Area businesses need to support local workers

I read an article on Feb. 1 that made me rejoice and angered me in the same moment.

I totally agree that we locals need to support the small businesses of our area and many feel that way. We need to be there for one another in these hard times. This makes me happy to see that kind of support in our community. It angers me that when it came time to build across from Safeway that our community hired builders from another state instead of hiring locals. I am not sure what the message is. I see it as “ you support Sandpoint while Sandpoint supports others.” It seems like a double standard.

I understand that our local businesses shouldn’t pay the price for the decisions. Yet they are, as some of us are boycotting these new businesses because they didn’t give our local contractors a chance at the bids. Who is it, that would hire outside our community for these projects and let us locals suffer for their decisions?

If Sandpoint and neighboring communities are truly in this hard economic time together then where does our loyalty start?

I feel that we, as citizens, should have the right to say something about this unfair decision made on our behalf.

Why is it that we should shop locally  and yet let Sandpoint decision-makers send our money out of state? Who’s helping who in this case?

I and others believe in helping the local businesses, we hope one day the people who decide about the building in Sandpoint will join us and help the locals work here so we may continue to shop here.

Thank you on behalf of many locals and businesses who are struggling during these hard times.

REXCENE SCHENDEL

Sandpoint