I think back to my youth and growing up in Hamilton. Fifty years ago, we had no color TV and you tuned in the only two channels available, by turning the outside antenna by hand. There was no cable TV, satellite dish or internet. We had summer baseball, but no organized soccer, summer basketball, swim team, dance class, rugby, Griz Camp, or cheerleading camps. For entertainment we played ball with each other, or if alone, we bounced the ball off the steps or the roof. We fished in the river, caught frogs, floated popsickle sticks in the ditch, or read comic books. We traded baseball cards, shot marbles, played board games or did crafts such as painting or wood burning. We also built model cars, planes, etc. Some kids had model railways or miniature race tracks. There was bowling at the local lanes or going to the movies.

If you were ambitious, you could help your parents or neighbors work. (This is now referred to as job shadowing.) You could always find ways to make money by picking up apples, raking leaves, babysitting, or shoveling snow. The thought of asking merchants for donations to help fund our entertainment or trips was out of the question. We earned what we could make and we enjoyed our rewards greatly. Kids had imaginations and parents helped to foster and shape dreams into reality.

Today, the city provides several parks with equipment that will soon be upgraded as funds become available. Opportunity for enjoyable entertainment abounds, even without electronic gadgets and pricey amenities. I suggest you take a hike, read a book, ride a bike, pet a puppy, talk with neighbors, parents and friends. Hide your cell phone for a week. Don't text or twitter. Smell the fresh air and be thankful that you are growing up in a beautiful, safe and nurturing valley.

And make sure you eat all your vegetables. As mom used to say, "Think of all those people suffering over in Asia." Count your blessings. and when you're done, thank God, and count them again.

Letters to the Editor

Anti-plan commissioners struggle with lack of a plan

Dear Editor,

Four years ago, I wrote a letter to the Star that began with this paragraph:

This appeal is to my neighbors in the Bitterroot Valley, especially those of you who live and raise your families on up to forty acres of land in unincorporated parts of the county. Please do not be duped by those who encourage you to vote for County Commissioner candidates opposed to planning for future growth because it would best serve your interests. While it is true that planning by definition limits everyone’s choices, it also gives you some real protection against the potentially damaging choices your neighbors could otherwise make.

In the March 16th issue of the Star, I read about how the newly-elected anti-planning commissioners struggled to cope with complaints from and about a man who wanted to exercise his unobstructed rights as a land owner and build an auto wrecking and recycling facility on his property. If I heard the rhetoric correctly during the last election, the new commissioners should have strongly supported this man’s rights to build whatever he wished on his land. But that was not the language I heard from the commissioners as quoted by the Star.

Greg Chilcott considered the merits of the planned use (an irrelevant thought if the man has a right to do as he wishes with his land). Suzy Foss stated how she loved business and recycling (again irrelevant notions) but she fretted that the facility could negatively affect his neighbors and their property values. She and Matt Kanenwisher went on to suggest that there were better places in the county for such a facility. If Suzy and Matt had actually pointed out an acceptable place for the facility, would they not be practicing “planning”? And what about the hapless neighbors near the place where their fingers fell; could they not have an objection to their “plan?”

J.R. Iman pulled out the oldest politician’s trick. He is on record as objecting to the county doing any planning but tried to pass the buck onto the City of Hamilton to extend its existing plan to adjudicate this matter. Even Ron Stoltz did not stand by the convictions on which he was elected. Although he defended the man’s rights to build the facilities, he did so based on “historical use” (and perhaps on the argument that neighbors were forewarned by past use). But, just as with Chilcott’s thinking, these notions are irrelevant.

The voters were told by these same commissioners as candidates that their property rights were undeniable - that they could do whatever they wished on their land (we will assume barring the breaking of State or Federal laws). It is interesting to me that no one seemed to care much for the property owner who reported that he could not find a place for his facility in the valley where neighbors did not object. As I pointed out in my 2007 letter, planning helps both the owner who wants to purchase property for such a facility as well as others who do not want to live next to one. Greg’s admonition of the owner for not trying to talk more with his neighbors was both condescending and pointless. Even if the parties reached an amicable agreement, how could the neighbors be assured that such agreements would extend into even the near future, much less to future owners of their property? The argument from those who oppose any planning that “my neighbors would never do such a thing” simply does not hold water. Commissioners who ask neighbors to “just get along” are simply admitting they are without tools to help them in such disputes. A “reasonable basic plan” would be helpful.

