This morning I resigned as president of Motovun – Eco Town, which now counts one-hundred and thirty-six members from sixteen countries. Fifty-six members are from Croatia. For the record, twelve members live in Motovun full time, while nineteen come to their houses in town only periodically. In an electronic-mail message to all the members, I thanked all of those who had offered me moral support after the Tuesday meeting in connection with the environmental impact study of golf development to the west of the town, but I went on that I did not feel I was the right man for the job any longer:

Although I had done everything I thought had to be done, I now feel that I have underestimated the political savvy of the mayor of Motovun and his helpers further up the line, and that I have therefore led the association in the wrong direction. This is a political game, and it should be played accordingly. For better or worse, however, I am not about politics.

I added that I hoped that someone among the members would be willing to take over the presidency, for the association would otherwise die. But I wonder what an organization such as ours can achieve in this ugly political climate. It seems to me that the only viable alternative at this junction would be an independent political party that would take on the local politicians at the upcoming elections, which are scheduled for May 2009. I would be perfectly happy to advise this party on matters of spatial or physical planning, real-estate policy, and sustainable development, but I would not wish to deal with politics as such. As I said in my message to the members of Motovun – Eco Town, I am not about politics. And I will never be.

Addendum (October 28, 2008)

Since my resignation, I have received many an electronic-mail message from the members of my association. Many of them are thankful for all I have done to date. Some are a bit worried about my wellbeing in the wake of the dreadful meeting. And a few are doing their best to persuade me not to quit before the game is over. I have responded to each and every message, focusing now on this, now on that, depending on the original text. But I have concluded all my missives with a few words of heartfelt hope: Jupiter Group, the British investor in golf development in Motovun, is unlikely to do anything at all in this area within two to four years due to the worst economic crisis that has hit the world since the Great Depression. This is the greatest boon for us at this juncture. And we can only hope that we will be much better prepared by the time investors come back to this marvelous town. So far, no-one has challenged my assessment of the situation.