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cwalton505 t1_j83tqca wrote

Reply to comment by Glucose12 in Bakery Owner Sues [Conway] New Hampshire Town After Officials Demand He Paint Over Donut Mural Made by High Schoolers by ArbitraryOrder

As i understand it, the town statutes essentially put him in violation. It was ignored until someone made a complaint, most likely, but now the town is forced to act on their bylaws. It's how it's written and it's stupid and the rules should be changed, but for now it is what it is.

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Glucose12 t1_j83u20o wrote

Yeah, I got that from the article, and thus the lawsuit by IJ (who I donate to, they do good work). I just didn't see in the article that it was a particular ZB member that was the problem point.

I wouldn't think that the Asst. Zoning Inspector, even if they sat on the board themselves, would have much power. It would be some other community member, probably some snobbish %1-er.

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cwalton505 t1_j83v6a5 wrote

It could be anyone with a grievance, don't make assumptions as to why. Could be a poor transient vegan hippy living in their 1964 vw bus and doesn't like the fact they use eggs. See? We both have no idea on the source and motive..... Anyhow the key here is if people are outraged over this they should petition their local government to reassess the law and tweak it. That's how it's meant to work.

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twistedsymphony t1_j85q80h wrote

that doesn't mesh with the article: > Less than two weeks after the mural was painted, the inspector visited the bakery and informed Sean that because the mural depicts donuts and scones, and Leavitt’s is a bakery, the mural is considered a “sign” subject to the town’s strict regulations.

further:

>The assistant building inspector informed Sean that he could apply for a variance to keep the mural up. When Sean did so in September 2022 ... the Conway Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted unanimously against granting the bakery a variance. Then, in November, the ZBA doubled down, again denying the variance.

Seems to me the inspector was doing his job and the zoning board as a whole is against it.

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GreatGrandaddyPurp t1_j8gvkk7 wrote

They were fine with granting a variance for a market basket advertisement sign though...

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DareMe603 t1_j844wdv wrote

A fine example of perversion of justice.

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cwalton505 t1_j84apyd wrote

The government is never more of the people by the people and for the people than in a small town. They can easily ratify and change the wording of the law if they care. This is a really simple one. As it's written it's outside the rules. What's the point of rules if we make acceptions because we like one thing more than another? Change the rule.

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ForgotMyHeadAgain t1_j87yfm9 wrote

It’s less an exception to the rule as much as it’s a decision of what constitutes a sign.

It mentions in the article that the town allows murals but takes exception to the fact that the mural depicts baked goods. One can gather from the basis of the suit that there is nothing in the letter of the law about mural content so they should not be able to say that that is not a mural based on subject matter.

As far as small town politics is concerned, one board member absolutely can control the whole board. Think of a typical friend group and how often everyone falls in step behind the strongest most popular personality. Small town politics is typically the same way. There’s always certain individuals one doesn’t want to cross or they get iced out.

Small town politics is also strongly influenced by personal feelings. Everyone knows everyone and everything about each other. It’s always possible that there’s some bad blood involved. Long standing personal dislikes or slighted feelings making someone want to make life difficult for the owner. Total speculation but often when one an established business sells there were more interested parties than just the one who gets the place. That can lead to anger at the person who “won” and petty actions against them.

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