But I do not want to be too hard on our present commissioners. They are simply struggling with the lack of a use and growth plan for the valley. As one who continues to strongly advocate for such a plan, I know that there have been mistakes made by other advocates. One of the past proposed growth plans was far too detailed and full of overregulation. And ranchers who wish to turn some of their land to residential use as a retirement plan need to be accommodated. This is still a large county with a small population; we still have time to get this right. My appeal to everyone in this valley is to give up the notion of “no plan,” and substitute the notion of a “basic and reasonable plan” while it is much easier to do. The old adage, “A stitch in time saves nine,” applies very well here.

Paul Courteau
Stevensville

Support for Matt’s Munchwagon

Dear Editor,

When I first met Matt he was starting a breakfast burrito business in the back lot of the old Feed and Farm on Main Street in Stevi. I really gave this young man a lot of credit for his tenacity and spunk to start a business when so many were failing. Matt started on a shoestring intent on growing a business that he loves into a full-fledged restaurant. Then one day I saw his burrito sign in front of the empty Mary’s restaurant so I stopped in to talk to Matt and chow down on one of his signature burritos. I remember it was the Bridger Burrito, one of my favorites.

Matt was still struggling the day he opened the doors of the historic Mary’s restaurant. Barely making ends meet and having a head full of ideas for what used to be Mary’s Place was certainly frustrating for Matt. Soon, with the help of Winky’s Café, Matt’s dream would start to take shape and once again there were cars picking up meals at the drive-up window and town folk sitting inside enjoying Chef Matt’s burritos. What a great team Winky’s and Matt make as they breathe new life into the once blackened storefront.

This historic restaurant has an atmosphere likened unto a grandmother’s comfortable kitchen, nothing fancy, just good cooking. And the best part is, Matt can often be seen taking orders and chatting with guests. Can’t get more down home that that.

It was Tuesday...“Thai Tuesday” as Chef Matt calls it when he creates traditional Thai dishes as a departure from his regular menu. It was this particular Tuesday when it came as a surprise for me to hear that the Town of Stevensville is considering closing the drive-up window at Matt’s Munchwagon. I was stunned to hear this, after all, many a burger had been passed through the window in the side of that building for years and no one had ever complained about it. I mean, come on now, people we are not talking marijuana and ammo here; this is burgers and burritos, food for the soul. What could their beef possibly be? Sorry, couldn’t pass that one up.

Here the town of Stevensville has an historic building that ultimately would be bulldozed and turned into a parking lot if it weren’t for Matt and his dreams.

It is my thought that the city council should come out of their offices, walk across the street, welcome Matt to our community and offer what assistance they can. Let’s all be thankful that the sun has risen over this once orphaned building.

This proposal will be heard on April 6 at 7 p.m. at the Stevensville Town Hall and all citizens that have an interest in support of the future of our community should attend if at all possible.

Stop the bullying and extend good wishes for a successful business.

David Hipp
Stevensville

Darby School is great

Dear Editor,

My two children left an affluent school district in California. My son despised school no matter where we sent him - finally I did home school with him, until we moved to Darby.

Mr. Loyd Rennaker spent time daily in the morning before school started tutoring my son in math. It was then, along with several other teachers in Darby, that he began to enjoy school. He attended an academy after graduating from Darby High School and is now a commercial airline pilot for one of the largest airline companies. It was the small classroom size, special attention from the teachers, parental involvement, and positive camaraderie that helped both my children through high school and into adulthood. My daughter graduated magna cum laude from the University of Montana and played as a member of the tennis team for the university. I am proud that we chose Darby High School to be the high school for my children.

Dr. Scyntiya’ Bower
Darby

Political payback at its worst

Dear Editor,

Are you kidding me? I heard the rumors four weeks ago but could not believe the new County Commissioners could be that stupid. Oh, well.

