NICAN a conduit to the answer

I disagree with your editorial conclusion (11/26) regarding the Sand Creek Bypass in which you stated that for North Idaho Community Action Network (NICAN) to be a success it needs a better plan than "not in my backyard."

For me, the success that NICN represents is the resiliency of the will of the people of Sandpoint to be heard. If the original bypass process had been an open, democratic process in the first place, in which a genuine chance for consensus could have emerged, there would now be no need for NICAN.

That the democratic, grassroots spirit is still alive and well in Sandpoint; that it is organized and that it has already garnered terrific support is a testament to the love and care this community has for protecting its small town character and its economic livelihood. Just by opening its doors NICAN is a success because it offers hope for Sandpoint to preserve its past, protect its resources and ensure its economic future as a beautiful, viable real live town instead of being relegated to a ghost town on a lake, next to a lot of strip malls.

Is it common sense to solve a traffic issue by killing a town's viability? If the byway is a lightning rod, it's because the truth hasn't yet emerged. When the people who are affected are really listened to and actually empowered, then you will see a good solution emerge.
NICAN's mission is to be a conduit for that to happen.

Heron Baker
Sandpoint