Today I filled out my absentee ballot at the Camden Town Office, and it saddened me to have to check “NO” beside Articles 8, 9, 10 – the ordinance changes effectively banning new residential, commercial, and municipal piers in Camden Harbor.

I was disappointed to vote NO to the laundry list of restrictions contained in Articles 8, 9, 10 because in January 2023 the Camden Harbor Committee, of which I served as chairman, responded to a voter-approved temporary moratorium on new residential piers by presenting a balanced, straightforward set of regulations regarding residential piers.

Our recommendations were driven by data, research, and best practices. They directly addressed the challenges posed by climate change, while also balancing property rights with the public’s right to use the harbor. But instead of endorsing those regulations, the Planning Board embarked on an 18-month, agenda-driven mission to ban all new piers in the harbor.

When they were informed by the town attorney that the law prohibits them from an outright ban, they created such a labyrinth of new review criteria that it will serve as a de facto ban. Gaining approval for any new pier, whether it is used for residential, commercial, or municipal purposes, will be nearly impossible if Articles 8,9,10 are passed.

I hope that you will join me in rejecting the overly broad ordinance changes contained in Articles 8,9,10 and urge the Planning Board and Select Board to instead implement the Camden Harbor Committee’s original recommendations on residential piers.

Joshua Moore lives in Camden