Yes, the three new County Commissioners elected Terry Nelson, Chairman of the Ravalli County Republican Party, to be Planning Administrator. (Voting for: Suzy Foss, Matt Kannenwisher and Ron Stoltz; voting against because Nelson was not qualified: JR Iman; not voting because he was on another taxpayer-funded junket: Greg Chilcott.)

Never mind that Nelson never took a planning course. Never mind that Nelson was manifestly unqualified for this highly technical position. Never mind that the other applicants for the position were much more qualified, such as having actually taken college and graduate level courses in the subject matter. Never mind that a former Ravalli County Planning Administrator applied for and was passed over in favor of Nelson. Never mind that the three Commissioners who voted for Nelson threw out the time honored system of quantitatively ranking applicants based on real qualifications because they knew Nelson would not make the grade on objective scoring. Never mind that these three had made up their minds months ago and the application process was a charade.

No, the real scoop is that this is raw, unvarnished political payback to Terry Nelson. Our three new Commissioners, who promised clean, transparent government and bitterly criticized their predecessors for making backroom deals, have openly engaged in the oldest game of corruption in politics: payback. You see, Nelson allowed Suzy Foss, Matt Kannenwisher and Ron Stoltz to run on the Republican ticket in Ravalli County for County Commissioner seats in 2010. Never mind that all three are Libertarian to their cores and not true Republicans at all (which Nelson well knew). And we all know that anybody, ANYBODY who ran on the Republican ticket in 2010 was elected, never mind their qualifications.

After all, it was Nelson who permitted Mary Hudson-Smith to run as a Republican and be elected County Treasurer in 2010. He did not question her qualifications. He did not question why she was running for office. (It was to prevent her from being fired for incompetence.) When, after the election, she admitted her incompetence to fulfill that position, the County had to find a replacement. Among others, the former Treasurer, Jo Anne Johnson, applied. (She had the misfortune to be a Democrat in the mindless Republican sweep of 2010.) That's when Suzy Foss, one of the three new Commissioners, had the brilliance to say that she would not vote to replace Mary Hudson-Smith with JoAnne Johnson, because JoAnne Johnson had obviously not trained her staff to replace her. Of course, the Commission then voted to replace Hudson-Smith with Marie Keeton, the Deputy Treasurer who had been trained by JoAnne Johnson. Duh.

Putting Terry Nelson in charge of the Planning Department in Ravalli County is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. Starting in 2004, a number of folks near the Stevi airport complained that Terry Nelson was illegally creating a subdivision. They were concerned about increased traffic, the effects on the road and the potential effects of increased wells and septic systems. Seems Nelson bought 14 acres there in 2004 after the previous owner had had a subdivision application denied in 1998. (Think about that: a subdivision application denied in 1998! It must have been really, really bad.)

After buying the property, Nelson promptly divided it into seven parcels and transferred six parcels to his wife, father and four children. Nelson must have anticipated a great family compound. This family transfer provision was designed to permit family farms to subdivide among children without subdivision review to facilitate a farmer's children living on the family farm. But neither Nelson nor any of his kin even surveyed a house on the lots. Instead, Nelson sold off all seven lots to strangers without any subdivision review. And all these concerned residents got a subdivision in their midst without review and no opportunity to comment. Of course, Nelson denies any fraudulent intent; of course he does. And our cherished Commissioners in 2004 and 2005 did absolutely nothing of substance to stop him until the statute of limitations expired. Republicans sticking together.

But there’s more! The Commissioners have buried Nelson’s application and accompanying documents, saying this is a personnel matter. Further, they say, they are relying on a legal opinion from the County Attorney’s Office to that effect. Do we really have to get a judge to tell you guys that all these documents, including the so far unpublished legal opinion, have to be disclosed? How is the public supposed to review your judgment when you bury the relevant documents? What are you afraid of? Is this clean, open and transparent? Legally and morally, you have no leg to stand on.

But there’s still more! The Commission meeting at which Terry Nelson was considered was not noticed 48 hours ahead of time. This little technicality is huge. It means that the meeting was improper and no matter decided there can stand. It must all be done over. But this irregularity has been discovered and, by the time this is published, there may have been a new meeting.

