Inaccuracies in Rob Wright candidate announcement

March 6 -- To the Editor:

In Rob Wright's announcement of his candidacy for Rye Select Board published on February 19, he made reference to a “lawsuit” in Rye involving a property dispute over the boundary between the Rye Cemetery and the Rye Town Forest, implying that Selectman Tom King was somehow responsible for this “lawsuit.” In fact, there was no such “lawsuit.”

The Rye Conservation Commission (RCC) discovered a boundary discrepancy when it completed a survey of the Town Forest. The RCC did not “drag its feet” in addressing this matter as candidate Wright claims, but immediately notified the Cemetery Trustees and the Select Board as well as the easement holder, the Rockingham County Conservation District (RCCD). The Cemetery Trustees acknowledged that they had known about this for years.

The affected portion of the Town Forest includes the primary trail from Parsons Field to the Rye Recreation area and is heavily used by children and adults alike. To resolve this problem, the RCC spent 18 months working with Cemetery Trustees and the abutting Congregational Church toward a threeway land swap. However, the Cemetery Trustees ultimately vetoed the proposal.

Since the dispute involved a Conservation Easement on the Town Forest, any agreement by the parties had to be reviewed and accepted by the NH Attorney General Charitable Trust Unit. Knowing this, and that conservation easements are difficult to change, the four involved parties each retained legal counsel to ensure that any agreement was properly formulated, presented and fair. This was never a lawsuit, but a prudent legal settlement between the Town, the Cemetery Trustees, the RCC and RCCD. This process did indeed require the expenditure of some tax dollars but it was a collaborative effort that probably saved the Town of Rye many more dollars in potential litigations.

Rye residents are best served by electing candidates who value facts over distortions and innuendo. If you agree, please vote to re-elect Selectman Tom King.

Randolph Werner Rye