Don't limit people from city boards

9/17/07
Many Milford residents are dismayed by the direction of land-use decisions in town, and are right to take part in the process and get more people involved. Citizen participation is the key to a functioning representative government. But a proposal that would restrict certain professionals from serving the public is a step in the wrong direction.
Government watchdog Michael Galullo wants to ban builders, developers and real estate agents from serving on city land use boards, saying their presence offers too many opportunities for conflicts of interest. Without citing any specific malfeasance, he raised the specter of officials acting out of personal interest rather than the public good.
But members of various boards routinely recuse themselves when personal connections present themselves. It is common practice for, say, a member of a planning board not to take part in debate about matters pertaining to a personal interest. There is no evidence this system is failing.
Also, professionals in the development and real estate communities offer invaluable expertise. With volunteers filling all positions on city boards, it can be hard to find people who have real knowledge of the intricacies involved in everyday issues. To simply declare ineligible a large swath of highly competent individuals over the mere possibility of problems down the road is suspect.
Finally, people have rights, even land use professionals. To limit people’s opportunity to serve the public would take something serious, not just suspicions. It can be hard enough to find qualified people with enough time to deal with public issues, and the criticism that comes along with it. Simply ruling out a whole group for no good reason is entirely unacceptable.