So, the three new Commissioners want to put Terry Nelson in charge of our Planning Department. It stinks so badly! Shame on all of you! This is Chicago-style politics in the worse sense. You have sold off our government, Suzy Foss, Matt Kannenwisher and Ron Stoltz.

Richard Morrisey
Corvallis

Unethical if not illegal

Dear Editor,

I write regarding the hiring of Terry Nelson, Chair of the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee, by Republican Commissioners Stoltz, Foss and Kanenwisher, to serve as the County Planning Director. Is this legal? If political cronyism in Ravalli County is legal, than certainly this is a significant breach of ethics. As I have read, the lone dissenter, J.R. Iman (thank you sir), stated that Mr. Nelson has no education nor training as a planner.

The action taken by the majority hits me as a completely politically motivated decision. Commissioner Foss, you have stated that Nelson's hiring will foster community relations. I question this. For one, I am a registered voter in Ravalli County and I find this disgusting.

I cannot for an instant believe that this was an impartial hiring practice. I cannot believe that Nelson stood out as the best choice from the pool of candidates who applied for the Planning Director position. Again, he has no education or training as a planner. Additionally he worked as a fund raiser so you Commissioners could get elected.

There must be legal issues with the hiring of Nelson and I look forward to a complete investigation into this matter.

David Irwin
Hamilton

Stevi Market Master bows out

Dear Editor,

I am formally informing everyone that I will no longer be the Market Master of the Stevensville Farmers Market. There are many factors that have contributed to this decision. Due to my recent position change at St. Pats, increasing our production on the farm, participating in a 3-year program with the NRCS, and plans to open our farm to the public, I will not be able to put in the time needed to perform the duties of a Market Master. The final "straw" was the recent article in the Bitterroot Star regarding the city council's dealing with the transient business license issue brought forth by the Stevensville Main Street Association and the Stevensville Civic Club. It was a painful reminder that the Town of Stevensville does not or apparently will not in the near future support or take us seriously.

I do not make this decision lightly. I have tried to battle all the issues and complaints brought to me by vendors and our customers (I prefer friends). Not the least being the Hutterites, who are not local, sell produce bought from out of state, are not "natural" nor organic, and take our money out of the county. Not to leave out the fact that the people of Stevensville go to the Hutterites before even coming to our vendors.

I took off time from work twice to present our request to hold the market on 3rd St. by Valley Drug (with the support from Dan Severson, (Valley Drug) Joan Prather (Main Street Assoc.), and several others which I'm sorry can't remember their names. Several other farmers in the valley have left or are no longer going to do the farmers markets.

Frankly it is downright discouraging to be accused of not growing your produce here, or that it costs too much. Then we see these same people at our local grocery stores buying the same produce at 2-3 times the price.

If anyone wishes to be the Market Master I am willing to show them "the ropes." If no one is, then I will gladly donate the balance of our funds to the Pantry Partners Food Bank. I realize that I may be "blamed" for the demise of the farmers market, but I can't help it. One person cannot do this, especially a farmer who has so many other demands on his/her time (plus I work a full time job, also).

So it truly is with a heavy heart that I must bow out. I do pray that the market goes on, but from the comments from the past Market Masters regarding their struggles, nothing has changed. I want it to be known that it is not for lack of experience that I leave. My wife and I have been raising food for over 30 years and she is a certified Master Gardener through the state of Montana trained by Helen Atthowe. We just thought it would be fun to do this and try to make our market a real fun and growing community event. Instead it became a battle and division. For this we are sorry. So, come what may, we wish you all well and God bless.

Arnt-Roger Flatmo
Stevensville

Something stinks

Dear Editor,

What is that smell?

There is a strong smell coming from three commissioners’ offices and it is POLITICAL PAYBACK. Terry Nelson has NO credentials to be Planning Director, other than he is "Republican Central Committee Chairman." Voters of Ravalli County make no mistake that it is payback time for commissioners Foss, Kanenwisher and Stoltz. No matter what these commissioners say, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck—then it must be a duck.

Please remember Terry Nelson was the Republican Central Committee Chairman who did not and would not vett ex-treasurer Hudson-Smith and look where that took us. Voters get ready for round two.

Cliff Gibbons
Corvallis

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