who has attended several dozen of these meetings, I know that you will grasp the need for new leadership. The most effective tool in our campaign for clean, competent, courageous, and citizen-centric government is citizen participation. See you at a future City Council meeting.

Milton Citizens:

See the letter below that was sent by the Mayor to the City’s board and commissions regarding citizen interaction.  Note that these rules are stated to apply to both elected and appointed officials.  This letter was approved by City Council.  So how is it that Council Member Lusk feels he is above the rules that he has voted to enact?  Lately, both Councilmen Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz have been explicitly attacking citizens.  Mr. Lusk recently did so in a social media posting, labeling citizens that oppose his views as his views as “lurking critics, detractors, non-performers, and naysayers.”  He goes on to even call such citizens unpatriotic and critics of volunteerism.  Both Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz recently verbally attacked a private citizen in a Council meeting, because they did not like the citizen’s comments before Council.  Think about it.  Council Members are the leaders of our City.  They set the tone and culture.  Will anyone else on other boards and commissions take the rules seriously if Council Members do not?

Following is a link to Kunz/Lusk attack on a private citizen.  Que to 4:41:40 and 4:50.25 in the video.

Lusk and Kunz Attack Citizen in City Council Meeting

Unfortunately, this rule-breaking is predictable behavior from both of these Council members.  They routinely and flagrantly violate the rules.  Consider the following:

• Both Council members actively promoted a developer’s project, even giving tours of the developer’s property.  This is in direct violation of the Milton City Code that prohibits a Council Member’s even indirect interest in the outcome of a matter before City Council.
• Both Council members have both used private e-mail to conduct City business.  This is a violation of laws governing transparency in government.
• Both Council members have circumvented City staff, including the City Manager.  This was evidenced by e-mails obtained through an open records request.  Per City Code, Council members are required to work with City staff only through the City Manager.
• Both Council members have violated their quasi-judicial roles as judges in rezoning hearings by explicitly advocating for applicants before and during rezoning hearings.  Mr. Kunz even gave a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation that could best be described as a marketing presentation for Brightwater Homes.

So it is not surprising that Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz would openly and explicitly attack citizens.  They obviously believe that the rules don’s apply to them.  Isn’t this typical of politicians?  This is the same sort of lawlessness that we see in Washington DC.  Lusk and Kunz have imported this lawlessness to Milton and the community is worse for it.  The rules only apply to the other guy . . . the ordinary citizen.

This post is going out to the 2000+ citizens that signed the Milton Coalition’s petitions against cluster housing and the CSO.

In a recent post on social media, Council Member Bill Lusk asserted that citizens that oppose his views are “lurking critics, detractors, non-performers, and naysayers.”  He goes on to say that “they would rather hide behind their keyboards, contribute nothing except divisiveness, and nurse their empty egos, while others bend over and pick up trash along our roads.”

Apparently, not only do we not volunteer on behalf of the community, we also are critics of those who do volunteer.  And we are also unpatriotic.  Mr. Lusk compares us to American colonists who did support the War for Independence and Americans who badly treated returning Vietnam veterans.  Mr. Lusk clearly has a wild imagination.

In signing a petition opposing Mr. Lusk’s developer-promoted ideas on community septic, cluster housing, and high density housing, we petition signers are apparently pretty horrible people.

Initially, Mr. Lusk tried to dismiss the signers of Milton Coalition petitions.  He claimed that most of the signatures came from people that lived outside Milton or were forged (i.e., that many signatures were anonymous).  However, we unequivocally exposed Mr. Lusk’s lies–for example, only 1 person anonymously signed the petition that was submitted into the Milton City Council record.  So now Mr. Lusk has shifted his strategy to attacking citizens that oppose his positions.   This is despicable.  And it will not work.

Clearly, Mr. Lusk has become unhinged.  Mr. Lusk is frustrated that he has not been able to get cluster housing approved for un-sewered areas of Milton.  He is frustrated that he is not able to deliver the goods to the Special Interests he represents.  He realizes that he has lost the confidence and trust of citizens, so has taken to lashing out blindly at anyone that opposes him.  Mr. Lusk (and Mr. Kunz) has even attacked private citizens from the Council dais.  This is in direct violation of the City’s own rules and guidelines (Letter to Boards and Commissions dated February 12, 2016 with subject line:  Citizen Interaction).

Citizens of Milton, Mr. Lusk is up for re-election in 2017.  We need to show Mr. Lusk that we are serious about clean, competent, and citizen-centric government.  We should not tolerate a politician that shows such blatant disdain and disrespect for so many of Milton’s citizens.  Mr. Lusk clearly has to go.

