Man Kills Himself After Zoning Decision

InnKeeper Mom

Ronald “Bo” Ward, owner of Bo’s Barber Shop in Tennessee, shot and killed himself during a City Council meeting after members voted against his request to rezone his home as commercial. His business had served the community with honors and Bo was well respected and generous to his community. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends he leaves behind.

Surely Bo was not the first person to feel the frustration of our land use ordinances. As a small business owner, I know how exasperating, confusing and railroading they can be as we fight to keep our small business from annihilation by our county’s land use laws. Land use zoning laws and ordinances should be about the overall protection and safety of the community they serve not about putting people out of business. Unfortunately, these laws are written for a general public favoring large residential, commercial and industrial development, without consideration for mom and pop businesses like Bo Ward’s.

When Planning and Zoning and local elected officials make decisions on land use issues for mom and pop small businesses and individuals they virtually take responsibility for the course of their lives. Running a small business is not easy. Most commit over 12 hours a day 5 to 7 days per week in it’s operation and management. They commit their life savings and personal assets and even mortgage their homes to finance their business. Balancing the accounts can be just as challenging as balancing family life, if not more so.

The roll of government workers as public servants and administrators is replaced by their actions as god, judge and jury, colored by favoritism and subjectivity. If there is a major controversy regarding a big development issue, the planners, staff and politicians along with the owners, developers, engineers, lobbyists and their attorneys get together and work out the compromises. Sometimes the project gets dropped because the compromises are economically unfeasible, as in not enough profit. But often times, things are worked out to a point that everyone gets what they need out of the project.

Mom and Pop small businesses are not afforded this luxury. First of all, they often don’t have the connections or political savvy. But most of all, they don’t have the financial resources that it takes to get to this “bargaining table”. Even if they did have the resources, navigating the political and bureaucratic channels is daunting.

Perhaps what we need is a system of seasoned citizens’ advocates placed directly in the zoning departments. Employed as a liaison, they could attempt to work out the detail of a project between the regulating departments and the small business owner, with a commitment for a win – win for all. We need to take the adversarial attitudes out of planning, zoning and land use and foster a mind-set of ‘for the people’, not against them.

We pray that Bo’s sacrifice was not in vain and that government boards, commissions and councils realize the consequences of their actions or inaction on the lives of people they have sworn to protect.