Slippery slope
The entire controversy surrounding the operation of Second Street Pizza’s mobile stand on Central Avenue, which has resulted in the Whitefish City Council issuing a moratorium on temporary vending permits, is beginning to take on a disturbing aspect that we should all watch very closely.
The general impression I have after following this matter through the newspaper and watching council meetings on cable is that it appears that through the objections of one business, the loss of revenue during the operating hours of the pizza stand are so great, that temporary vendors pose some sort of threat to that business’ viability, and therefore temporary vendors should not be allowed to operate downtown on Central Avenue.
That sounds a bit like an unfair advantage to me considering that it also seems that Second Street Pizza has followed all the necessary steps in the application process for the permit and has complied with that permit in good faith, according to the city’s own planning and building director.
In my view, the city council is placing itself on a very slippery slope which will probably result in the complete elimination of any temporary vending permits being renewed or issued due to the objections of a single business, and that does not have a very competitive free-market feel to it.
The restaurant business is a tough business to be in. I have been employed in it for more than 15 years and the competition can be brutal, but if you’re going to try and tell me that a pizza stand which is open and competing for customers two nights a week for a total of eight hours is a threat to another restaurant’s livelihood, then I would have to argue that the restaurant feeling the heat has bigger problems than the pizza guy.
Wilson Maxwell
Whitefish
Mining victory
Seven years ago, I moved to Montana and found the magical Flathead Valley. And while I sometimes miss the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania that were my childhood playground, I have found our special valley and its communities to be unique in all my travels.
There is no other valley that I know of in the continental United States with such an abundance of clean water, open spaces and public land. Places like Glacier National Park are few and far between.
Today, many of the rivers in Pennsylvania are severely polluted by mountain-top removal coal mines. Several years ago, I heard similar mining activities were proposed for the headwaters of the Flathead River, and I was shocked and saddened. From my experience, mining companies usually get to mine where the coal (and money) are.
But a few weeks ago — during an Olympic signing ceremony — both Canada and the United States agreed to protect our rivers and national park from coal mining and coalbed methane forever.
In a time when our government seems to not be working too well and good news is rare commodity, I want to remind this community how blessed we are. Not only do we live in a special place with communities that still have strong values, we have elected officials who are willing to stand up to big-energy companies.
I commend our governor and senators for achieving this long sought protection. And I thank the everyday Montanans who love the Flathead River and Glacier Park for caring and giving our elected officials the ability to achieve this win for our community.
Heather Cauffman
Whitefish