03/15/00 Boharski to Racicot/CFABFof Kalispell
Post Office Box 1997 • Kalispell, Montana 59903-1997 • Telephone (406) 758-7700 • FAX (406) 758-7758
March 15, 2000
The Honorable Marc Racicot
Governor of MT
P.O. Box 200801
Helena, MT 59620-0801
Dear Mr. Racicot:
It has come to my attention that a small group known as Citizens For A Better Flathead
(CFABF) purporting to represent a broad based citizen coalition is pushing for a
"moratorium" on any development on state lands. I can assure you this is being done
without consultation with or support of local elected officials.
Our experience in the City of Kalispell has been that the Department of State Lands is
more than willing to work with the City and our inter jurisdictional planning boards on
the development of state Lands around the City. As you know, this is not required since
state lands are exempt from local planning decisions. We very much appreciate their
going the extra mile to work with local government!
The City has asked CFABF on numerous occasions to disclose the members of their
organization in order for us to establish the credibility of the number of citizens they
actively represent- They have continually refused, as they have a right. Our purpose in
this request is to establish the basis of their organization, who they actively represent and
where their funding comes from. The point here is that in a city of 16,000 and a county
of 75,000 people the largest contingency of CFABF we have seen is five individuals.
Having gone through eight elections in the City and County, I feel I have much deeper
knowledge of the issues that the good people of Kalispell and Flathead County are
interested in. Our valley is growing, and we have come to the realization that pro -active
involvement in development and job creation is the only way to ensure that this growth
occurs in a sensible way that will allow us to maintain the character of the valley. This
cooperative relationship coupled with the constitutional mandate that school trust lands
are to be used in a fashion that maximizes their use, strengthens my belief that a
moratorium on Section 36 would be ill advised.
With all due respect, I would ask you, the members of the land board, to leave local
planning decisions up to local Planning and governments and to not dictate them from
Helena.
Sincerely,
.*E.Baharski
Wm. E. Boharski,
Mayor
P.S. Our city manager has sent you a letter under separate cover specifically addressing
Section 36 which I wholly support.
cc: Ron Van Natta
Donald Counsell
Dale Haarr
Fred Leistiko
Jim C. Atkinson
Randy Kenyon
Doug Scarff
M. Duane Larson