Sometimes you have to shout to be heard

Free speech is powerful.

Just ask the owners of businesses along East Sun Mountain Road near the proposed Creekside Town Square retail development just east of the new Sportsman’s Warehouse. Since the public learned a few weeks ago about a Wasilla city plan to locate access to Creekside through neighboring businesses, particularly the Windbreak Café and Six Robblees, the buzz began. Running the table from anonymous comments on the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman’s Internet story postings to presentations to Wasilla City Council to phone calls to City Hall, the public’s concern has been heard.

Residents were shocked the city would threaten those business owners with potentially taking their land and the city backed off. An alternate proposal to swap a section of East Sun Mountain Avenue also was questioned until finally the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has instructed Wasilla to fix the roadway in question, which has been torn up and blocked for months, and have it open by Monday.

We aren’t advocates for mob rule; however, it is invigorating to know that sometimes the power of free speech works the way our Founding Fathers intended. The public learns about a perceived injustice and speaks out accordingly. That we can do this without fear of reprisal is one of the freedoms Americans should never take for granted.

It’s also a sad commentary on city leadership that it needs a kick in the keester from the masses to do the right thing. Had the owners of those affected businesses not spoken up or had the public not learned of the city’s plans to accommodate a developer at the expense of established businesses, we wonder how far the city would have been willing to go.

Wasilla is experiencing growing pains. It has hit a population demographic that makes the city a choice location for larger developments, as well as national chain stores and restaurants. This is healthy and brings more choice to residents and visitors. Asking established local businesses to compete on a even keel is fair. Forcing them to capitulate as they are literally steamrolled isn’t.

We’re pleased for the Windbreak, Six Robblees and their neighbors, and we’re excited for Creekside Town Square to take shape.

We hope this situation was an aberration and that there aren’t others in the way of the city’s steamroller. The public’s watching, and it isn’t afraid to speak up.