Shame on you

One of our best neighbors was stomped on by a small special interest group eager to run over anyone that disagrees with them.

In case you hadn't heard the news, Scott Hollinger was forced off the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee (BLUAC).

This special interest group—lead by John Bourquin, Phil Hansen, and Don Loranger—made it their mission to take advantage of an unclear BLUAC bylaw to push Hollinger off the board.

What was Scott's great crime? He missed five BLUAC meetings. In all cases, he gave prior notice and believed excused absences were allowed.

No question. Scott did miss five meetings. What didn't make the papers, however, was the reason he missed those meetings.

Scott wasn't off having fun or busy working. What he was doing was driving his wife, Dia, to Missoula for a painful series of cancer treatments. What Scott was doing was holding his wife's hand and praying for her survival.

The good news is that Dia's treatment has been successful and her cancer is now in remission.

The bad news is that Bourquin, Hansen, Loranger, and their cold-hearted gang twisted Dia's illness into a disgusting opportunity to promote their political agenda of turning Bigfork into an exclusive Country Club.

Scott, you see, always voted on the side of the locals and consistently voted for initiatives designed to keep Bigfork affordable for regular, everyday Montanans.

But wait, it gets even more mean-spirited than that.

Scott's BLUAC term was up this May. Bourquin, Hansen and Loranger could have waited only four more months for Scott's term to expire, but they wanted to smear his name as much as possible in hopes of tainting his reputation with Bigfork voters and discouraging him from running again.

Would it have been so awful to let Scott finish out the rest of his term? Would it have been so awful to show the Hollingers some compassion during Dia's battle against cancer?

Instead of showing some understanding to Scott and Dia during this difficult time, Bourquin, Hansen, Loranger, and their cold-hearted gang stepped on him like a big-city bully. Shame on you.

Unfortunately, you will soon see several of these people running for offices in the spring. Remind them about our Montana values. Remember what they did when you vote.

Let them know that there is no place for big city politics in Bigfork. Shame on them for twisting a heart-wrenching illness and using a good man for their own political gain.

Being neighborly really means something in this small town. Remind them.

Kelly Brosten Johns

Bigfork