LNPC answers allegations of misconduct

Following a hearing, last Wednesday, at which individuals representing the property-rights group American Dream Montana addressed their grievances to the Flathead County Commissioners, members of the Lakeside Neighborhood Plan Committee and supporters rebutted allegations of misconduct, defending both their work and the planning processes.

LNPC secretary and project manager Barb Miller said she recognized the mistakes the committee has made but contended that those mistakes were committed in ignorance and reflected no guile or secret agenda.

"It seems now that our inexperience may have led us wrongly in a few instances," Miller said, "but it is of the utmost importance to note that we corrected every misstep as soon as it was brought to our attention."

Miller conceded that LNPC member had held meetings in individual homes but added that they promptly began scheduling meeting in more public locations-including the local ReMax office, the Lakeside Chapel and the West Shore Community Library-when it was brought to the members' attention that meeting in homes gave the appearance of a lack of openness. She reported that the group held a total of 41 committee meetings, including 12 in homes, six in the ReMax conference room, one in the Lakeside Chapel meeting room and 22 in the Lakeside library.

She also defended the committee's mailing of surveys, after which they learned that they had unintentionally omitted more than 800 out-of-area landowners and subsequently mailed an additional 815 surveys. Miller said the results of both mailings-a 31.7 percent return rate that represented 650 households with nearly 1,500 people-were presented to the public and incorporated into the draft plan. Of these, she stated that 91 percent believed neighborhood planning was needed and 84 percent supported zoning as an implementation strategy.

She took personal responsibility for the committee's Yahoo!Group website, which she said was created at her suggestion. While acknowledging that, in hind sight, the site should have been made open to the public, she defended the committee's use of the site.

"Use of this site met all our expectations for the stated intent of managing the logistics of the committee," she said. "The only error made with this site was restricting access. I take personal accountability for doing so. However, it should be noted that the choice was absolutely not made to hide anything. It was made with the best of intentions of protecting the privacy of contact information and protecting members from possible SPAM or virus threats."

Miller also acknowledged the need for more clearly defined processes but asked that those processes be fair and achievable rather than posing "unrealistic hurdles that can't be overcome or that prevent people from even starting."

"We ask that you not support those who would ask you to throw away the thousands of hours of hard work and [thus' ignore the overwhelming support for this plan," Miller told the commissioners.

Fellow committee member Bruce Young also acknowledged mistakes but said those mistakes should not invalidate the process undertaken or the work that has already been done by so many volunteers who cared enough to dedicate their time and energy to it.

"Were mistakes made in the process?" he asked. "Of course. Were they big ones or do they deny anyone the chance to respond or participate? Absolutely not."

Young further decried the intentions of former planning board members who have worked to derail the planning process and halt all work on neighborhood plans.

"What is really troubling me is that some people who sat on the former planning board do not seem to want any planning," Young said. "When Mr. (Russ' Crowder, Mr. (Jeff) Larson and Mr. (Charles' Lapp were on the planning board they helped rewrite the planning regulations with an attempt to stifle all discussions by requiring a 60 percent signature (petition) of those in the affected area before they could even discuss a non-binding vision for their neighborhood. It seems those who oppose a citizens right to assemble and discuss what they feel is their vision for their community are being very disingenuous to what has been a great community effort directed at giving everyone a chance to make comments."

LNPC member John Ulrich, a retired United Methodist pastor, reiterated Young's sentiments, stating, "While I admit we did not always do this perfectly, we continue to make it available for public comment."

Ulrich said that, even though some of the committee's earlier meetings were held in homes, it was always the committee's intentions that the all meeting be open to the public. He asked the commissioners to recognize the efforts and integrity of the committee in attempting to give everyone ample opportunity to participle in the process and not allow it to be "held hostage by a few individuals who would not like to see this plan adopted."

Ulrich noted that the committee is represented by a number of talented individuals, including a real estate agent, two contractors, and a retired project manager for a large corporation. However, he stressed that other members of the community at large were allowed to participate in the process and committee meetings in a variety of capacities that were instrumental to producing the current draft.

"We also gained input from a former land use planner, who was invited as a representative of one of the contractors; the head of the Lakeside Quick Response Unit; and a former member of the Flathead Planning Board who helped develop the Flathead Growth Policy, is currently developing a subdivision in Lakeside and is a member of American Dream Montana," Ulrich said. "Since each of these individuals was a valuable resource in developing our plan update, we voted as a committee to let them sit at the table at our meetings and shared drafts of parts of the plan so they could review them and make comments and suggestions along with the rest of the official committee."