by Brad Besse ·
Friday, May 22, 2026
Two recent letters to the editor took issue with the defeat of the solar farm article at our last Town Meeting. I respect the passion, but both miss why it failed. The reasons are not hard to find.
Notice that nearly every resident who rose to oppose the article began with “I support solar, but…” That qualifier was said for a reason. In this town, questioning any climate proposal, even thoughtfully, risks being labeled a denier. Once that label lands, your opinion is dismissed and debate is shut down before it begins. That does not build coalitions. It breeds resentment and bad projects.
This proposal required clearcutting acres of land, habitat that neighbors and abutters know intimately. One committee member dismissed those neighbors as mere dog walkers. In my view, that condescension is precisely why the article lost. People who walk that land every day deserve a seat at the table, not insults from the microphone.
One letter warned that our grandchildren face a ruined planet because of this vote. The other proposed dismantling Town Meeting because the vote did not go their way. Both overreach. A single vote on a single parcel of land is not a verdict on the climate, and Town Meeting did not fail, the solar project did. People showed up and voiced their concerns. That is democracy working as intended. As for the claim of minority rule: A similar number of residents have consistently participated in Town Meeting over the years. No one raised objections when Town Meeting funded projects they supported. Raising it only now says more about the loss.
Most residents would support solar if the process is transparent, if it does not require destroying a forest to save the environment, and if the economics pencil out. Payback periods are rarely discussed, and the full cost to the town after grants is seldom made clear. Residents deserve to see the full financial picture before being asked to vote. Bring a proposal that meets those tests, genuinely include the neighbors most affected, and it will pass. That is not NIMBYism or obstructionism. That is how trust is earned.
Brad Besse
Westcott Road