b'C H A P T E R E I G H THardening their timetable, the FCW project team aimed to put the amendments before voters at Town Meeting in May 2001. But the channel was shoaling more and more. What steps had to be taken before then? How could Friends get the main gatekeepers behind the proposals? One point was sharply focused, as board minutes reflected in December 2000: the biggest hurdle for FCW advocates was the attitude of (town) staff members. That may have been so, but Friends people knew they had to make every effort to get along with Town government. The feeling was voiced that Bylaw amendments must not become a staff versus FCW confrontation.Battling Heavy Winter SeasWhile they always hoped to win allies to their cause, Friends activists found it a lot easier to spot adversaries. On that score, a meeting with selectmen December 19, 2000, left no doubt in anyones mind. Lawyer Riley, a hawk-eyed regular at any and all zoning discussions on behalf of his clients, the developers, rose to declare his views. Because of FCWs proposed amendments, people were being hurtindividual home-owners, truck drivers, carpenters. And there was FCW, forcing (its amendments) through, insisting on moving them forward .1 think these (drafts) are terrible!Two weeks later, Riley took to the Letters page of the January 4, 2001, Chronicle, questioning FCW lawyer Jon Wittens experience. I had been under the impression, wrote Riley, that (he) was an environmental consultant who re- cendy graduated from law school.The following week, lawyer Riley went public with another letter, saying it had not been my intention to show (Jon Witten) in a poor light, but only to point out as dramatically as possible the unreasonableness of the Zoning proposals put forward by (FCW).By this time, Witten had already been committed to the fray. To explain the amendments, he had appeared before selectmen on the previous October 3 and then the Planning Board on November 28. During those weeks, selectmen decided to accept the seven proposed revisions. FCW had gone before them on the advice of Kevin McDonald. FCWs gratification at that gesture was still running high when McDonald and Margaret Swanson took a new tack, saying, in John Geigers words, that we were premature and we shouldnt be bringing up these issues as yet. Geiger and Mrs. Ecker heard that shift of opinion open- mouthed. Why had they told us several weeks before to (go to the selectmen)?We really felt we were set up.134'