To the Editor:

While I am reassured beyond measure by Town Planning Director George Benson’s expert opinion that he considers the signs planned by Starbucks to be “better quality than the signs used by drive-through eateries in the past,” I am shocked and appalled by his cavalier remark concerning light pollution from new construction on Church Hill Road, that “That area is lit up like an airport already.”

Mr Town Planning Director, if you are aware of an issue degrading the quality of life in Newtown, I suggest it is your responsibility to address and correct the problem, not to justify it by declaring that two wrongs make a right. What’s next — “Traffic is already backed up to the flagpole, so what difference does it make if we add more?” “The river is polluted already, so who cares if we dump more waste into it?” “We’ve already turned scores of acres of wooded land into commercial developments, what’s a few more?”

Our once star-filled night sky is a precious resource that is difficult to reclaim once destroyed by rapacious developers and short-sighted planners. If the town planning director is not willing or able to protect the treasures he’s been entrusted with, he should step down to make room for someone who cares more about the quality of life of the town’s residents than the business interests seeking to exploit them.

Julia Truchsess

123 Edgelake Drive, Sandy Hook         September 17, 2018