Letter to Editor: Don’t Apply Paint Temporarily for Heaven’s Sake

The year 2020 has been tumultuous for Chestertown, as it has for the rest of the country and the world, in many ways. But today we are faced with the most serious, urgent, and yes, potentially dangerous challenge of this year, or perhaps, of our entire history. This challenge has opened a rift in our community, forced us to overtly confront debates that have remained subtextual for years, and opened the eyes of many Chestertown residents to the systemic injustice with which others are all too familiar.

The challenge to which I am referring is, of course, the potential breach of zoning ordinances. Some may say that this matter is trivial, that zoning ordinances aren’t routinely disregarded. They may say that in this situation, zoning ordinances don’t even apply! But I am here to set the record straight. To stand in solidarity with construction regulations everywhere. To bravely strike out for the status quo!

Now, you may wonder why I am doing this. What kind of person could possibly have this kind of deep passion for sign related city planning? How do I have this much time on my hands? How did I come to the conclusion that this was the best thing on which to spend energy and resources that could have been devoted to literally anything else? Well the answer is simple: ever since I was a young child, my parents raised me to believe that it’s always important to do the right thing and stand up for other people. When we see injustice, we must raise our voices for change! This is why I simply could not bear the thought of the Town Council allowing paint to be temporarily applied to the streets of Chestertown without so much as a local court to properly adjudicate the potential legal implications!

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I’m pretty sure this is totally what he was talking about. No, this is not about anything other than zoning laws, why do you ask?

Satirically submitted,

Phebe Wood
Chestertown