Camden County Could Invalidate Negative Public Vote on Spaceport
With the fate of Spaceport Camden up in the air in a Tuesday referendum, the Camden County Board of Commissioners took action on late Friday afternoon that could allow it to invalidate a vote against purchasing the land for the facility.
Camden County Board of Commissioners appointed five members to the previously vacant Spaceport Camden Authority during a special meeting that started at 4:30 p.m. EST. The members include: County Commission Chairman Gary Blount, Commissioner Chuck Clark, former Commissioner David Rainer, retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert S. Dickman and businessman C.B. Yadav.
The Current explains what the commissioners might be up to:
Citizens who attended the Friday meeting voiced their concern that the commission is planning an end run around their vote by having the Spaceport Authority purchase the land. The option contract the county signed with Union Carbide allows the county to transfer the option with the consent of Union Carbide.
In public comment during the meeting, resident and spaceport critic Steve Weinkle asked the commissioners if the purpose of the appointments was to do just that.
They declined to answer.
“If they don’t wish to answer that question, then we can assume the worst,” Weinkle said.
The meeting came on the same day that a judge rejected the county’s attempt to invalidate the referendum as violating the Georgia constitution. The vote was triggered when opponents submitted signatures of 10 percent of active county voters as required under the state constitution.
Rep. Steven Sainz, who represents Camden County in the Georgia legislature, posted a video on Facebook saying this was not the purpose of the spaceport authority when he co-authored legislation that created it. The authority was created to work with companies that decided to launch from the spaceport. To date, the county has not announced any tenants.
Supporters of the spaceport say it will bring high tech jobs and tax revenues to the county. Opponents claim the benefits have been overstated, and that visitors to Cumberland Island National Seashore and private homeowners in the area would be at risk from launch failures.
4 responses to “Camden County Could Invalidate Negative Public Vote on Spaceport”
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The Georgia Spaceport is a good representation of everything that is bad from the new spaceport hype.
Personally, I’m awaiting, with considerable interest, the results of the initiative vote. The trustafarian swells on their private island have indulged in no small quantity of shenanigans over the years to secure their privileged little satrapy. Now they have run up against some acquisitive local government types who seem at least their equals in the chicanery department. But the voters – at least those of them who feel strongly enough one way or the other to show up at the polls – seem about to have what will likely be the final, or near-final, say. Already have the corn popping.
It’s not a private island, the vast majority is part of the Cumberland Island National Seashore. Nearly all of the island is open to the public, although there are limits to the number of people allowed per day. Accessible only by ferry, visitors can only bring bicycles. It is a very popular place to go for day visits and camping, and there is one historic hotel on the island. A hundred years ago families such as Carnegie had vacation mansions on the island, and some of their descendants still live there, or at least have homes there, although some of them have sold their land to the conservancy but are allowed use of their property for the remainder of their lives.
The keep out zone for rocket launches is right in the middle of the island, and will make some of the best areas on the island for hiking and biking as well as many of the beaches inaccessible, for probably at least a full day for each launch attempt, as it will probably take most of a day to clear everyone out of all of the hiking and bike trails and beaches.
Some locals likely don’t care and want whatever economic benefit there might be. Others care very much. We’ll know soon enough I guess which way it goes.
It does seem that they are working in the direction of doing what they want regardless of the voting results. Having a vote, and then ignoring it, would seem to be a set up for endless lawfare. With somewhat more grounds than the Boca Chica situation.