Eyesores And Personal Freedom

To the Editor:

First Selectman Rosenthal’s desire to enact a so-called “Eyesore Ordinance” is a bad idea for the property owners of Newtown, and Americans in general.

I favor individuals and/or companies with unsightly, dilapidated buildings and land to take personal responsibility for cleaning up that property. However, it should not be the government’s role to bully people into doing so with written or verbal warnings, and then if they don’t cooperate to financially penalize them by taking invasive action.

An “Eyesore Ordinance” is just another way of taking citizens’ personal freedoms away. How far would such an ordinance be taken? A building or a property that may seem appropriate to one person could in turn appear to be aesthetically unpleasing to another. To date, there are too many laws and ordinances that strip individuals’ personal freedoms on the federal, state and local law books. Mr Rosenthal, don’t add another one.

Christopher Karpenko

6 Hattertown Road, Newtown                                     June 29, 2001