paullovell,

I read an article about this on the KWWL website. I share your umbrage over this outrageous scheme to extort money from non-profits.

While a RAGBRAI boycott of Dubuque County might seem like a popular thing to do, it’s not very practical. After all, you are asking the Des Moines Register to risk alienating a portion of their readership base. From a business perspective, this just ain’t gonna happen.

Here are some actions I would suggest that local residents could take:

(1) Go to the public hearings that, by law, must be held before an ordinance is passed. Speak out about the negative impact of this proposed ordinance. Believe it or not, politicians DO listen when their political necks are on the line!

(2) Organize a writing campaign so that interested parties who cannot attend the public meetings can voice their opinion. This would allow out-of-staters like me to put in my two cents’ worth. By law, there is a time period for the public to submit written comments which the politicians must consider. To generate a greater written response, please post the names and addresses of those county officials responsible for making the decision.

(3) Join forces with like-minded organizations in their public relations efforts. I see that local business groups are already speaking out against this proposal. The more voices that are heard,the greater the liklihood of success.

If there is enough public outcry, this ill-conceived notion will wither and die on the vine.