Newsflash reported last winter that a community group called Citizens for Responsible Development (CORD) was pushing for a ballot question to create a development moratorium to give Ellsworth a chance to back away from the table and think through development pressures from companies like Wal-Mart. CORD had very little money to spend on its efforts, and in the end, its voice was overpowered by big money from developers. On November 5th, voters in Ellsworth voted 61% (1,719 to 1,099) against the idea of a 180 day moratorium on big box retailing. The break was designed to give the town a chance to update its master plan. CORD did succeed in getting one of its candidates elected to the City Council.
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