A group of Laconia residents wants the town to consider shortening Bike Week.
The group is out collecting signatures for a referendum they want to present to the City Council.
They say Bike Week is noisy and disruptive and that most residents don't want it to last so long.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Rachel Estabrook reports.
Laconia resident Harry Schilling doesn't like bike week.
He says hundreds of thousands of bikers are just too much for the small city.
If nothing else, he'd like to shorten the annual motorcycle rally to the Laconia Bike long-Weekend.
To achieve his goal he's set up the Bike Week Action Committee.
And he's collecting signatures to put a public referendum on the ballot in 2005.
TAPE: the people of Laconia would have a choice to vote for bike week, bike weekend, or no event at all. And the citizens of Laconia have never had that chance. So we?re providing a conduit for them to express their opinions to their local politicians.
The referendum would be non-binding.
It would be presented to the City Council so that they would know what residents think of Bike Week.
And then councilors could then decide on their own.
Judy Krahulec is one of the city councilors they?re trying to persuade.
But she thinks a referendum wouldn?t accurately show how Laconia residents feel about Bike Week.
TAPE: you?re gonna get various and conflicting answers from every single ward. How are you supposed to make a determination from that? There are seasonal property owners that are not eligible to vote, but they are impacted, not only through taxes. So I would want their opinion also.
Krahulec is half right: property owners that consider Laconia their second home can?t vote.
However, seasonal property owners who can prove Laconia is their primary residence and who are not registered to vote anywhere else can vote in the referendum.
Harry Schilling and company argue that Krahulec has a conflict of interest at a as a city councilor.
That?s because she makes money from bike week by renting property to vendors.
But she says being a landlord makes her a true representative of her constituents.
TAPE: for me to be excluded from anything regarding motorcycle week is preposterous. The reason being is that all of my neighbors would have to be then have to be excluded, and the city would also have to be excluded and anybody attached to the city, because the city rents space to boardwalk vendors.
Clearly, the heart of the Bike Week debate is in the shape of a dollar bill.
The Laconia Motorcycle Week Association estimates state businesses bring in over 250 million dollars during the annual event.
And they say Laconia grosses just over 200 thousand.
But those numbers are debated, and area business owners are clearly divided.
TAPE: bike week brings in a lot of business, the vendors bring in business. People live for bike week here, it?s a big deal. There are special t-shirts made, we can get a little crazy with sayings. It?s a big event that everyone plans for?it effects our business immensely because of the traffic. A lot of people don?t go out much during motorcycle week, there?s a lot of traffic, there?s a log jam on all the roads. We do very little business.
Generally, businesses on Weirs beach and those in the hotel, restautant, and souvenir markets welcome Bike week.
Shopowners in downtown Laconia seem to dread it.
Bike Week Action Committee member Dennis Gold says it's the traffic and noise that prompt residents to sign the petition.
TAPE: it really is a major inconvenience to a lot of people that come sign our petition. There?s a lot of people that have been complaining about the noise reduction and it?s not just the senses but it?s a disrespect for everybody. I?m getting to the point where I start to worry about heart attacks, and I?m gonna be dead before the ambulance gets to me.
But Charlie St. Clair says shortening bike week just isn?t practical because the event is not limited to Laconia.
St. Clair is the Executive Director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, and helps coordinate the biker events.
TAPE: the rally is in fact made up of all these different events that take place all around the state, whether it be Rochester, Mt. Washington Valley, down in Loudon, in Guilford, Laconia?
He says shortening Bike Week to a weekend is much more complicated than simply having Laconia deciding to do so.
TAPE: all they would be able to do is say okay we will not give out vendor permits for certain days and we will not have traffic ordinances for certain days. Or, they would say we will not allow anyone in town on a motorcycle for those days. I?m not sure what else could be done, and that?s why it?s not really logical.
But the Bike Week Action Committee has a few suggestions.
They advocate limiting when and where vendors set up, and moving events to places outside of Laconia.
They have collected over 400 signatures so far in favor of a public referendum.
And they plan to continue building support until the local elections in November of 2005.
At that time, Not coincidentally, all of the city councilors and the mayor are up for re-election.
For NHPR News, I?m RE.
