[Vision2020] RE: The Immorality of Blocking a Supercenter

Wed Jun 28 04:04:54 PDT 2006

Councilman Dickinson,

 Thank you for your response. You are  one of the few members of the council that consistently responds to  citizens even when you disagree with their concerns, I greatly  appreciate this quality in you. 

 Unfortunately, I am  disappointed at your reasoning and decisions that have unfairly and  adversely had a greater negative impact on those in our community that  are in the most need of the economic prosperity you deny them. I  believe that the politics of upper classes of Moscow are being played  out over the needs and rights of the middle class, lower class, and  students that are in desperate need of these jobs and lower prices for  basic goods and services.  

  You wrote:

  "  The vote was not about Wal-Mart (which could not be mentioned at the meetings)." 

  Yes, but it was fully known by the Council, P&Z  Board and the  general public that Wal-Mart was the interested in the property in  question. In fact, there were leaders of anti Wal Mart efforts in the  community attending and reporting to followers on the progress and  results of those hearings. I think it was clear to all but the simplest  of minds that this was about a Supercenter being located off of Troy  Highway. Your vote did result in the removal of Moscow as being a  considered location for the Supercenter. That is clear I think to  everyone. 

"As others  have said, I don’t think that any particular development required the  entire property."

  I see. So you think that a business, or businesses should be limited to  the exact size they need, and no more, no other logical reasons then  you don't think they need it? How do you know that a business may not  wish to grow, expand, or provide more parking spaces in the future  rather then moving to a new location and creating a large empty dark  building? Shouldn't a business be free to decide what it needs or does  need in the providing of services to its customers?

  "I don’t think we can be accused of being anti-Wal-Mart, Moscow has a Wal-Mart."

  I am not talking about being anti Wal-Mart. There are many reasons to  be opposed to some of the practices of Wal-Mart and most major large  companies and some that I think that the City has an obligation to  address. My concern is for actions of the Council that are anti-people.  People need jobs, as well as access to affordable goods and services.  They also need a greater tax base, rather then it falling on home  dwellers all the time. 

  "There are discussions  about sizes of retail stores. I think discussions are good; there are  many points of view to consider."

  John, retail businesses have to move high volumes in order to make a  profit. To limit the size of retail stores only serves to drive the  price up making goods and services, like toilet paper, food, clothing,  that people need less affordable. That hurts the poorer and  underprivileged residents of Moscow more. People making less than 24K a  year, 1/2 the population of Moscow, spend most their income on these  goods and services already.  Your actions are hurting people  regardless of how you try to politically justify it. 

  Second, it is also highly discriminatory to limit just the size of  general retail stores impeding their ability to run a business to meet  customer demand and make a profit large enough to pay workers a livable  wage,  while allowing all other businesses as much space as  possible for them to be successful. Punishing business for being  successful and wanting to expand to meet the needs and demands of  Moscow residents is counterproductive to the interests of the  community. Nobody wants bigger stores, but nobody wants more cars on  the road either, should we ban the number of cars that can be sold in  the city too?

  "We cannot preserve Moscow’s  character by freezing the community. But I do think that the community  can and should continue to ask questions about every development, lot  division, street improvement, budget line item, i.e. everything –  because this is your community and we all want to pass it on to our  children’s children in a form that they would be proud to live in."

  We are not freezing it John, we are discriminating against certain  groups of people in our community, choking off opportunities, and  making unreasonable demands on business owners. It costs money and  resources to invest in a community and get a business going, most fail  even when the government doesn't impede them. When the the City over  regulates things to the point when even the most powerful and  industrialist companies cannot afford to deal with your regulations and  standards, who is left? What was the last major employer to come to  Moscow, John? The proof is in the pudding. 

 The government  does not need to regulate the angle of every light bulb, the size of  every parking lot, the bending of every blade of grass, and the roll of  every pebble. Maybe what some people want is to live in a city where  they have the individual power and freedom to be able to turn on a  light switch, water their lawn, and do a few things without a  government committee to oversee them and tell them how to do it. 

  Best Regards,

  Donovan J Arnold
  Moscow Resident

John Dickinson <johnd at moscow.com> wrote:              v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}              st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                    Donovan,

  I disagree with most of what you say, mostly because you begin many of  your concerns with premises that I disagree with, so I will concentrate  on just a few of your points.

  Recent City  Council actions regarded the rezoning of a large chink of land into a  single type of commercial zone. The Planning and Zoning Commission had  reviewed this request earlier. The decision by City Council was the  same as the decision by P&Z. I think that all of us expected the  developers to return with a more interesting way of using the entire  property (that was the suggestion of P&Z and Council). As others  have said, I don’t think that any particular development required the  entire property. 

 The vote was not about Wal-Mart (which  could not be mentioned at the meetings). I would have loved to have  gotten to the stage where we could have discussed the design of a  specific store – we have never gotten to that point. Informal  conversations I have had with my brother, Pete Dickinson – Pullman City  Planner, and others have enlightened me to the variety of designs that  Wal-Mart (and I assume other stores of this type) use.

