To the Editor:

I'm writing to clarify the facts and events causing such emotion in our neighbors regarding recent Planning Committee meetings at the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association. I will try to be objective and state the facts in chronological order and then offer some observations.

Since early 1999 I have attended Planning Committee meetings. I was always considered a voting member. I worked with Ruth Davis and Doug George on many issues, some simple; some complex. All Planning Committee members were included at these meetings and although discussions often became heated people's opinions were respected as they helped the committee come to a fair and reasonable vote. I was always able to vote and present my opinion. The committee never tried to sway the votes of other members or silence members that felt strongly about an issue.

My attendance during the past 7 years was irregular but I tried not to miss too many meetings. I would make a greater effort to attend when there was an issue of particular interest to me and this was the attendance pattern of most of the members of the Planning Committee. Often I would receive notice that attendance was low and we needed more community involvement.

When Bill Cotter became the chair of the committee I respected him because he was such a hard worker. We had conversations about projects that would have a long term impact on the neighborhood. We discussed the issues the Committee would need to vote on in the coming months and I shared my concerns surrounding development in our quickly changing neighborhood. At this point in Oct. and Nov. of 2005 I was considered a voting member and my attendance to Committee meetings was it had always been. At times I was one of four or five people to attend the meeting and the history from past meetings allowed me to help the Committee navigate bigger projects that seemed to arise monthly. Still during this time period I was a voting member.

During the December holidays in 2005, a meeting was scheduled for Monday Dec. 26. We agreed as a group that this work even though that was the Christmas Holiday. When I arrived at the Little House it was dark and I had apparently missed the meeting. I attended the January meeting to find that much had changed in the interim and I was no longer considered a voting member of the Committee since Bill said it had grown too large and was unmanageable. After having such a long history of being a voting member on the committee I was stunned at this news. I feel my exclusion was a direct result of the support and prior votes that I and others cast for pro-development projects that signaled a changing diverse neighborhood.

I feel that the committee members unable to vote are so upset because we have not had a fair say in this process. We voted for a number of unpopular and controversial projects we thought would benefit the neighborhood and create a more diverse and welcoming place for all to enjoy. We are responding to what we feel is a violation of the democratic process which the civic association should be protecting as an institution.

When I spoke at Monday's Columbia/Savin Hill Civic Association general assembly meeting I know I did not cover the many issues below the surface surrounding the now exclusive Planning Committee. I think the Association does not realize what the issues are and to what extent people are being silenced.

I intend to continue to be present and to work for the betterment of an inclusive neighborhood for all.

David Desjardins