What ‘special interest group?'

To the editor: In his “Prelude to another tax” letter, Anthony Portelli speaks of a “self-interest group” being responsible for supporting the transfer fee. Such a group would work to the advantage of a narrow constituency. How could supporting the intent of our Comprehensive Plan, draft Open Space Plan, zoning laws, Quality Communities Committee report etc., all of which, with immense citizen input, focus greatly on the preservation of our rural character, be the work of a narrow, “special interest group?” What murky agenda could this group have? I guess that since the Town Board supports the transfer fee, they are part of this “self-interest group,” too. As a realtor, perhaps Mr. Portelli knows that in 2005 Warwick received the first-ever “Award for Smart Growth Excellence” from the New York State Association of Realtors. This was for our zoning and our farmland protection program. The rub for realtor Portelli, I guess, is that the farmland protection program needs funding to be meaningful. Maybe he needs to lobby his colleagues at NYSAR to revoke our award! While the ratables he mentions can be part of a balanced tax base, let’s note that, according to research done by our assessor, to lower the tax rate by 1 percent (from $127.14 per $1,000 to $125.87 per $1,000) would require 17 minimalls or 13 car dealerships or 2.3 supermarkets. We can’t “ratables” our way out of the property tax spiral, which is driven largely by residential housing. John Arbo Warwick