October 01, 2007
Monday PM

As young residents of Ketchikan, we have a concern for the future of our community and the future of our economy. After researching all perspectives we came to a unanimous decision to show our opposition to proposition one. Our main concern lies in the nature of the proposition itself. Its purpose is to reduce the number of jewelry stores because there are "just too many of them", which would supposedly open the downtown area for other types of business. Unfortunately, there is no evidence or reasoning that we could depend on to ensure this will even happen. There have been multiple vacancies in the downtown area for several years, and the number of jewelry stores is already decreasing, without additional government regulation.

We are concerned that the initial reaction to this proposition might be "Well I don't like jewelry stores." But this issue isn't about whether or not a citizen is a fan of jewelry stores. Our economy relies heavily on the seasonal industry of tourism. Limiting business would give Ketchikan a negative reputation. For a positive economy and future, we want to welcome new business.

As high school students we are also concerned this initiative one could hurt school district funds. Limiting jewelry stores in Ketchikan would decrease property values of the downtown buildings, and the difference would have to be accounted. The school district receives 100% of its funding from property taxes and would most likely receive additional cuts. The school district is already operating on a tight budget and we don't want to see even more programs and services being lost to financial difficulties. Supporting a faulty proposition is not worth this risk.

We support the prospect of planning to keep Ketchikan's economy strong, but this proposition isn't the right way to go about it. Although we are not of voting age, we hope the citizens of Ketchikan will consider the immediate and long-term consequences of the proposition before making a decision.

Kyleen Luhrs, Brittany Auger, and Caitlyn Lewis
Ketchikan, AK

About: " We were all born and raised in Ketchikan and are now senniors attending Ketchikan High School"

Received September 30, 2007 - Published October 01, 2007

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