[Vision2020] Daily News Letters: Ament shows his arrogance

[Art Deco]

Joe,

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I think we again are failing 
to recognize a fundamental issue in the downtown parking issue/problem:  The 
City of Moscow Comprehensive Plan.

Whatever is done through the zoning code must be in conformance with the 
comprehensive plan by law (Attention JoAnn Mack, Jon Kimberling).  John 
Dickinson seemed to be the only member of the past council who realized and 
who sincerely and eloquently spoke to the issue of the necessity of 
conforming to the comprehensive plan although Nancy Chaney did also bring up 
the issue.

With the exception of the CCC, most people recognize there is a parking 
problem for the downtown area.  Not everyone can walk very far and not 
everyone wants to.  That is reality.  Various merchants have expressed their 
observations on this matter quite clearly.

If the previous council, which included one non-elected person who did not 
choose to resign once an election was held, had read and honestly debated 
the contents of the comprehensive plan for the downtown area in conjunction 
with the parking issue, a very different result or no result would have been 
the likely outcome.

Like it or not, Aaron Ament and others are quite familiar with this flawed 
process and are trying to correct it. Those that find it strange that an 
incoming council would try to change what the previous council did do not 
understand elective democracy.  The past city council was not endowed with 
infinite wisdom;  they made a number of decisions that need to be revisited; 
their management of the city style and involvement also needs to be 
revisited.  The downtown parking problem was a hot, relevant issue in the 
last election.  Ament clearly expressed his opinion and was elected 
(...elected, elected, elected, ...) [Attention Jon Kimberling].

It would, in fact, be extremely hypocritical for Ament not to call for a 
review of the parking problem now that he is seated on the council.  Those 
on the council who are belly-aching about Ament's actions are the real 
threat to the democratic process.

[As a side-note and guess based on information which has not appeared on 
this forum or in the Daily News [an oxymoron], given the huge flaws in the 
just past city election, it is likely that Kit Craine and Dan Carscallen 
would be the legitimate holders of council seats, not the two belly-achers.]

I hope now that the new council will review and act on the parking issue 
while conforming to the comprehensive plan.  However, I have a real concern 
that one newly elected member may not even have a clue about the correct 
procedure and may not even understand it after competent, repeated tutelage.

As for the Daily News, a huge, effective dose of Epsom Salts at the 
management level is called for.  I suspect that if some personnel changes 
are not made, the Daily News will start to see an erosion of advertising 
revenue.


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <joekc at adelphia.net>
To: "'Moscow Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 5:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Daily News Letters: Ament shows his arrogance


>I wonder why it is that the Daily News sent wasted so much ink on the first 
>meeting of the new council and so little ink on the last meeting of the old 
>council. The problem, as I see it, is that the old council tried to shove 
>the issuance of conditional use permits in the downtown business district 
>relating to educational institutions down our throats before the new 
>council took office. This hardly sounds like accepting "the will of the 
>people."
>
> If NSA had handled the issue up front in the first place, instead of 
> wheeling and dealing behind closed doors, then they wouldn't have half the 
> problems they are having now. I know it is popular to spin this all as 
> Anti-Christian sentiment but since I am a church-going Christian that 
> attack does not apply to me. I can give you a list of several people who 
> fall in this category, as well.
>
> One thing I have a problem with is granting a right to a tax-exempt 
> college that has been in town for about 10 years that cannot be granted to 
> an institution that has been in town for over 100 years. Try explaining 
> that before extending more ad hominem attacks on NSA's critics.
>
> ---- "AreaMan (DanC)" <areaman at moscow.com> wrote:
>> Ament shows his arrogance
>>
>> I attended the Moscow City Council meeting Tuesday and was completely
>> astounded when, shortly after the new City Council members were sworn
>> in, new Councilman Aaron Ament made a motion to impose a moratorium on
>> the issuance of conditional use permits in the downtown business
>> district relating to educational institutions.
>> After a lengthy debate, the motion did pass. But then Ament tried to
>> fabricate a reason for vacating the 15-day notification for public
>> testimony. He could not as there was no imminent peril as defined by
>> Idaho statute.
>>
>> Moscow's new mayor, Nancy Chaney, also voted for the motion knowing no
>> imminent peril existed. After more debate and two more votes on vacating
>> the 15-day notification and failing, the original motion was set aside.
>>
>> I too ran for City Council in the past election. I have spoken with
>> Ament on many occasions and found his views to be totally agenda- and
>> special interest group-driven. He has now proven he will try to assert
>> his narrow viewpoint on the city of Moscow.
>>
>> On Tuesday he appeared arrogant, unprofessional and showed absolutely no
>> respect for the city staff or willingness to work with them in a
>> constructive manner.
>>
>> The residents who voted for Ament should plead temporary insanity and be
>> ashamed for putting someone like him and the other three MCA clones in
>> office. We have two long years ahead to pay the price for this election.
>> I fear that Moscow will go back many steps instead of ahead and may not
>> recover from this administration for many years to come.
>>
>> Don Meyer, Moscow
>> ____________________________________
>>
>> Thank you Commander,
>>
>> DC
>>
>> _____________________________________________________
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>
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>
>
>