Citizens, as always, thank you for your commitment to Milton.  You are making a difference.

Tonight City Council is going to approve a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week.   The Milton Coalition is fully supportive of Council’s proclamation tonight.  However, we remind Council that the best way to honor the Constitution is with actions, especially upholding the five fundamental rights listed in the First Amendment.

The best way to uphold free speech is to allow citizens to speak even when Council members disagree with what citizens say and how they say it.  The best way to uphold free assembly is to embrace groups (like the Milton Coalition) that freely form to promote good governance.  And the best way to uphold the right of citizens to petition for redress of grievances is to take seriously those citizens’ petitions.

Council, thank you for recognizing Constitution Week.

Citizens:

It is important that citizens continue to sign the Petition urging Council to protect our gravel roads.  This means a strict interpretation of the three-acre lot minimum along gravel roads that includes not only lots accessed from a gravel road, but lots adjacent to a gravel road.  Council Member Kunz has already stated that legally landowners are entitled to one-acre lots due to precedent.  (This is actually false.  See earlier post on this issue.)  However, Council member Kunz and Lusk have already supported 1-acre lot minimums along gravel roads in the 745 Ebenezer Road rezoning.  And they will certainly support 1-acre lots along Lackey Road, when a rezoning application is ultimately brought forward for parcels along that road.  The application will certainly be disguised in “conservation” language, but obviously one-acre lots (vs. three-acre) lots are not conservatory, except in the Orwellian world that Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz inhabit, where language is manipulated as a means to an end.

In the next few months, Council will be adopting clarifying language for three-acre minimum lots along gravel road.  Accordingly, citizens need to continue to stay engaged.  Following is the Wood Road petition.  Please sign and urge your friends and neighbors to sign.  Thank you.  Click on the following link to get to the petition.

Wood Road Petition

Following are some photos taken from the 27-unit townhouse development across from Cambridge High School.  This development is Exhibit A in how terribly wrong we can get rezoning in Milton.  Sewer was extended and density was increased by 3 times.  The rezoning approval motion was made by Bill Lusk and seconded by Matt Kunz.  (Don’t let anyone tell you that the person that makes the first and second motions on important issues does not matter; it does.)  At the time, Council Member Kunz even bragged to the Milton Herald about the townhouses:

“We approved the subdivision with an additional 25 feet of buffer space not required by Agricultural-1 (AG-1) regulations, making it a total of 75 feet of space, and also capped the sewer.  About half of the land will now be left as undeveloped, natural land.”

And don’t let anyone tell you that the choice was between a church and townhouses.  This is false.  This property was zoned AG-1 and should have been developed AG-1.  An AG-1 development would have yielded no more than 9 homes and would have better fit the look and feel of the area.  And as we have seen so many times, in approving this development, Council disregarded the recommendations of the Planning Commission, which voted 7-0 to deny this abomination.

This is just more evidence–as if you needed more–that Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz are the most pro-development members of Council.

Where is the supposed 75-foot buffer?

Below is a reckless and false argument made on social media by Council Member Kunz, where he argues for one-acre minimum lots on gravel roads.

First, this is a reckless and irresponsible statement for an elected official to make.  It is yet another example of a Council member positing an opinion about an issue where he has no expertise and prejudging an issue before all the facts are known or citizens have registered their opinions.

Second, the statement is just plain false.  There is no precedent.  Period.  This so-called loophole has never been used in the City of Milton.  This issue was only raised recently with Nix Road and now on Wood Road.

The real reason for this ridiculous social media posting is that two Council members have previously, but unsuccessfully, supported one-acre lots along gravel roads.  With the Ebenezer rezoning, Council members Kunz and Lusk and supported Brightwater Homes contention that 1 acre lots were permissible as long as these lots were accessed from a paved road.  This assertion was made to support higher density than would have otherwise been allowed under existing zoning.

I would contend that those who make such irresponsible and false statements do not support preserving our gravel roads or land conservation.  They do not represent the will of citizens in Milton.

(Note:  In his post, Council Member Kunz mentions that a CSO would have included a collaborative process.  However, such a collaborative process can be included in improvements to AG-1.  In fact, the AG-1 enhancements currently being considered by Council include more collaboration with citizens.  And if Council Member Kunz wants a even more collaborative zoning process, why hasn’t he proposed one for AG-1?  The reason is that his goal is cluster homes, higher density, and community septic.  These are needed to allow builders to profitably develop currently unprofitable land in Milton.  That is the real motivation behind a CSO; the collaborative process is just window dressing.)