Edwards’ boycott hurts community

Editor, Index-Tribune:

One thing we all seem to have in common is that we love our town and we all feel very fortunate to live here. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country, with an incredible history and small-town charm.

As a small business owner in Sonoma, I have also had the opportunity to discuss Measure B with visitors and locals who shop in my store. There have been no heated discussions or arguments over the topic.

We all need to understand the initiative in order to make an educated decision on the subject matter.

I felt compelled to write this letter as a response to the attack by “Yes on B” committee member Bob Edwards on Jeff Montague, a local business owner who voiced his opinion on Measure B in an op-ed column a week ago (“‘Big’ isn’t big, and ‘B’ is more fear than fact”).

Jeff owns Wine Country Cyclery and has said he will vote “no” on B. Bob Edwards responded to that letter by saying that he would not consider buying a $3,000-$4,000 bike from Wine Country Cyclery, but instead he would choose to spend his money online or in Santa Rosa. Now that is an “unintended consequence.” Shopping in our small town supports our local businesses and keeps our community alive and thriving. This negative attitude is not helping our community, it’s hurting it. I wish Edwards could have risen above all of this.

I wish we could have had a community discussion about growth in Sonoma instead of Measure B. It would have been much more interesting to work together as a community to figure out how to grow our small town in a way that balances all the things that we love about living in Sonoma. To support Sonoma, please vote “no” on B.

Sarah Anderson

Sonoma