Yebba's Transcript Ad Deceives Voters

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Update: September 19, 2019

Don't Let Yebba "Con" You! Vote Yes at Oct. 7 Town Meeting

Developer Nick Yebba's ad on page 9 of the Sept. 19 North Reading Transcript urges you to vote against allocating funds toward legal review and proper oversight of the proposed 20 Elm project at the Oct. 7 Town Meeting at North Reading High School. Why would Yebba want you to vote "no?" Because the easier he can roll over the town and the fewer resources the town has to defend against his appeal of the Safe Harbor declaration, the less money Yebba has to spend on his proposed cash cow at 20 Elm Street.

Who profits if you vote no? Only Yebba. Who is harmed if you vote no? The Ipswich River and its environs, the 350,000 residents and businesses who rely on the river, abutters who WILL see the building, schools, public safety, and the beloved character of North Reading.

The town is seeking to allocate funds to properly defend against the Safe Harbor appeal, accurately count the units applied to Safe Harbor, and review all aspects of the project as legally allowed under 40B law. Now, Yebba is telling you to give up your rights to due diligence. Voting no means his legal team gets to steamroll over a town that does not have adequate resources against a greedy developer with deep pockets.

DIRC urges every citizen who opposes this project and Yebba's single-minded greed to attend Town Meeting and vote yes on Article 7 in favor of allocating funds for proper legal defense and review. The funds will come from free cash --- money remaining in the budget from the previous fiscal year and is regularly spent on one-time expenses. This appropriation will not make your taxes go up; it will help protect the river, your town, and abutters from this oversized, misplaced project and its misdirected developer.

See the ZBA's Safe Harbor declaration, developer's appeal, and supporting information.

This is what Developer Nick Yebba expects you to believe. He wants you to ignore the impact of five-story buildings on abutters and the environment. He wants you to trust a developer who cannot properly apply for a billiards license to oversee 38,500 gallons per day of septic discharge on the banks of the Ipswich River.

In this ad, Yebba is telling you, North Reading voters, to act against due diligence and to make it impossible for the town to adequately defend against his deep pockets and high priced attorneys.

Let's show him we won't be conned! Fill the seats at Oct. 7 Town Meeting with "yes" votes.

Question of the Week:

What should I expect at Town Meeting?

For those new to Town Meeting, we'd like to share a few insights and tips to make the night go smoothly and to answer anticipated questions.

The appropriation for legal defense is expected under Article 7 of your warrant, which you should receive via USPS in the next week or so. Town Meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the NRHS Performing Arts Center, and the warrant is fairly brief. Article 7 should come up for consideration early in the meeting, probably by 7:30 p.m.

You won't see this specific appropriation listed in the warrant because expenses for budget changes and funding sources are presented on the floor at Town Meeting, but it should come up for vote under Article 7.

When arriving at Town Meeting, please have your driver's license ready for check in. Only registered voters can exercise their votes; if you are not registered, you can attend the meeting but will be directed to sit in a different section of the hall.

DIRC urges you to stay for the whole meeting. The ending time is hard to pin down, but it is not a lengthy warrant. There are other keys issues for consideration, so we ask you to stay for all the votes. In addition, any prior vote taken earlier in the meeting may be brought up for reconsideration later in the meeting, so it is important to remain so that a vote is not changed after a majority of proponents or opponents leave.

Please Donate to Help Us Defend Against 20 Elm

DIRC appreciates the generosity of the many citizens who have already made donations and/or attended our successful August fundraiser. Developer Nick Yebba's appeal of the Safe Harbor declaration sends us down a new legal path in which DIRC needs to use experts to assure that every avenue of legal opposition is uncovered. To be sure, the Safe Harbor declaration is a huge positive step in shutting down this oversized development, but one that still needs our diligent oversight.

Please help us take this fight ever closer to success with a donation today.

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