“Order in the Court”
Al: Well Jesse, I’ve been thinking about you since I heard that there was an Order in the Court.
Jesse: Long time no see, Al. You aren’t in trouble again are you?
Al: No, Jesse, nothing to do with me. This is to do with your friends who are asking the Court to make the private land at Goose Rocks public property.
Jesse: Well tell me!
Al: You see, the Judge Ordered that the Interveners don’t have any different stake than the Town. So they got dismissed. The Interveners called themselves the T-M-F’s. Who picks these names? I don’t know which is worse, S-O-B or T-M-F.
Now the Town has to write letters to all the property owners on the beachfront, telling them that if the Town wins its claim to an easement over their land, their private beach won’t be private anymore. Just so the property owners who don’t want to get involved understand what is at stake.
Jesse: You mean the property owners won’t get to decide who uses their beach? We didn’t think about that. I wonder when will be the next S-O-B meeting?
Al: Well you’ll have two meetings to go to now, Al. There’s your S-O-B’s. Then there’s these people called the T-M-F’s. No wonder the Judge got rid of them! You need to hire a marketing firm to come up with some nicer sounding names.
Jesse: I wouldn’t expect you to understand why there are the two different names, Al.
Al: If the private beach has a public easement on it, that means the Town or maybe the State can decide to let people go anywhere at anytime and do whatever they want on the beach.
Jesse: The State? What business does the State of Maine have at Goose Rocks Beach?
Al: Well, they care about the public losing access to beaches whether they are private or not. So they get to do what’s called intervene.
Jesse: Well no one thought about the State getting involved. Aren’t they broke? We just thought this would be a local matter. Hmmm. I wonder what the renters will think about that.
Al: What renters?
Jesse: The folks from away who pay a lot of money to come here to rent houses at the private - uh, I mean the less busy ends of the beach, you know - because those areas are quiet and peaceful.
Al: Well you see Jesse, the meaning of the word “public” means anyone who wants to go there.
Jesse: Did the Judge say anything about the beachfront owners not paying their taxes?
Al: As a matter of fact, he did. He dismissed the Town’s claim that the people don’t own the beach land because they never paid taxes on it. I think that’s what they call a “red herring”.
Jesse: I don’t need any of your fishing terms Al, just give me the facts.
Al: Well, the Judge said that this claim by the Town doesn’t make any sense. Of course people have paid their taxes.
Jesse: Do you mean to tell me that it isn’t true that people on the front row of the beach haven’t paid their taxes?
Al: Well yes, Jesse. I hate to disillusion you. But the fact is rumors are not always true. That’s why they are called rumors and not fact.
Jesse: To think, I called one of the Plaintiffs a tax cheat. Not to his face, of course.
Al: Well, Jesse, how much ground will you gain by calling people names and spreading rumors? It’s one thing to name yourselves something naughty. You take the cake for naughty names. But it’s quite another thing to damage someone else’s reputation. If I were you, with names like S-O-B and T-M-F’s, I’d be extra nice to those beachfront owners.
Jesse: You would? Why is that?
Al: Well, because when the Judge rules that their deeds show that they own the beach, I’d like to be on their good side. That way, things can go back to the way they were before the Town got ideas in its head about having a right to someone’s private property.
Jesse: But that isn’t what this was supposed to be about! It was supposed to be about sand castles and walks with the dog. About watching sunsets and finding star fish with my grandchildren. I’ve been had!
Al: Take heart, Jesse, it isn’t over yet. The Town still has to spend all that money we voted for in June. There’s still plenty of time to get on the good side of the people who own the beach.
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