In a community where environmentalists and the business community often have battled over who will sit on the City Council, Tuesday was a rare occasion where the two sides came together to oppose what they saw as a common opponent.
The business leaders opposing Lowe's included Exchange Bank President William Schrader, Skyhawk Village Market owner Mike Runyon, Clover Stornetta President Marcus Benedetti, Friedman's Home Improvement President Bill Friedman and La Tortilla Factory co-owner Carlos Tamayo.
Their presence sent a message, as Oliver's Market General Manager Tom Scott put it, that "we local retailers need to stick together against the big guys." And they warned that the community would be less well off if Lowe's were allowed to build here.
"I love the city of Santa Rosa's campaign of 'buy local, shop local, eat local,' said Jodie Lau, whose family owns G&G Supermarkets. "Remember that? By allowing this box store to go through, this is not supporting local."
The council listened to two hours of public comment Tuesday, most of it opposing Lowe's plan. More than 100 people turned out for the hearing at City Hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment