HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-25-23 Public Comment - W. Swearingen - Thoughts on candidates to replace Commissioner I-Ho PomeroyFrom:Will Swearingen
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Thoughts on candidates to replace Commissioner I-Ho Pomeroy
Date:Saturday, November 25, 2023 10:12:23 PM
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Commissioners,
I have reviewed the applications of the candidates who are vying to replace Commissioner
Pomeroy. There are many qualified candidates in this group of twenty. Selecting a singleindividual will be a difficult decision. I have a couple of thoughts that I hope will be helpful.
I urge you to select someone who is a known entity and a proven leader like Douglas Fischer.
His three terms as a trustee on the Bozeman School Board, during which this board facedmany difficult challenges and successfully navigated politically turbulent waters, have
prepared him well for the commissioner position. Doug is a collegial, team-oriented, mission-focused consensus builder. He would bring a thoughtful, open-minded perspective to
Bozeman's overriding challenge: balancing growth, livability, and sustainability.
I urge you also to avoid selecting Mark Egge, whose single-minded focus on upzoning hasalienated large numbers of long-time residents of Bozeman's single-family neighborhoods. He
would be a disruptive force on the commission. The Governor's Housing Task Force, of whichMr. Egge is a member, ostensibly has the mission of formulating recommendations to foster
more and less-expensive housing in Montana. However, its clear purpose is to removeregulatory barriers for developers, including local zoning. The claim is that eliminating
regulations will lead to affordable housing. However, as we have seen in Bozeman, it usuallyleads to unaffordable luxury developments. The Governor's Housing Task Force was behind
the new housing bills that are eliminating local control. It also was behind several of theextreme proposed bills that did not pass in the last legislature but that will likely be revived
next session. Mr. Egge is also associated with the Frontier Institute, a libertarian think tank inHelena that lobbied for the extreme housing-related bills. He has an agenda, indeed, a conflict
of interest. He should not be selected.
Sincerely,Will Swearingen
59 Hitching Post Road, Bozeman