  I don’t think we can be accused of being anti-Wal-Mart, Moscow  has a Wal-Mart. There are discussions about sizes of retail stores. I  think discussions are good; there are many points of view to consider.

  I don’t think that Moscow  is anti-business. I don’t believe that it is responsible government to  say Yes to every development without question – whether it be  residential or commercial. I thought that the results of both the  P&Z and the Council were positive messages to the developers. Their  public statements led me to this conclusion. 

  We cannot preserve Moscow’s  character by freezing the community. But I do think that the community  can and should continue to ask questions about every development, lot  division, street improvement, budget line item, i.e. everything –  because this is your community and we all want to pass it on to our  children’s children in a form that they would be proud to live in.

  John Dickinson
  Moscow City  Council

---------------------------------

    From: Donovan Arnold  [mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com] 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 8:27  AM
  To: aaronament at moscow.com;  lpall at moscow.com; bstout at ci.moscow.id.us; blambert at ci.moscow.id.us;  jweber at ci.moscow.id.us; johnd at moscow.com;  nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us; vision2020 at moscow.com
  Subject: The Immorality of  Blocking a Supercenter

        Dear Mayor  Chaney and members of the City Council,

  I am writing you regarding the recent decision of the City to block a Wal-Mart Supercenter.  I believe such a decision is damaging to most of the residents of Moscow  and the surrounding community, but particularly its most vulnerable for several  reasons.

        First,  Wal-Mart has a starting wage of $8-$9 an hour. This is a significantly  higher wage then what other grocery stores, retail outlets, and even  the City have established as a starting wage. Even the Co-Op pays 18%  less than Wal-Mart. I challenge the Mayor and members of the City  Council, or any resident to find a grocery or general retail store that  pays a higher starting wage in our local community. With the City  rejecting the businesses that pay higher wages, the City is expressing  that it believes $5.15 is an acceptable wage for the people of Moscow. A Wal-Mart Supercenter  would provide more jobs that pay higher wage while also requiring other  employees to pay their workers a similar livable wage if they desire to  keep quality workers.

  Second, a Wal-Mart  Supercenter  provides goods and services not otherwise offered in the Moscow  area. Millions of dollars are lost every year to Pullman, Lewiston,  Spokane,  and the Internet because the City is blocking retail outlets from  selling those products. A Supercenter would offer more goods and  services to the people of Moscow while keeping tax dollars and jobs here  in Moscow where they  belong. 

  Third, A Wal-Mart Supercenter would offer goods and services at a lower  cost to members of the community because it can move high volume and  has the infrastructure to do so efficiently. With an average salary of  only $24,000 a year for Moscow residents, and  an annual household income of about $30,000 for Latah households, costs need to  be lower, not higher. Moscow  residents have to pay more for goods and services already because of a  lack of competition, the cost of shipping a low volume of goods a long  distance, and a lack of capital in investments in roads and  infrastructure to do it effectively. To punish Moscow  residents with an added transportation tax by making them drive to  another town to get the items they need at an affordable price is  another unnecessary burden inflicted on the people by the  City.   

  Fourth, Moscow loses even more  jobs. When Moscow  blocks one business that puts resources into trying to locate here, it  blocks two more that decide not to attempt as a result. The City has  developed a far reaching reputation that it does not want businesses  here. That hurts the residents of Moscow.   

  Fifth, we lose anyway. The City of Moscow  will simply lose to Pullman,  Latah, or Whitman County. We  will still have all the negative impacts of having a Wal-Mart Supercenter  but without the tax dollars, jobs, and surrounding businesses that prosper from  close proximity to the new store.  

  Finally, I think there are diversity and equality issues that are being  ignored. The people that have the most difficulty getting and keeping a  job at a decent wage are minorities, the elderly, and the disabled.  Wal-Mart has successfully employed these individuals in higher numbers  than anyone else. Many small businesses do not high the elderly and  disabled in any greater numbers than they have to because they fear  medical and retirement costs. Minorities have always been discriminated  against. I think it sends a clear message to other businesses in the  community when the most successful retail outlet in the world does so  by hiring in higher numbers people other businesses won’t hire because  of age, ethnicity, or disability. The city has a moral obligation to  not bar businesses that employ and give opportunities to those other  businesses only hire out of fear of the law, rather than acknowledging  that they have real value and skills that make a business
 successful.  For the City to block the greatest opportunities for the elderly, poor,  disabled, and minorities is discrimination. The only people allowed by  our City leaders to make a decent living wage in our community appears  to be the wealthy members that have the capital to create and expand  their own businesses and are allowed to employ everyone else for a  slave wage of $5.15 an hour. 

  I ask that the Mayor and members of the City Council reconsider and  allow a Supercenter into our community. Blocking commerce hurts both  the seller and buyer, and the buyers are the residents of Moscow.  Blocking higher starting wages in our community hurts the poorest.  Shutting down, slowing down, removing, and blocking employers that hire  the disabled, elderly, and minorities, hurts the elderly, disabled, and  minorities. I hope you will consider these facts as the county and  University lose population and the number of people in Moscow  continue to live a lower quality of life in comparison to rest of the state and  nation. 

        Best  Regards,

        Donovan J Arnold
  Moscow Resident

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