A letter to the editor from Leanna Usher.
What kind of message is the Grand County Commission sending when it seemingly punishes a volunteer for caring too much?
Laura Long is a citizen and a Planning Commissioner that cares about Moab and has done exactly what we should want from public servants: she’s informed, she’s engaged, and she speaks up. And I believe the Commission voted to request her resignation because of those qualities.
Meanwhile, Craig Weston–the developer behind the Kane Creek resort—dumped massive amounts of money into our local politics. No, he didn’t cut checks directly to the County Commissioners, but some commissioners aligned themselves with the Republican Party that happily took it. I can’t fully believe that’s just a coincidence because they’ll still benefit from that money.
Why is the Commission more focused on silencing a local critic than standing up to developer-backed political machines? Why is speaking the truth seen as “extremism,” while enabling wealthy outsiders to take advantage of our community is just business as usual? It seems like they are protecting rich developers instead of the people they were elected to serve. I know that there are people in the community who are supportive of the development, but it’s wild to me that there is an entire population of people who live here, and people who love it here who don’t live here, who want that parcel of land preserved and kept pristine. (Well, not totally pristine anymore now that the developers ripped out so many old, majestic, native cottonwoods).
It’s clear Laura called out the entire Kane Creek deal as corrupt—not the Grand County Commissioners themselves. She pointed out that thanks to SB 258, the developers can bypass our entire local planning process for their luxury town—a first in U.S. history. This is a loophole that weakened even the basic “private property rights” standards that used to apply. Apparently the standards that normal people have to abide by are too inconvenient for the wealthy. And the fact that some local officials are more offended by a citizen pointing that out than by the deal itself says a lot to me.
If a Commissioner is truly uncomfortable with the Kane Creek resort, they should spend their energy opposing that, not punishing a volunteer who dared to say what many of us are thinking. If they are so shaken by a citizen exercising their First Amendment rights, maybe the real problem is how fragile their position actually is. Also, do they not believe in the Constitution if they aren’t respecting First Amendment rights?
People in Moab are paying attention. Many Moabites haven’t been involved in local government before—but are now. Because we’re tired of being ignored. We’re tired of watching billionaires shape the future of rural towns that they don’t even live in. And we’re tired of elected officials taking their money and helping them. I get that a LOT of people are struggling for money, but working class politicians of any party “crossing the picket lines” to join forces with the richest of the rich and basically turn their backs on other working class people in the community is really disappointing and sad.
This shady move by the Commission smells like political retaliation and it will not be forgotten, especially because Laura Long is admired by many, including myself.
Leanna Usher
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