Editor:
Civic-minded council members have wondered aloud why Harford's public is so uninvolved. I've always believed it was due to people's understandable desire to focus on work, family and friends.
But now I believe fear is another reason – as illustrated by owner/developer Mike Euler's legal attack on Fallston residents Stephanie Flasch and Beth Poggioli for their "Keep Fallston Rural" petition ("Developer sues 'Keep Fallston Rural' group," April 29, 2016 Aegis).
These two women are incredibly involved in the Fallston community. They spent many months gathering data, calling on state and local officials and successfully lobbying to replace Youth's Benefit ES. They are active in community groups. They meet with county officials, sharing information, concerns and suggestions on local issues.
County Executive Glassman's staff have actively encouraged public input on HarfordNEXT, the master plan for how Harford will be developed. Mrs. Flasch and Mrs. Poggioli oppose HarfordNEXT's plan to expand the development envelope in Fallston, particularly the large agricultural-zoned property owned by Mr. Euler. They encouraged people who agree with them to get involved by signing a petition addressed to the county's HarfordNEXT decision makers.
Now Mr. Euler is suing these two ladies for "in excess of $75,000." In my opinion, the whole point of his very public, threatening lawsuit is to scare them and the public into silence. When ordinary people can be hit with lawsuits for exercising their right to free speech, it's no wonder the public is uninvolved.
Morita Bruce
Fallston