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Editorial Opinion by Gary Wamsley
Continuing a policy of not supporting local business unless you are a member of the Berthoud Economic Resource Team (BERT), local web site developers were eliminated from consideration for building the BERT/Town web site. The contract for developing the un-needed but expensive web site will go to an out of town contractor.
One would think that a prime factor in any contract spending taxpayer money would be to keep the funds in Berthoud and to support local business but that is apparently not important to the committee or the Town.
BERT seems to concentrate its efforts on spending taxpayer dollars to benefit its members but not in supporting existing businesses in town. You can read several opinions about this on the Berthoud Town Form .
I invite you to return here and leave your comments.
Gary – You are completely misinformed on this issue. Before writing something badmouthing the Town of Berthoud's efforts stimulate our local economy you owe it to your few readers to get the facts straight. You continuing bias against the Berthoud Economic Resource Team and its dedicated volunteers is harmful to the Town's effort to show we are a good place to to business. The Town's economic development efforts have greatly boosted the Town's regional reputation and will help every local business, not just one. Your misinformation and false accusations only serve to convince outsiders that Berthoud is against economic development efforts in the town.
The Town will always use a local vendor if price and product justify that choice. If Berthoud can get better services for less by using a Loveland or Denver business then we owe it to the taxpayers to get the best deal possible. The Town's new economic development website is critical to attracting new businesses and quality developers to town.
The website bid and selection process has been completely transparent and every meeting related to this project has been open to the public. As BERT liason I have been at every meeting but one relating to the selection of a website designer which will be decided after the final two candidates are interview this morning by Town staff and the BERT marketing committee volunteers. 9 bids were received. That was narrowed down to 5 for follow up questions. Based on the answers to those questions, the list was narrowed to two finalists. The finalists had better proposals and more expertise than those that were eliminated. The local Berthoud vendor made the list of 5, but the final 2.
Your comments are a slap in the face to the 15+ BERT volunteers that have put in hundreds of hours of free work to better our town for all of us. If we can't get some new business and development going in this town, we will have to make drastic budget cuts next year and we are way under resourced and staffed as it is. You should find something positive to do to help the Town's efforts instead of inventing reasons to make unjustified criticism.
Anyone with any questions regarding this matter can call me at 303-819-7199.
Jeff Hindman – Berthoud Trustee and BERT liason.
I have much to say to Mr. Hindman regarding the fairness Town's web development process, however, I will do that in person.
In response to one of Mr. Hindman's comments, I would like to reply here:
"The people going out of their way to accuse the Town of being anti-business should find something positive to do to help the Town's efforts instead of inventing reasons to make unjustified criticism."
Mr. Hindman should take note of how the members of the Forum and Citizen's First support the Town:
Members of the Berthoud Town Forum were the main organizers of the Christmas In Berthoud events.
The media representative who facilitated at 9 News Report on the CIB events and Town of Berthoud is a Citizen's First Founder and Berthoud Town Fourm member
Citizen's First were co-sponsors/organizers of the Jingle Mingle
Citizen's First organized and funded the AIMS Community College Forum so AIMS could present their case to the community
Citizen's First members are involved in almost every Town Board, including BERT, P&Z, Tree, and attend every Town Trustee meeting
This Forum promotes all community fundraising events for our local non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity, Berthoud Run/Walk Club, Berthoud Schools Fund, and many others.
All Berthoud businesses are welcome to advertise on this site for FREE!
As a citizen's organization, Citizen's First is fully in support of our local businesses. We are here because we love this town, we live here, we shop here, we volunteer here, and our kids go to school here. Citizen's First exists to benefit the CITIZENS of BERTHOUD. BERT exists solely to benefit themselves – business owners and developers.
It seems to me that Mr. Wamsley is simply behaving like a newspaper; his right to editorialize is perfectly within the guidelines of accepted journalism ethics.
From the Associated Press Managing Editors Statement of Ethical Principles:
The newspaper should serve as a constructive critic of all segments of society. It should reasonably reflect, in staffing and coverage, its diverse constituencies. It should vigorously expose wrongdoing, duplicity or misuse of power, public or private. Editorially, it should advocate needed reform and innovation in the public interest. News sources should be disclosed unless there is a clear reason not to do so.
The newspaper should uphold the right of free speech and freedom of the press and should respect the individual's right to privacy. The newspaper should fight vigorously for public access to news of government through open meetings and records.
The newspaper should strive for impartial treatment of issues and dispassionate handling of controversial subjects. It should provide a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism, especially when such comment is opposed to its editorial positions. Editorials and expressions of personal opinion by reporters and editors should be clearly labeled. Advertising should be differentiated from news.
© 2009 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Berthoud will always have to compete. To be insular in markets set not by fences but by global access falls short of recognizing the town's role in the new front range where business neighbors live hundreds of miles apart, where communication is fluent, and where web services are now only the backdrop to community information exchange. Berthoud needs to be a community ready to send and receive the future while preserving the character of it's proud past.
"If we can’t get some new business and development going in this town, we will have to make drastic budget cuts next year and we are way under resourced and staffed as it is." Jeff Hindman
I believe I understand your thinking, but why not reward the current business persons in Berthoud who have chosen to locate and do business here? Perhaps some of the money from this contract would have been spent in Berthoud had the contract been awarded to someone in Berthoud.
Wouldn't it help to attract businesses to Berthoud if the people in the town commit to keeping a large part of the money they spend local? Just wondering.
"un-needed but expensive web site"…. That statement says it all and that kind of attitude will die-off or go into alzheimer's in the next 5 to 10 years.
I hope Jeff Hindman realizes he is contradicting himself. He is part of the BERT committee, but states the committee is looking for the best deal "even if that means using a Loveland or Denver business." There are several Loveland or Denver businesses that offer better prices on goods and services. If everyone thought that way, Berthoud would go out of business. I thought BERT was supposed to be promoting the businesses of BERTHOUD!! There has to be some middle ground between "the best buy" and supporting Berthoud. Can any of the local businesses offer a discount, or even come close to the other offers? Did you just get bids and pick the cheapest, or did you give the Berthoud businesses a chance to negotiate?