01/24/2015
Excellent job and fair, LaTasha Givens. Thank you for taking the time to report on what is a very important issue to many citizens in Blanchard.
I would say that small business owners are very competitive and hard working, just like we are, and are not afraid of competition, but do not believe that Corporate Welfare should be used to bring in competition. These small businesses certainly never asked for nor ever expected Corporate Welfare when they hung their shingle.
Let the big box stores come in and buy the land like everyone else. The city never spent millions of dollars improving and beautifying the properties of all the other businesses in town, why should now the city take tax dollars from those businesses, business owners, their employees and their customers and provide massive handouts to out of state big corporations that certainly don't need the handout and could come to town any time they wish. Our schools cannot afford this misuse of citizens' hard earned money, and it is patently unfair to all the businesses that did not get any handouts and are being totally ignored in this current debate.
Lastly, I do agree with Mr. Floyd that typically businesses pop up around a big box store that comes to town, which they can to Blanchard any time, but these businesses are often built upon the ashes of all the mom and pop local businesses that were destroyed in the process. How could the city possibly feel good about doing something like this without actively seeking the wishes of all those local citizens and their businesses that would obviously be impacted.
I am hoping that we can shed some light on what the city has been conducting mostly behind closed doors so that businesses, their employees and all the citizens that love to shop with them might be able to express their opinion on this matter. Personally, I have spoken with well over 50 business owners in Blanchard over the last two days and all but a few (I think 3) of those business owners knew nothing about this proposed TIF, and all but one of those few had been mislead on what the TIF is really about. And of all the business owners, their employees and their customers, only one single individual expressed neutrality, every other person was adamantly opposed.
I encourage anyone that might be willing to help to contact the members of the Blanchard City Council (can find contact details here: http://www.cityofblanchard.us/city_officials__contact_info) and let them know how destructive this idea would be to the businesses in Blanchard and to ask them to vote NO on approving this Corporate Welfare next month.
BLANCHARD, Okla. -- Debbie Ford has been the manager of a Blanchard pharmacy for 16 years. She said they don't just help customers, they serve entire families, and have for generations. "Everyone i...
