My name is Mary Shepheard. My father, Mark McManus, owns a food truck in Ridgefield, Connecticut, called Only the Hungry. It was his dream to “semiretire” and own the kind of food truck that is all the rage in places like New York and Los Angeles, serving a wide array of delicious food, from standbys like burgers and fries to more exotic fare, like lobster mac and cheese. He thought Ridgefield would be the perfect spot for such an establishment, and, after spending much of his life savings—about $53,000—on buying and refurbishing a truck, he purchased his vendor permit and secured permission from a local business owner to park his food truck in their parking lot. It looked like my father’s dream was coming true.

Then, after my father had been in business for only a few weeks, the town’s Board of Selectmen decided to retroactively deny him the right to sell food from that location. At a recent board meeting, they spoke of complaints from local restaurants—brick-and-mortar establishments that pay more in taxes than Only the Hungry might pay. Never mind that my father, as owner of his food truck, would pay his fair share of taxes also. These local restaurant owners complained that Only the Hungry would be in competition with them. Well, we thought competition was the American way of doing business. Even so, my father operated his truck only four days a week, and only during lunch hours. The board also based their decision on “public safety,” but the food truck was parked in a large lot, with plenty of room for parking. Bottom line: the Board was coerced by local business owners who are afraid of competition.

Meanwhile, the selectmen have decided they will not approve any vendor permits for a year, while they mull over their policy going forward. But that’s a year’s worth of income that my father is not earning. He has done the right things: purchasing permits, passing health inspections, securing a safe location. He is offering Ridgefield a unique and fun lunch experience—something that will draw customers to town. But because some other businesses are afraid of competition, and because he does not operate the kind of establishment that brings in a lot of tax revenue for the town, his dream is being shut down.

Please help my father get back to work serving good food to the people of Ridgefield. Sign our petition today and tell the Ridgefield Board of Selectmen how you feel.