Board, city council have lost direction

Editor,

As a candidate for city council I am concerned by comments from the city/county planning board to its constituents at the pre-application review meeting for the Super Wal-Mart.

I understand that this planning board is an "advisory board" and many may feel that it has no real authority to accept or deny anything. But now, I also understand, that this board has lost its purpose and direction and is acting only as a "sounding board" to review the forms that our staff planners have processed. To say to the crowd, "we are not interested in economics, but zoning regulations only," then to try to limit questions to only these issues is appalling.

This board then goes on to allow emotional testimonials, which only serve to create a situation where neighbor is pitted against neighbor.

This goes to show that as long as the current zoning and code regulations are met to their satisfaction that other issues which may affect the entire community's economic future, or its individual rights to control growth or to consider its impacts on our infrastructure, etc., are not part of their planning process and subsequently are not of interest to this board.

Have we forgotten that this is a city/county "planning board" which should be including all the above in their review processes and contrary to their conduct, they do not serve as just a zoning "compliance" board that is void of any public comment or review?

This story will get even more interesting once the city/county planning board has finished its review and the process moves to the next level for a final approval.

The Polson city council is the next level for review and they will be the next to limit our responses and to set guide lines concerning their unwritten "personal" agendas and they will continue to act in the best interest of "themselves." This recent gag order they implemented, which limits your free speech to protest before them, is limited to three minutes and the interesting conflict of interest resolution passed by this council to limit the exposure of their personal conduct to only their ranks are just the start. They have made themselves the judge and jury and any necessary citizen appointments to review any complaints are also made "in house" to further this cause.

This particular council, like the planning board, has also lost its purpose and direction and has forgotten that they are also charged by law with responsibility to act "only" in the best interests of the City of Polson. To act otherwise is a criminal offense "if" you can get the county attorney to act in the best interests of the citizens of Polson.

If the Super Wal-Mart serves to enrich anyone, the councilmen or the mayor, we do not have a chance to stop it with the current membership. The written record concerning their personal conduct over this last year is outrageous. Vote these self-serving people out of office and reject anyone that refuses to sign a meaningful conflict of interest disclosure statement that provides legal penalties for violation.

The only other way to stop developments and to protect the viability of our community on a short term basis is a demand by citizen groups such as Polson Citizens for Better Government, Inc. to reestablish the water moratorium and the wellhead protection zones that existed prior to the arbitrary and capricious removals by this council for their own personal needs. This will serve to stop all developments that require city services.

Despite what this council and mayor are saying, we do not have services necessary to satisfy our current and immediate needs concerning health and safety issues, i.e., water and sewer services.

We the citizens are looking at an approximate bill of $2 million to retrofit these services and we have less than 5,000 residents to service this bill. Do the math.

Additionally, we need to implement a ban on all large scale developments until the health and safety issues are cured to the citizens' satisfaction and then hire qualified personnel to implement programs to permanently solve our infrastructure problems over a time frame that does not burden the average taxpayer. The number of developments that this city council has approved in light of our current infrastructure problems is reckless and without basis and has served "only" to enrich these entrenched and corrupt bureaucrats and their self-serving agenda.

Lastly, we need to implement a development code with a growth policy that provides adequate impact fees which support the costs of expansion. Additionally, this code and policy should give our local boards the tools necessary to stop developments that citizens deem not worthy or in the best interests of the community, i.e., Super Wal-Mart.

Such a development code with the growth policy is being ignored by this city council, the mayor and its attorney. Additionally this city attorney has taken upon himself to suggest that his job description does not require him to speak out unless directed to do so by the council.

However, he like other officials, is also charged by law with acting only in the best interests of the City of Polson and is obligated to advise this council and to enforce current laws on behalf of the City of Polson.

I decided to run for the city council after I witnessed this out of control local government over this last year and recognized a need a need to defend the citizens of Polson from being taxed out of their homes as a result of the decisions that are being made to enrich these local politicians at the expense of the constituents.

Now, like Rick Jore, I am regretting my decision to get involved. I cannot begin to explain the harm and damage that has resulted from my decision and I am currently filing for relief from various state agencies concerning these issues.

My candidacy for city council and the seat in Ward 3 will be limited due to the legal costs associated with the above, and to defend falsely contrived restraining orders filed by Ward 3 candidate Sam Williams' wife, Tracy. Additionally, another restraining order was filed by Mayor Randy Ingram and both of these orders have been designed to discredit, silence, intimidate, to limit my participation in council meetings and harm me as a result of my bid for this position.

Requests for relief from local law enforcement and the county attorney have fallen on deaf ears and now I am forced to seek outside authorities.

If elected, I pledge to give the city back to its citizens. Please pray for my family and all families that are victimized by corrupt officials and for our community. Additionally, please join and support the local citizens group, Polson Citizens for Better Government.

Bob Williams

Polson

Editor's note: A temporary restraining order application signed by Mayor Randy Ingram was granted by a district court judge and served against Williams in August in an effort to prevent him from interfering with city workers performing work on the street in front of his house. The application for the restraining order was signed by Ingram on behalf of the city, with the consent of the city council, and was not for any specific interaction between Ingram and Williams. This letter was submitted by Williams in lieu of being interviewed by the paper, as the other candidates were.