Brian Larson:
Let's not get too worked up about the big box ordinance that has cleared the City Council. It can, at best, be called a small step in the right direction.

Perhaps it can more accurately be pegged as a missed opportunity to address the litany of real problems with these large retail stores: That big box stores are generally non-union. As a rule, they don't provide health care benefits or living wages to their employees. They tend to drive smaller, locally-owned businesses out of operation.

And when they pack up and close their doors, what often results is significant blight in the surrounding community. You don't need to look much beyond the site of the former K-Mart on East Washington Avenue to see what can happen.

We hope that the council will revisit this ordinance and require big box developers to show us measurable and positive impacts that proposed stores will have on our city.

Marsha Rummel
I work in an industry that has been battered by big box retailers for over a decade. Thousands of locally owned, independent booksellers have closed their doors in this period. Recently, Rainbow Bookstore Co-op joined the Dane County Buy Local Campaign.

Studies show that consumer dollars spent at locally owned businesses have a greater impact on the local economy. Our slogan is "Think globally, buy locally! You have nothing to lose but your chains!"