On Sept. 4, the Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) rejected a petition signed by 90 Guilford residents to remove the only short, vague definition for “medical” in the Guilford zoning regulations and replace it with three new definitions: one for “Medical Offi,” one for “Medical Clinic,” and one for “Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT) Facilities for Opioid Addiction.” The purpose of this petition was to prevent any one person from bringing a methadone clinic to Guilford ever again without public notice or public hearings. This petition wouldn’t prevent MATs from coming to Guilford or undo what had already been done (the APT Methadone Clinic at 1439 Boston Post Road) but would restrict new MATs to industrial-zoned areas with special permit applications and establish minimum distances that MATs could be located from residencies, schools, daycare facilities, and churches. The specific petition language was adopted from the Hartford zoning regulations, which had successfully withstood an Americans with Disabilities Act challenge. It was also reviewed by Guilford town counsel, according to PZC Chairman Scott Edmond.

The vote was 5-2 in favor of not moving the process forward. PZC members who voted against moving the petition forward were Scott Edmond, Ted Sands, Sean Cosgrove, Bill Freeman, and Roger Joyce. These five PZC members have now joined all the members of the Board of Selectmen who refused to hold town meetings regarding the APT methadone clinic, and all members of the Guilford Ethics Commission who refused to hold a public hearing regarding an ethics complaint against First Selectman Matt Hoey, in “ignoring and disrespecting” the citizens of Guilford. Only PZC members Larry Rizzolo and Phil Johnson voted to move the process forward and, therefore, deserve our thanks and respect. Apart from them, the entire Guilford town government has been complicit in Hoey’s abuse of power.

Dave Holman

Guilford