Getting Out the Vote for Main Street

With Election Day less than a week away, it's not surprising that Congressional mid-term elections have been dominating the news from coast to coast. However, in two communities in the West, a vote of a different kind has been making headlines: In Davis, California, and Ravalli County, Montana, voters will be heading to the polls on November 7 to determine whether their communities open their doors to big box retailers.

Ravalli County, Montana

On Tuesday, Ravalli County residents will decide whether to implement a size cap that would limit new retail development to 60,000 square feet -- a move that has the potential to bar the opening of a Wal-Mart. The fight to limit development has been led by ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, and the Bitterroot Good Neighbor Coalition. Lawrence said that he is guardedly hopeful about the outcome of the size cap vote. The campaign has been "a pressure cooker, and the other side has a lot more resources than we do, but we're trying to be smart and crafty," he added.

Just six months ago, passage of the size cap proposal seemed a foregone conclusion. At an April public hearing, some 1,400 residents came out to overwhelmingly support the size cap. Then, following the public testimony, the Ravalli county commissioners voted 3 - 0 to implement the cap.

The commissioners' April vote didn't signify adoption of a permanent regulation, however. Soon after, a local group, Citizens for Economic Opportunity, organized a successful petition drive to have the ordinance suspended and placed on the November ballot. In response, the Bitterroot coalition joined with the Ravalli County Attorney, George Corn, to challenge the constitutionality of the ordinance suspension in district court. On October 23, the court ruled against Corn.

"We had a setback in the courts, but we have plenty of arrows in our quiver," said Lawrence. "We're just hammering the fact that, in April, this was something we already chose to implement." The Bitterroot coalition has undertaken a fairly comprehensive marketing campaign, with "a reasonable advertising budget," he said. The group has placed ads in the local newspaper, written letters to the editor, created a poster, and started a ballot initiative committee, Community Matters, a short-term subset of the coalition focused specifically on the size cap issue. The group has also created radio and TV spots and conducted a direct mail campaign.

The Bitterroot coalition has also enlisted the help of Wal-Mart Watch and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's New Rules Project, and it has lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle backing its position, an important element that may convince voters that this isn't simply a pro-liberal or anti-conservative vote.

As for Wal-Mart, Lawrence told BTW that the company has hired a prominent Missoula advertising firm to promote its interests. In addition, Wal-Mart withdrew its initial application to build in Ravalli, only to resubmit the application while the size cap was suspended. "But they still do not have a waste water discharge permit and ... four out of the nine monitoring wells failed. They will not be able to break ground before the vote," Lawrence said, noting that a building permit can be revoked retroactively based on a pending ordinance.

Davis, California

On this Election Day, residents of Davis, California, will be voting to determine whether a Target will be allowed to open in the town's proposed Freeway Mall, reported Alzada Knickerbocker of the Avid Reader in Davis, California.

In the spring, when Knickerbocker and some of her fellow local business owners first heard about the possibility of a big box store opening in Davis, they were appalled. "We have a small town, and it would destroy it," she said flatly.

Soon after learning about Target, a number of local business owners and residents banded together to form Don't Big Box Davis to create a presentation that would demonstrate to the city council the negative effects that such a business would have on the community. In June, however, four out of five city council members voted for Target, Knickerbocker said. However, all was not lost, as the council decided to place the issue on the November 7 ballot (as Measure K) to allow the public to have the final say.

"When it became a measure on the ballot we decided to continue the group," Knickerbocker told BTW. About six weeks ago, she and other local business owners founded the Davis Independent Merchants Association (DIMA) as the "retail element" of Don't Big Box Davis.

The proposed Target would be located about two miles from The Avid Reader. If Measure K passes, local zoning laws will change: The area where the Freeway Mall will be built is not yet zoned for retail, and the present size cap is 30,000 square feet. Under Measure K it would increase dramatically: The Target would be a 137,000-square-foot store.

Knickerbocker is concerned that the zoning law changes will not only allow Target to open, but they will also attract other big box chains and invite sprawl to Davis. "This is a foot in the door [for chain stores]," she said.

While Target has access to tremendous resources to make its case, Don't Big Box Davis held fundraisers to help in its efforts. "We raised $25,000," Knickerbocker said. "We are making it a point to show Target's true nature."

Don't Big Box Davis has been relying heavily on one particular book to help guide its efforts: Stacy Mitchell's Big Box Swindle (Beacon). Avid Reader recently held an event featuring Mitchell. "We had a slide show, and [Mitchell] provided a speakerphone presentation," Knickerbocker said. "We had a very good turnout. The book has been helpful in shaping our letters to the editor. [It explains how Target's] business model is the same as Wal-Mart's." Also, the group has made good use of New Rule's Big Box Tool Kit.

The Avid Reader features Big Box Swindle in an in-store and window display. "We're selling the book at cost, because we want people to read it," Knickerbocker said. "Stacy's book has been very helpful to us, because it shows Target in the bigger picture."

"Target is presenting itself as green, and they tout the accommodations they are making," said Knickerbocker. This strategy is right out of the corporate retail playbook as described in Mitchell's book, she added. The retailer even created an organization in an effort to sway voters in its favor. "Everyone who works on the campaign is paid, but they are presenting themselves as a grassroots group," Knickerbocker said.

Overall, Don't Big Box Davis has been tirelessly working to convince people to vote no on Measure K on Tuesday. The group has initiated a letter-writing campaign, created lawn signs and bumper stickers, and has placed ads in the paper. Now, it's up to the citizens of Davis in a vote that Knickerbocker said is too close to call. -David Grogan