It’s ironic that Haines has a beer festival and no taxi business. I think the borough should offer a $4,000 grant annually to a taxi company so we might have one. That is about half the taxi’s insurance per year. You may not think that’s the government’s business, but did you know the Small Boat Harbor loses $400,000 a year? The harbor brings in $435,000 a year and expends $835,065. There are about 100 year-round boats there. So 100 boats each get an annual $4,000 subsidy. Your typical fishing boat pays about $800 a year for stall rental. And the borough is going to expand on that. The borough has $45,000 to give Bill Thomas to hang out in meetings and impress on the state legislature that Haines must have plenty of money to send Bill Thomas to Juneau to hang out. They have $30,000 for a winter tourism study and money for a helicopter study that found helicopters could be loud or not loud, depending on who you talk to. So the money is there but why not the will power? Since half the businesses in town are bars, carry outs, or breweries, the powers that be, i.e., the assembly and their powerful taskmaster, clerk Julie Cozzi, should appreciate the need for a taxi. Now that the police are doing their job, doubly so. My point is, we don’t need another assistant. We need a taxi. Quit saying you want to help the economy and help the economy.

Joe Parnell