In the event that La Plata residents missed it, the earsplitting, thunderous noise of Dec. 18 emanating from Town Hall heard around the community was that of the self-imposed anvil and shackles being removed from around the neck of a developer by our Town Council only to land on our mostly unaware citizens. Unanimously, the La Plata Town Council voted for the second amendment of the Davis Corporation (Heritage Green) Agreement, altering certain requirements relating to the provisions of a golf course and recreational amenities on certain portions of the property.

What did this vote accomplish? Among other things, it relieves the developer of the requirement of having to spend millions of dollars in advance of receiving its first building permit. And this is the second instance that the developer of this property has been rewarded. The first amendment temporarily set aside provisions of the annexation to allow building Washington Square.

While our town council, I believe, does an excellent job with the everyday matters relating to the smooth functioning of our town, it fails miserably on major issues. This annexation amendment and recent Walmart Supercenter fiasco quickly come to mind.

At this same meeting, Paddy Mudd announced her resignation from the council effective Jan. 1 due to a change of residence. She made an urgent plea for younger citizens to get involved and consider representing their community. I couldn’t agree more. Elections for town council and mayor will occur in spring 2013. It would be refreshing to see a different and younger group of candidates emerge.

We need an entirely different approach when dealing with major issues that will affect us well into the future. No longer can we settle with developers who purposely lie to us only to be annexed into our town and then not perform as promised. Never again should we allow complicit, enabling town councils who refuse to properly represent us by discouraging debate, purposely going out of their way to avoid surveying citizens and denying the opportunity to vote on major issues when necessary. After all, this annexation was settled by a referendum in 1990. Any significant change, as this second amendment provides, should also have been settled by a special election.

From the La Plata Town Council to G. P. Homes, the developer of this property, a very Merry Christmas is in order. And to the citizens of La Plata, whom we’ve betrayed once again, a huge lump of coal.

Michael J. Runfola, La Plata