I was disappointed with the Wiscasset Select Board’s decision to deny a business license to social service organization Amistad for a wellness center in the town. Their inability to cast a decisive vote, and kicking the can down the road for a “cooling-off period” with a subtle request to “find another location,” was biased at best.
There have been meetings with neighbors to discuss the programs Amistad is bringing to Lincoln County. NIMBY residents have spelled the same lines of unfounded, speculative threats it will expose them to. I would rather they do some research into Amistad’s other programs and examine their track record in those towns. If there were any issues, it would support their cause instead of relying on fear mongering and repetitive rants of “the sky is falling,” a common tactic of the progressives’ approach to defeat through hypothetical and unfounded fear.
My other concern with the the selectmen’s lack of action is how they grant liquor licenses, and soon cannabis shops, yet back off from a license for an operation that only exists because of substance abuse issues caused by these two types of businesses. The Wiscasset area has suffered the loss of many residents as a result of addiction. Could these losses be avoided if recovery coaching was in place and available? Sadly, I guess we will never know.
I hope many of my fellow Wiscasset residents will join me to encourage Amistad to continue its application process.
Don Davis
Wiscasset
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