Public not invited

To the editor:

The sign on the door will read “Closed to the Public.” Mat-Su Borough Assembly members Steve Colligan, Darcie Salmon, Ron Arvin and mayor Larry DeVilbiss voted to shut you out of the multi-family ordinance’s “public” comment process.

New assembly member Mathew Beck, along with Jim Colver and Vern Halter, voted against excluding you, but the ceremonial mayor cast the tie-breaking vote to exclude you.

Following that vote on Oct. 22, the borough attorney quietly informed the assembly members that they should rethink their vote. Clearly frustrated by the attorney’s heads-up, the crew voted unanimously to reverse course — for the moment.

So, you continue to have the right to speak up during the “public process,” but only until the day this anti-democracy coalition figures out another way to leave you out in the cold.

This is just the latest example of our borough’s “open for business” crowd getting sick and tired of the “little people” getting in the way of their buddies. If you think the Mat-Su Business Alliance gives a darn about you, think again. It’s all about the money. Truth be known, our ceremonial mayor and this “open for business” coalition are doing their best to discredit our borough government by squandering our emergency reserves, wiping out regulations and squeezing budgets and staff — all while building offices for themselves (oh, just like some folks you might have heard about in “our” Congress).

We can all agree we want our Mat-Su to be open for business, but only for business that brings sustainable prosperity to our people.

Next time you vote, cast your ballot for candidates who care about you. It takes more than a 20 percent turnout to run an effective, responsive, representative democracy. We each have to do our part. Otherwise, we can get stuck with folks who post signs reading “Closed to the Public” and tell us its all our fault. Your vote — it really does count.

Valerie Mittelstead

Palmer