Mr. Mageau recently mailed a letter to over 3700 residents concerning the new requirements for the replacement of their septic systems that went into effect on January 1, 2008. In his letter he says, "This is not political propaganda", yet it's filled, in his typical style, with misinformation and scare tactics. Where has he been the last few years when these issues were discussed and debated and why only after the new regulations went into effect does he suddenly wake up? With the election looming in November where he is sure to be ousted, I suspect that since almost all of his ill-conceived recommendations which foster development in this town have failed, he's desperate to payback his only loyal base of supporters, the developers and their lawyers. Why is it that almost every Mageau initiative favors the developers over the residents in this town?

Mageau is the quintessential example of what Ben Franklin aptly described as "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish". His record is replete with examples of his misguided attempts to protect what will probably be the single biggest and most important investment that most citizens will ever own - their homes. Probably the most egregious example was Mageau’s attempt to fire Mr. Larisa and not fund the $20,000 that was needed to petition the US Supreme Court in what was Charlestown's best hope in ensuring that a casino does not end up in this beautiful town. Now he would have you believe that a better option to the new septic systems would be a town sewer treatment plant whose considerable costs would be borne by all residents. But more disturbingly, it would remove the single largest obstacle to increasing development density, including the potential of building a casino in Charlestown. Think of what you would stand to lose in your home equity if Mageau's vision for this town came to fruition versus the incremental costs of installing an environment friendly system? Who here would entrust Mageau to make any financial decision concerning their personal investments?

I encourage all residents affected by these septic system changes to attend the special meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall and be guided by the facts, not Mageau's scare tactics and exposed agenda. I also encourage you to ask questions of both Mageau and Mr. Picard. Mr. Picard can no longer stand behind the coat tails of Mageau when he purportedly supports a measure of this magnitude for Charlestown citizens. And when you go to the polls this November ask yourself why is it that the local Democratic Party in Charlestown is working against the protection of our natural resources and not leading the charge to protect our environment and the expansion of development in this town?

Joan Lawlor