With the repeal and replace petition now circulating against the city’s 2016 ordinance regulating and limiting short-term rentals, Gearhart is up against big money. According to the Oregon Secretary of State, the out-of-state sponsor has already invested close to $16,000 (cash and in-kind services) in the petition drive; additional contributions from pollsters, lawyers, and, of course, realtors bring their total war chest up to $20,000 and more (http://bit.ly/2sVCNpl).

The repeal/replace petitioners now claim to have already acquired the 175 signatures required by law, with little prospect of gullible signers withdrawing their names before the July 8 deadline. So, Gearhart taxpayers are faced with another expenditure of close to $10,000 for a special election in November.

This is big money talking, and it won’t stop there. The petitioners are in it for keeps. The question is, will Gearhart be able to stand up once more and fight for what amounts to its very survival as a community?

Rick Sabol

Gearhart