Frytz Mor

Background

Profession: Semi-Retired

Educational background: Broadcasting and Film

How many years as a Bonner County resident: 3 1/2

Marital status: Married

Family: 4 children

Questions

1. I will begin a thorough review of actual city expenditure and deficit. In turn, I will work with Council and staff to broaden public outreach and provide easy access to information for public review and feedback. I will be a People’s Mayor willing to listen and foster meaningful conversations. Together, we can build a consensus and a strong economy to create more longterm opportunities for everyone.
2. Public engagement is severely lacking. Many residents feel the City administration is providing a bare minimum effort and make it difficult for the public to participate.The people feel their voices are being drown out by outside interests seeking to profit off our land and resources. Our city is being run like a corporation instead of a community.There are far too many costly projects being given preference and finance over basic needs like roads, waterways, waste treatment, and jobs. Sandpoint is becoming increasingly unaffordable.Working families and young people struggle to make ends meet. In fact, the percentage of young people in Sandpoint is decreasing.They are leaving to seek opportunity elsewhere, and many longterm residents worry they too will be forced out.
3. I will foster a wider and more accessible conversation. I will seek common ground on issues from a wide range of voices, encouraging the public to engage more in the process. I will be available and proactive. We must build a more diverse economy, and educational opportunities, giving working families and our young people a better chance at a good life and longevity in our beloved city. Therefore, it is critical we create and provide longterm opportunities for our community. I will work with Staff, Council, and the Public to examine projects and programs that provide incentive for education, hard skills, small businesses, and creative sound solutions for housing and growth. We must clearly define where the fiscal waste can be trimmed, diverted, or eliminated, and the benefits and resources refocussed on the local community’s needs and desires.
4. I will work to make the residents feel understood by being willing to listen and actually entertain their ideas, without the need to feel I know best. My decisions will be based on the solutions we find together. My hope is that through our interaction they come to recognize a man of character, integrity, and grace. A man who strives to treat everyone with understanding and compassion. A representative who takes the meaning of that role seriously. And through that understanding the conversation will begin to bear fruit and build trust.
5. I do not think the city is moving in the right direction. We are moving towards a trend of unnecessary projects with an unwarranted urgency. There is disregard for the longterm detriment of growing deficits, and a lack of complete transparency.
6. Public engagement and the willingness to listen is the crucial issue. To reiterate, I will take a comprehensive approach to build public trust and government accountability.
7. No response given.
8. I encourage our community to engage in civil discourse without name calling and divisive behavior. I hope by having a people’s mayor who works to set that example, the community will begin to open their hearts to each other and seek common ground. We are all born Equal. Liberty for all. Our differences are a strength that can bring forth innovation and creative solutions. We must be willing to listen without prejudice, and entertain each others point of view without feeling the need to be right or accepted.
9. Sandpoint still has a sacred sense of “keeping it real”. It has classic charm, with a pinch of cosmopolitan swagger. I love to walk my dog thru town, or ride bikes with my kids, enjoy summer at City Beach, or a night out listening to live local music. I have felt a deep spiritual connection to Sandpoint from the moment I accidentally came across the Long Bridge. Almost as if I had been called here.
10. I enjoy time with my family, playing music, drinking coffee over great conversations, and researching and reading to stay up on current events and trends, and the continued development of my critical thinking.
11. Yes, I have changed my mind on issues and people. I believe in being open to ideas. A wise man is able to entertain an idea without feeling the need to accept it or be right. I approach issues with understanding through compassion. Though imperfect, when I strive in the direction of compassion for ALL there is far less misunderstanding. After coming to Sandpoint some of my initial encounters left me with certain ideas about individuals in the community. However, by exercising the belief stated above I remained open and willing to receive an alternate point of view. Eventually the true nature of a persons character will always be revealed, as will our own prejudices be shown to us. Whether that be through personal interaction or alternative view points and relationships.
12. Frank Zappa. He told me not to eat the yellow snow.
13. Integrity.
14. Are you seeking office for personal aggrandizement, a need to control or be right, think you’ve earned it, or are you truly willing to be an authentic servant of the people?
15. My name is Frytz Mor. I’m running for Sandpoint Mayor. I love this town! My goal is to Keep Sandpoint Livable, Local, and Accountable. We’ve seen the results of relying on so-called “Experienced Leaders,” and it’s clear; our city is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Working families and young people struggle to make ends meet. Our future is being leveraged with long-term debt. These “Leaders” are running the city like a corporation instead of a community. Regardless of political affiliation, we can all agree; nobody wants to fund policies that work against us. We need a new vision: a people’s mayor willing to listen and foster meaningful conversations. Together, we can build a consensus and a strong economy to create more opportunities for everyone. In doing so, we can keep the American Dream alive right here in Sandpoint. No matter which way you lean - left, right, or center - I want to hear from you. As a united community we have the power to create a bright and prosperous future.