[Vision2020] "Commissioners Adjust Tax Exemptions for Moscow Church "

[Art Deco aka W. Fox]

Saundra, Donovan, et,al,

Perhaps another insight into the way Commissioner Paul Kimmell turns a blind eye
to conflicts of interest can be found from a recent INK column by Vera White.
[Pasted below.]


Vera provides facts and raises some very important issues.

Given previous discussions about theocracy and cult purchase of downtown
property and businesses, If I were a chamber member, I'd have some real concern
about how important/confidential business information is handled by the staff.
I'd have some very, very real concerns Kimmell's integrity and objectivity.

I'd really wonder about who he was representing first.  I'd wonder about whether
Kimmell, wittingly or unwittingly, is assisting the cult to attempt to
evangelize and to desecularize Moscow.  [See frightening excerpt from SPLC
article quoting Wilson which is also pasted below.
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=376&printable=1, last
paragraphs]

Actually, If I were a chamber member, I'd do more than wonder.  I would attempt
to take concerted action.

However, the conflict of interest issue is not the only important one.  The
Commissioners and tax assessor in the hearing depended upon information given
them by the cult and their attorney.  Was there any attempt on the part of
either the board or assessor to verify the accuracy of the information?  It
seems to me there was observable, important, relevant information not given.
Moreover, this information is certainly known to Paul Kimmell.

Curious.


Wayne

Art Deco  (Wayne Fox)
deco@moscow.com


____________________________
INK: Moscow chamber seeks best candidate for the job



Vera White [040904 Daily News]



Do you have to belong to Christ Church to work at the Moscow Chamber of Commerce
office?



"No, absolutely not," Chamber Executive Director and Christ Church member Paul
Kimmell told the INKster. "This is a community-driven organization that we hope
is representative of the community."



The staff at the chamber office includes receptionist Emily Atwood, niece of New
St. Andrews Dean Roy Atwood; University of Idaho student Kristen Hagen, who
works part time; and Kimmell's wife, Connie Kimmell, who has been filling in as
office manager for a "little over a month."



All three women are members of Christ Church.



After hearing grumblings from chamber members that being a kirker is good for
your resumé when seeking employment with the organization; the INKster called
the amicable Kimmell for a comment.



"That would not be a good policy and this community has a lot of good people,"
he said. "I would welcome calls from anyone who wants to talk about it."



Some members' concerns centered around the open office manager's position.



"It was time for a change," Kimmell explained. "In the direction the position is
going, we're looking for someone to step up and serve the organization now that
we've grown in numbers and more things are going on. We need a person who is a
problem solver and who knows the community."



To that end, Kimmell plans to start advertising the opening in area newspapers
and hopes to have the position filled by next month. He has put together a
search committee that includes several active board members.



"We're a fast-paced, dynamic organization," boasted Kimmell, who has been with
the chamber three years. "I would invite anyone interested to apply."



Kimmell also is a Latah County commissioner.



"I keep very busy," he said. "There have not been many conflicts of interest,
but when they arise, I just deal with it."



The chamber currently has 505 members, which Kimmell said is consistent with the
past three years.



"There are always more people out there we hope will join the organization," he
said.



When wearing his chamber hat, Kimmell spends much of his time "helping people
make connections ...promoting membership by connecting people with businesses,
the community, and others."



He has been accused of putting church holdings at the top of the list when
showing newcomers around town, making sure they see NSA and Logos School.



"We are a board-driven organization with a process in place to safeguard what
goes on," Kimmell said. "They are a very engaged board of directors who are
active in the community. They keep me in line."



Since the chamber and the Moscow/Latah County Economic Development Council work
closely together for business recruitment and retention, the INKster called EDC
Executive Director Barbara Richardson Crouch for her take on the issue.



"Any public relations problem, whether real or perceived, negatively affects the
business community in Moscow," said Richardson Crouch, who described herself as
an "adjunct chamber member" who attends all meetings. "I am sure all chamber
board members want to ensure the prestige of the organization and the executive
board will publicly let chamber members know exactly what is going on."


________________________________________________________

Quote from Mark Potok, SPLC
Good Christians, he [Wilson] said, needed to look for "decisive points" in
society, places that are both "strategic and feasible" targets to be "taken."
New York City, for instance, is strategic but not feasible - too many godless
liberals. Other places are feasible but not strategic - unimportant places in
the theological wars that Wilson foresees.

"But," Douglas Wilson added in an upbeat note that day, "small towns with major
universities (Moscow and Pullman, say) are both." And that, say many residents
of the Palouse, is what has them so frightened.


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