Bigfork Eagle editorial

Forum format

The community is invited and urged to attend tonight's Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee candidate forum, hosted by the Bigfork Eagle and Lakeshore Country Journal.

BLUAC has had its fair share of press in the last year, as its members have pointed fingers at one another and cried, "Foul." The upcoming May 2 election will give the community an important say in the committee's composition.

Tonight's forum will serve as a structured setting in which each candidate will answer five questions about the nature of the committee and growth in the area. To start, each candidate will have three minutes to introduce him- or herself and describe why he or she is running for BLUAC. The questions will then be as follows (answers limited to three minutes):

? What is your understanding of the role BLUAC plays in the community and how will you uphold that role as a member?

? What is your definition of smart growth? How does zoning play into that?

? How do you balance personal property rights with the overall best interest of the community?

? What is your long-term vision for the greater Bigfork area?

? Is it possible for a committee like BLUAC to exist without personal agendas influencing decision making?

The questions have been provided to candidates in advance so they can prepare and keep their answers to the three-minute limit.

The three-year term candidates are Shelley Gonzales, Paul Guerrant and Scott Hollinger. The one-year member-at-large candidate is Mary Jo Naive.

Tonight's forum will start at 7 p.m. in the Bigfork Elementary/Middle School gym.