Even after being defeated in the March primary, the crusade against the sale of recreational marijuana in Naperville continues to be a nimby zombie.
An upcoming city council meeting is slated to take place, albeit virtually, to “provide direction regarding the roadmap that will be used to facilitate the creation of zoning regulations for adult-use cannabis facilities.”
Opt-Out Naperville believes that because the meeting is virtual, “many residents and businesses require transparency and this item is no exception, as the city looks to propose a citywide map identifying locations for marijuana stores. [We] request that this item be tabled indefinitely until a safer time, with a workshop so people can learn and understand the proposal. Transparency.”
As someone who files a lot of Freedom of Information Act requests, I agree that transparency is more important now than ever, as elected officials may not be subjected to the scrutiny of their constituents, and there are unprecedented measures being taken by governments that should have a light shone on. But to Opt-Out Naperville, there is never going to be a good time to discuss this.
Their email goes on to say that we should call the city council and argue that “This matter can reasonably be postponed as it is not a core service of the City. Tabling is appropriate to safer times, as is a workshop.”
The core business of the city is to keep running and be fully operational, even in a remote setting. Tabling this topic or any topic will be detrimental to the city’s well being and governance.
Their talking points are full of filler about democracy and transparency. Again, a majority of people in Naperville voted in favor of this, and as a Naperville citizen I believe the process has been fairly transparent. Even if we weren’t in a pandemic, these conversations would still be happening. To opponents, there will never be a safer time and arguing to table and delay this conversation means indefinitely, and that is the antithesis of a democratic process.