[Vision2020] Jack Hill and citizen empowerment

[Thomas Hansen]

I copied and pasted this article below for those who are not subscribed to
the Lewiston Morning Tribune (Online edition)


MOSCOW -- City Councilman Jack Hill scolded residents here Wednesday for
being intolerant to differing political views and blamed newspapers and the
local Vision 2020 Internet chat room network for fueling the polarization. 

"It's a serious impediment to progress," Hill said after he and the nine
other candidates vying for four seats on the council attended a noon forum
sponsored by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce. 

"In this town we have self-proclaimed cliques," Hill said during
introductory comments that had his voice cracking with emotion. "They're not
in power, so they empower themselves." 

Hill told the Lewiston Tribune following the forum that he thinks government
should be a catalyst for bringing people together. He said he champions free
speech but labeled Vision 2020 as "the blind leading the blind" with a melee
of negative words. 

Hill said newspapers also tend to let negativism drift from editorial pages,
where it has a place, to the news pages, where it doesn't have a place. He
said he's concerned that a small number of vocal Moscow residents are
exhibiting the kind of "impoliteness" he fears is sweeping the nation. 

"We are the city with a smile, so lets get the smile back." 

None of the other nine candidates attending the forum responded to Hill's
comments. They instead used their three-minute introductory speeches to tell
an audience of about 50 people how they would approach the job. 

"I'm not going to sit here and BS you," said Dan Carscallen, secretary of
the North Latah County Highway District and perhaps the most blunt of the 10
candidates. "If you agree with me, I guess you'll vote for me. If you don't,
I guess you won't." 

Hill, a retired Moscow School District superintendent, and Steve Busch of
Busch Distributors of Moscow are the only two incumbents seeking reelection.


Busch is running for the single two-year seat up for election against
challengers Michael Weaver, a mine safety specialist at the University of
Idaho, and Nancy Chaney, a self-employed businesswoman. 

Hill, seeking one of three four-year posts on the council, is vying against
Carscallen; Moscow attorney Linda Pall, who served a total of 14 years on
the council previously; John Dickinson, a retired UI professor of computer
science; Evan Holmes, a carpenter and member of the city zoning board of
adjustment; Jerry Schutz, a downtown marketing coordinator for the Latah
County Economic Development Council; and Brett Jasper, a local businessman. 

"I love this town like everyone else here," said Jasper, who missed a Monday
night forum. He said his experience, especially as president of the Moscow
Downtown Association for one year in the mid 1980s, has taught him how to
recognize potentially bad decisions and make good ones. "This is an
opportunity to put some of that in practice," he said. 

Jasper was the only candidate to oppose the proposed widening of U.S.
Highway 95 south of Moscow, contending that traffic problems didn't warrant
the expense. The other nine candidates reaffirmed their stances from the
earlier forum, saying they favored the construction, although they may have
differing ideas of where a new corridor might be located. 

The candidates also weighed in on the issue of consolidating 911 emergency
dispatch service on the Palouse. All favored the concept, with varying ideas
about how Moscow, Latah County and neighboring Whitman County might combine
services. 

Once again, the future of the 1912 Building (the former Moscow High School)
became part of the forum question-and-answer session. Hill said his office
used to be in the building, and he favored continued efforts to fully
utilize the 20,000 square feet of currently vacant space, but not
necessarily with tax dollars. 

Schutz said the future of the 1912 building should hinge on housing more
nonprofit organizations that qualify for grants and other funding sources.
Carscallen favored attracting small businesses into the building. 

Dickinson said the building lacks a community vision and said the city
should take a leadership role in that area. Holmes said the future of the
building "begs for an advisory vote" from citizens. Jasper said the building
might work well as a business incubator and a place where children could
have computer access. Pall said a vision for the building would best come
from a nonprofit organization geared to such ideas. 

Chaney said the third floor of the building might be used for city, county
and nonprofit organization office space. Busch said he favors continued
development of the building, but said he's reluctant to take the city any
deeper into debt. Weaver agreed that taxpayers should not be saddled with
additional 1912 costs. 

The city bought the old building from the Moscow School District nearly a
decade ago for $150,000. 

A question about water concerns in the city triggered a strong response from
Busch. "Don't let anyone tell you we have a water shortage problem," he
said. "We have a water management problem." Weaver said he favored
discouraging waste by increased fees for those using the most water. Chaney
said residents should not panic, but be pro-active and prepare for future
water needs. Schutz called for a water management plan involving Moscow,
Pullman, and Latah and Whitman Counties.