We currently live in a wonderful community.

We got here through careful stewardship of our resources, knowing what we have, and long-range planning to maintain it.

Through attrition and influx, we have lost much of our linear historic basis of thought and decision making. Our historical conscience if you will.

We need to reestablish long range planning and localized thinking; not using other towns as examples … or alleged State mandates.

Joel Russell, the Planning Consultant hired by The Ad Hoc Zoning Review Committee, stated that our bylaws and Master Plan were basically sound as they stand. They may need some updating, but nothing major or even mandatory.

We suffer from a form of “Buyer’s Remorse” at times where some property owners or residents move here for what we have and represent, but then want to change our community to mirror the area they recently left.

Self-proclaimed experts and misinformation have crept into our community and manifests itself at board meetings and developer speculation proposals.

Financially Stockbridge sits pretty well, but requires vigilance. Promised windfalls of tax dollars need to be weighed against the cost of services, the ability to maintain those services, infrastructure, and the cost of unintended consequences.

Gary Pitney serves on the Planning Board and the Community Preservation Commission.