[Vision2020] Election questions (was: MCA election endorsement)

[Kit Craine]

Joan & Vision2020

Sorry to take a few days with this. I was at the Sustainable 
Transportation conference, which produced much to think about in terms 
of how Moscow should be growing. My sessions basically agreed on 
walkable, connected, and adaptable. More on that later.

Meanwhile, now that I’m caught up on other things, here are my answers 
to Joan’s questions.

Kit Craine


> 1) Would you support a two-year moratorium on any elected official 
> doing business and/or bidding on a contract with the city after he or 
> she has left office?

I support this idea— in theory—for both elected officials and staff. I 
would rather the community define a clean-hands policy/law than be 
split into those with the “right” friends and those without. In 
practice, the code would have to be carefully crafted to balance a 
citizen-official’s need to make a living in an area that might require 
interaction with the city against the public’s need to ensure there is 
no undue influence in staff‘s or an official’s decisions.

> 2) Would you enforce existing city code even if such enforcement were 
> painful, uncomfortable, or not politically expedient?

ABSOLUTELY. One of the reasons I am running is I believe that the 
City’s practice of enforcing codes only when someone complains about a 
violation is wrong. The worst situation involves the zoning code. We 
pay a significant number of tax dollars to support a department full of 
people whose primary job is supposed to be enforcing the code. That 
enforcement is easy—when someone enquires about permits, the first step 
should be checking to see if what he/she wants to do is in compliance 
with the zoning. If it isn’t, permits are not issued. Citizens should 
not have identify violations (after construction is finished), research 
the code, then fight the City for enforcement.

Overall, this country was founded on the principal that the laws apply 
equally to everyone. Enforcement by complaint creates a situation where 
the law applies only to those who annoyed someone enough that the 
someone takes action. That can create feuds. Feuds are something Moscow 
does not need.

Moscow also should not be wasting time retrofitting zoning districts or 
codes to resolve problems that would have been avoided if enforcement 
was required rather than optional.

> 3) What is your position on the Third Street Bridge project?

I am against it. Granted, extending Third to Mt. View has been in the 
comprehensive plan for many years and it is a logically piece in 
Moscow’s transportation system. However, once upon a time the City 
allowed the area around Lena Whitmore to develop as if Third is a dead 
end. To go in now and make a major intersection with the only street 
that goes directly from the west side of town to Mt. View would 
endanger too many children, split the town into quadrants, and further 
clog Third as it goes through downtown.

I would like to see some “what-if” studies to evaluate changes in 
traffic patterns before the City closes or opens any intersections. Any 
proposed development should also include traffic studies that look at 
the impact of increased traffic throughout town and determines 
mitigation as part of the discussion of how much housing density will 
be allowed.


> 4) What do you believe are the most difficult issues facing ethnic and 
> racial minorities in our community?  Also, what are the most 
> challenging issues faced by women, gays and lesbians, and the 
> economically disenfranchised?

I think racial and ethnic minorities face the same issues as in other 
communities because bigotry and ignorance are everywhere. What I don’t 
know is whether Moscow is better or worse than other places. Bad 
things, whether they are hate-motivated attacks or traffic accidents, 
go largely unreported in the local press. One must be part of a 
sub-community to know what is going on.

I think the biggest challenge for those who don’t fit the ideal is 
bringing the actual situation to light so the community can deal with 
it.

> 5) What are Moscow's three greatest opportunities in the next five 
> years?

a) At this point in time, we have the opportunity to revise the 
comprehensive plan, zoning codes, and building codes so the community 
can grow as Moscow, not as a suburb to nowhere. That means keeping the 
green space, trees, neighborhood feeling, connectivity, and alternate 
modes of transportation that give Moscow it’s own character rather than 
adopting planning, building, and transportation models that were meant 
for bigger places and elsewhere.

b) We have the opportunity to develop policies, procedures, methods and 
related codes to be a leader in water conservation. For instance, we 
could not only make it easy to install composting toilets and gray 
water systems in new subdivisions, we could create incentives which 
might—by reducing the need to enlarge city water and sewer 
services—result in lower-cost housing.

c) As Moscow makes the transition from small town to small city, we can 
merge transportation, economic development, and land use into a single 
entity that encourages growth without the type of sprawl that is 
associated with large areas devoted to single uses that people must 
travel in cars to reach.