I would like to comment on the quotation given by former Otis town selectman Bob Cote regarding his resignation and the other two selectmen, owners of property on Beech Hill Pond, whom he thought were “… representing a special interest group and would not look out for the interest of all people in the town,” published Dec. 3 in the Hancock edition of the Bangor Daily News.

One cannot help but wonder how many share Cote’s poor attitude toward shorefront owners. It is time the campers spoke out in the only way they would be listened to, their legal right to vote on local issues as taxpayers. I sincerely doubt Desmond Moores and Al Rand would not have taken the best interest of the entire town under consideration as Cote believes. But why would Cote have such a concern?

In previous years, the town would allocate several hundred dollars a year in assistance for road repair and upkeep. Two years ago the amount suddenly decreased to $25, leaving the burden of maintaining a road used to access a public beach and boat landing on the campers who pay dues of $25 a year to a campers association, for road upkeep. Now last year, $2,500 was allocated for road repair, but not without a heavy debate, a spending deadline, and no voice by the campers association as to the type of reapirs to be made on the road.

Despite the large portion of taxes (approximately 87 percent) paid by the lake’s landowners, last summer the campers took it upon themselves to keep the public beach clean of garbage and feces as the town did not seem to care about its responsibility to maintain the condition of the beach or provide proper waste facilities for beach goers. There also was concern for the disregard of the “no parking” signs on either side of the road near the beach parking lot. Had there been a medical emergency or fire, it would have been impossible for an emergency vehicle to pass this area. One day I saw a warden patrolling and inquiring about vehicles, but I never saw any action taken to remove the vehicles.

Other concerns shorefront owners faced were an ordinance which directly translated to requiring a permit for upkeep and repair to shorefront property (such as replacing a rotted stair) and a recent increase in taxes on shorefront property, which was so high the town has readjusted its assessments (twice) due to the large number of complaints.

The tax bills were supposed to be delivered during the summer, but because of the reassessments, they have yet to be received by anyone owning property in the town. Concerns of paying taxes by the Oct. 1 deadline had to be addressed at a special town meeting, where an effective date for charging interest on unpaid bills was established as 30 days after commitment.

The campers only want fair representation for the large percentage of tax base they pay to the town of Otis. Under these circumstances, I find it very hard to justify the label of “special interest group” Cote has placed on the campers.

Richard C. Moeller is a resident of Milford.