Dear Editor,

Regarding the article on March 9, 2011, Title, ‘Realtor Licensing Raises Concern.’

If each Realtor is mandated to have an individual business license, because he works for a broker, then what about other business who have several people working independently for themselves under one roof and one business license.

The Realtors are not renting the building or opened the office, the broker has. A Realtor is working just like any other person trying to make a living. Let’s take a look at some business doctors, lawyers, dentist, people who operate independently under one roof and one license.

If this city council and director of finance wish to engage a discrimination against one entity is absurd. The finance director should have investigated all other business who operate independently under one roof and one license before he sent a demand letter and making people upset and making it retroactively (two years).

Did Councilman Howard apply for a business license when he first opened his software company and a gross report for a business license. Also, will councilman Howard who is leading a charge to revise the city’s website, will he do it as a courtesy to the city or will he be paid by taxpayer money. This would be a conflict of interest.

I expect to see good leadership and better transparency with no discrimination against any business.

This is the most absurd piece of legislation to pick on one entity especially in this economy when sales are slow and foreclosure growing rapidly. I think the city council should put their energy on fixing all the pot holes in the street and neighborhood street signs, so one can tell what street you are on, the signs have become so faded.

I will protest with the Realtors on the way they are being singled out for individual business license by the director of finance and if the city council goes along with it.

Alice Manrique Garcia