Editor:

Well it’s over, the people have spoken and they chose not to institute planning and zoning to control our future.

Baldwin County is in its early teenage years, metaphorically speaking. Like a human teenager, he/she typically will not listen to logical cautions from their elders. Like countless thousands of teenagers before, they have to see for themselves. You just have to hope and pray when they have leaned the hard lessons the outside world has to offer, they will retain enough self-worth and inner fortitude to flourish in their later years.

Similarly, the citizen of Baldwin District 14 chose to ignore the cautions and warnings of enduring unplanned and uncontrolled development. Like the human teenager, the citizens will likely be forced to learn the hard way. Farm to market road required to support traffic loads much heavier than their intended use, raping the land to feed the hungry mouths of the concrete factories. Big box stores, shopping malls, commercial enterprises, and yes the occasional adult book store in residential neighborhoods, will be the probable results with no restriction or controls. The citizens will likely be faced with higher and higher taxes in order to support the unfettered influx of the people. Oh yes, the river, let’s not forget the beautiful, beautiful river. Ever increasing flood levels, and increasing silt, and whatever else gets dumped into it will likely change the river from a pleasant stream to God knows what.

Like our metaphorical human teenager, you have to hope and pray the citizens will finally put their foot down before things get that far out of hand, but it will not happen by itself.

I realize I’m trying to predict the future here, and that is always iffy for any of God’s creatures. Maybe the outside world will totally ignore Baldwin County District 14 and life will continue as is for the distant future, but in my opinion, that probability is unlikely at best.

On a closing note, I would like to compliment the opposition. They successfully convinced the citizen of District 14 that planning and zoning was a demon that should be killed at all cost. However, like all successful politicians they have to live the results. There is an old axiom: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Fairhope