We were astonished to discover that roughly 66 percent of the signatures on a petition calling for a state audit of Crestwood’s finances were collected by five non-residents.

Perhaps Crestwood citizens should thank four members of the Boegeman family and Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance Chairman Kelley Isherwood for their altruistic devotion to the best interests of a city in which they don’t reside.

It’s too bad that that’s not the case as both the Boegeman family and Mr. Isherwood have other agendas that aren’t necessarily what’s best for Crestwood and its citizens. The Boegeman family owns the Crest Development Co., which owns the Creston Center. Preserving the Creston Center would appear to be a primary — if not the primary — goal of the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance.

The Boegemans have been very successful to date in achieving that goal.

Unfortunately, their methods are extremely distasteful as Crest Development and the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance continue to work against the best interests of the city.

As we’ve said before, the Boegeman family and Mr. Isherwood won’t pay a dime for the state audit of Crestwood’s finances that will cost city taxpayers $16,000 to $24,000.

What’s interesting is that the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance, which claims to be “a citizen-based organization” that boasts hundreds of members, apparently didn’t receive much help from Crestwood residents in obtaining the signatures needed for the state audit.

For example, the man who identifies himself as the chief petitioner for the state audit, Roger Anderson, collected a mere 20 signatures. For someone who claims to be so concerned about Crestwood, that’s certainly not a lot of effort.

That’s not surprising, though. As we’ve seen over the years, Mr. Anderson, while proclaiming to want what’s best for the city and its residents, doesn’t have much to offer in the way of constructive criticism. It’s much easier to criticize others who have stepped up to the plate when you’re unwilling to do so yourself.

The political propaganda being sent to households by the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance talks extensively about whether Crestwood citizens deserve to know the truth about city affairs. We believe Crestwood citizens deserve to know the truth, but we also believe they won’t get it from the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance.