Should the Town order a referendum on the Consumption on Premise (COP) in the Environmentally Critical (EC) zone?

The LPA has been looking at this issue for the last four years. Town staff has expended thousands of hours of research on the issue. Town Council has held two Public Hearings already and devoted several more hours to discussion. A COP task force has been formed to gather further information.

And now there are calls for a referendum.

Usually, you hear calls for a referendum from those who feel they are not being heard and who are absolutely convinced that they are in the majority and will prevail if only everyone were given the opportunity to vote.

Referendums can be problematic. They need high voter turnout to be effective and truly representative of the will of the people, not just the group that calls for the referendum. Unless they are offered during a scheduled election, getting people to vote is a challenge. We struggle to get people to go to the polls when it’s a general election. Hold it after the general election this November and you’ll be dealing with voter fatigue.