In the July 4 edition, there was a letter from Ms. Niedermeier concerning the “hell” she faces each July as fireworks seemingly wreck her life. Her summation of why the city lets fireworks continue is basic human greed, and that we as citizens should vote out those who let this bombardment continue.
Speaking only for myself, as a member of the Battle Ground City Council, I could not disagree more with Ms. Niedermeier, in the following ways:
1. If the Food Bank sells fireworks to fill their coffers to help those who have been hit by the economy in the last four years, I say, “God bless their little greedy hearts.”
2. If the Rose Parade float committee sells fireworks to produce a class A float, that represents the city incredibly well in the largest festival in the area, God bless their little greedy hearts also.
3. If the other four non-profits use their fireworks revenue to further their agenda in our community, God bless their little greedy hearts too.
Ms. Niedermeier should reconsider her insistence on us to ban fireworks. We are not a council of Commissars, elected to rule over the city saying what is good and what is not, swayed by the fervor of the moment. We are seven of your neighbors trying to formulate common sense regulations to facilitate the forward movement of the city. For me as an individual council member, I am looking at these regulations very reluctantly. It is my opinion that the fewer regulations put upon the people, the better we will be as a community.
Finally, I’d ask for just a bit more patience in July with some of your neighbors who get caught up in the fireworks fever. I also ask of them that same patience with your urban farming, basketball playing, dog barking, shade tree mechanicing, garage band playing other neighbors, who all are part of the fabric here in Battle Ground.
