Accusations fly over planning tactics

In the wake of last Monday's altercation during an informational meeting held in Somers by the Flathead County Planning Office - during which two sheriff's deputies were called to disband the meeting and restore order - some residents have been left to wonder, "What happened to the right to peaceful assembly?"

"The people who were shouting about property rights do have rights," Kathy Robertson said. "But what about our right to peaceful assembly? They made it impossible for proceed with the meeting. That is totally against the constitution of the United States, which gives us the right to peaceful assembly. I've never seen anything in my life so totally undemocratic or outrageous."

For Robertson and others, the problem lay in the fact that the meeting never proceeded beyond the introduction by Flathead County Planning Director Jeff Harris, because of the escalating tone and nature of a very vocal opposition. The fact that sheriffs had to be called and the meeting disbanded left landowners with a genuine desire to investigate the idea feeling frustrated.

Robertson, who has participated in previous attempts to form a Somers neighborhood plan said that those leading the opposition have deliberately misrepresented the facts about the previous draft, which was never completed, in order to turn other residents against the county and others who have been involved in the neighborhood plan process.

However, landowners such as Jim and Beverly Etzler disagrees, alleging that the county planning staff are the ones who have misrepresented the truth and conspired to impose their own agenda.

The couple, who own property off of Spring Creek Road, said they never knew anything of the previous efforts to establish a Somers neighborhood plan, even though the last attempt culminated in a 70-page draft of such a plan. In light of that, she felt her own passions related to the subject - and those of others - were justified.

"It became pretty frustrating, as people were being cut off and then the [last] meeting was shut off," Etzler said. "What do people do at that point, when they're being cut off, to ask legitimate questions?"

Harris said even such questions must remain civil, and the planning office must be allowed to respond to any accusations, in fairness to everyone. He added that, when a handful of people disrupt a meeting and intimidate others so that the meeting cannot move forward, it is unfair to the other people who attend the meeting.

"We think that everybody should have an opportunity to participate," Harris said. "Nobody should be able to hijack a meeting. When someone is so extremely bitter, what do you do?

"We should not be allowing ourselves to be intimidated and controlled by a few individuals," Harris said.

Robertson said she wanted to tell Somers landowners who genuinely desire to learn more about the process, "Don't let those negative people intimidate you. That's exactly why those people were there."