Editor,
The letter to the editor titled “Code enforcement is Haphazard,” [ESI March 27] is the opinion of one B&B owner and needs to be recognized as not representing the opinions of the majority of B&B owners in this community.
I have owned my B&B for ten years now and never in these years have found any “hostility” toward my business, nor have I heard from other B&B owners that any of them have experienced “hostility.”
To state [the city has] “…for many years, been especially antagonistic toward B & B owners/operators” is patently false, or the opinion of this person and not widely experienced. To make public such a wild accusation against enforcement of a long-standing ordinance that is and has been ignored by a few B&Bs in town by tightening up enforcement is just ill conceived.
Damning the city, its leadership, the Planning Commission and others in his quest to challenge enforcement of code is not accurate. Enforcement of code was the reason for the action taken by Planning to deal with lack of compliance.
In publishing this hostile opinion piece that is maligning the City and Planning Commission he has created a negative public perception of the state of B&B ownership in the city and could well impact the sale of various B&B businesses in this town. On several occasions I have had potential buyers of real estate in town who stayed with me while looking at property ask about issues noted in the paper. This opinion piece does nothing to help out the real estate sales in the city.
What has he accomplished other than blowing off some steam all the while casting a cloud on owning a B&B in this town?
David Mitchell