No denying the ham-handed handling of the harbor master ...
By Lincoln Millstein
There was a reason why 150 mariners jammed the meeting room in Greenwich town hall on March 18. I was there to witness one of the most volatile public meetings in town in years.
If the meeting had been held at 7:30 p.m. instead of 5, there would have been 2X the number of people if not 3X. (If you want to guarantee a smaller audience in Greenwich, just make sure the commuters can’t make the meeting)
But the wont of the the so-called Coastal Resource Advisory Committee has been to keep this piece of public business out of public scrutiny. Why else would you stack the committee with members who resemble a Republican fund-raising dinner? Several of the committee members are from Greenwich yacht clubs, arguably the most secretive organizations in town.
Add to this the naming of Jonathan Asch, one of the most argumentative and divisive people around, to be the town’s new head master (whoops, I meant harbor master) and you’ve got the makings of a powder keg, which, predictably exploded in mid-March when boaters began receiving 300 percent increases in mooring fees with virtually no explanation. I urged my friend John Craine to tell Jon Asch not to act like he’s a foreman on a job site – one wag called Asch a hammer looking for a nail. John Craine is the chair of the coastal committee whom I called to get a personal explanation as to why my fees were going from $35 to $100 in one fell swoop. I’m not sure even to this day that I understand it. But I am certain that John failed to communicate it effectively that day in town hall in front of the 150 boaters.
Then Peter Tesei assured us all that nothing will be done this year and that the selectmen would delay enforcement of the new policies recommended by the committee. One week later, the new mooring fees went into effect. Huh?.....
Lincoln's Log - http://blog.ctnews.com/lincolnmillstein/ | 
