[Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow

[Jeff Harkins]

Thanks for weighing in Bruce.

Frankly, the most important element of your post was your closing 
comment - and I will respond to that first.  I have not discussed my 
comments with Wayne - he is the kind of fellow that can allow me to 
have my own point of view and if he disagrees, we discuss it and move 
on.  Just the sort of person that we need in a leadership position in 
the City of Moscow.  He has experience and judgment. We would do well 
to elect him.

As to where Wayne stands on these various issues - ask him - I am 
certain he has his positions and he would be pleased to share them with you.

You might have missed the closing paragraph of my post. My post was 
to highlight for Joe Campbell some of the issues that lead to a 
conclusion that the current city government (or the current climate 
in Moscow) is anti-growth or anti business.  The point was not to 
revisit the "right or wrong" of those decisions.  I thought I made it 
rather clear that the issues are necessarily philosophical and 
ideological in tenor - thus the outcomes are necessarily divisive.  I 
do have positions and opinions on many of the issues - others I don't 
have much interest in.  But, I stand by my conclusion that each of 
these issues casts a shadow or cloud on Moscow as a place for an 
entrepreneur to invest his or her capital.  Entrepreneurs are willing 
to take risks, provided there is a probable and appropriate return 
for those risks.  An important element for them is a relative 
predictability of the business climate.  Divisiveness and social 
conflict are generally not good indicators of a stable market place.

Hopefully, that clarifies the list of issues and their importance to 
this upcoming election.  Collectively, the climate is murky - quite polluted.

Now if you wish to discuss any of the issues cited as to our relative 
positions, I would be pleased to do that.  It would likely be 
interesting and productive.  Probably best to have that dialogue 
offlist so that we don't add excess murkiness to the already murky situation.


At 04:20 PM 10/25/2007, you wrote:
>Beyond agreeing with your condemnation of name calling, where to start?
>
>Th ice rink?  The City Supervisor, the City Attorney and the Mayor 
>were the problem, not the Council.  The Council didn't want to issue 
>a cease and desist order, and Linda and Aaron and others on the 
>council are working hard to find an in-town location that works for 
>the rink and already approved a long term conditional use permit for 
>as long as the County will allow.  And if I recall, Bill Lambert was 
>on the Mayor's side on this one, and in my opinion, they both 
>followed the attorneys lead.
>
>The handling of the trees around the mall?  Does that mean you side 
>with the mall, the organization that flaunted the law, cut down 
>trees when not allowed to do so and destroyed the natural buffer 
>screening that had been required in order for them to exist in the 
>first place?  More favoring of businesses regardless what the law 
>says?  Special privilege non-enforcement of the law, for big monied 
>commercial outfits, eh Jeff?
>
>Meddling with Whitman County?  You mean, worrying about our water, 
>our businesses and traffic congestion in the corridor, and havign 
>the gall to say "here is how this project effects us"?
>
>The effort to go around state protocols regarding firearms?  You 
>mean writing a letter to the Attorney General and asking what right, 
>if any, the City had to keep armed citizens out of contentious public meetings?
>
>The big retail store decisions?  You mean passing a "big box" 
>ordinance that required huge stores to do traffic impact studies so 
>that we could evaluate the impact of their siting request on the 
>neighborhoods around the proposed development?  Or do you mean the 
>dark store and size cap ardinances that were NOT passed?
>
>Removing as chair of a commission a 15 year volunterr?  You mean 
>removing as chair, a man who refused to conduct open meetings on tv, 
>even after instructed that he must do so by the City 
>Attorney?  Removing the man who wouldn't give the ice rink the 
>hearings that were needed to have a conditional use 
>permit?  Removing someone who was rude beyond belief to ordinary 
>citizens at hearings?
>
>the third st. decision?  I sure do recall that.  The one that would 
>have bissected the town and put in a boulevard on Third St. and 
>destroyed our showcase street and the ambience of East City 
>Park?  Glad I see where you stand on that.
>
>Worrying about our downtown and religious institutions?  You mean 
>having the temerity to consider the Comprehensive Plan and the fact 
>that downtown is supposed to be pedestrian friendly, retail or 
>professional offices?  Nobody is the least bit concerned about 
>people with religious convictions buying commercial property in the 
>downtown for commercial, retail purposes.  Or do you mean worrying 
>about parking and requiring it from an educational institution, NSA, 
>that was allowed there against the zoning code in the first place, 
>but was given an amended code to be allowed to stay, provided they 
>provided a portion of their parking?
>
>You're Wayne Krauss' treasurer, right?  How many of these positions 
>of Council's that we are supposed to recall does he think were wrong?
>
>Bruce Livingston
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Harkins" <jeffh at moscow.com>
>To: "Joe Campbell" <joekc at adelphia.net>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:34 PM
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
>
>
>>Joe, I do not appreciate my honesty being called into question simply
>>because we disagree on selected issues.  It is a very disingenuous
>>tactic that you and your political allies use to obfuscate the
>>issues.  It is unbecoming of you and very "anti-intellectual".  I
>>would have presumed that you would not resort to such
>>behaviors.  Perhaps it is because you have nothing else to offer and
>>can only resort to name calling.
>>
>>If you disagree with me, fine - state your case, I'll state mine -
>>and we will move on.
>>
>>As to the topic we were engaged in, "No Joe", you appear to have a
>>significantly different view about our local government.
>>
>>Let's take a close look at what the council has done (and not done) -
>>here is a sampling:
>>
>>Remember the ice rink decisions - and the impact on the hundreds of
>>ice rink users.
>>
>>Remember the posturing for "no development in the corridor"  - which
>>has resulted in significant friction with our neighbors to the West.
>>
>>Remember the handling of the removal of Mr. Jon Wheaton from his 15
>>years of volunteer service on Board of Adjustment.  Local government
>>can certainly make changes in positions, but to "fire" a volunteer,
>>just because he has a different opinion?
>>
>>Remember the WalMart and big retail store decisions.
>>
>>Remember all the rhetoric concerning the development of the 77 acre
>>Thompson property - are you proud of how that was handled?
>>
>>Remember the 3rd Street decisions - and the fact that folks living on
>>D St and 6th Street have been waiting for years for their quality of
>>life to improve (and their traffic to abate some) - a clear example
>>of protect the few and punish the many.
>>
>>Remember the New Cities Vision - thousands of tax dollars to obtain a
>>recommendation that Moscow should have high rise apartments and
>>condos in downtown - and oh, downtown visitors should also have an
>>unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside.
>>
>>Remember the fight with the County over who should manage the impact
>>zone and the City's position on that - a rather clear end run around
>>state protocols.
>>
>>Remember the effort to bring firearm bans to Moscow - another effort
>>to go around state protocols.
>>
>>Remember the handling of the trees around the Moscow Mall.
>>
>>Need I mention all the angst over selected religious organizations
>>and their occupancy of downtown spaces.
>>
>>Remember the decisions about whether we could cooperate with Whitman
>>County in sharing in development of shared government services
>>(utilities, fire, security) in the corridor.
>>
>>Recall the decision on "living wages"?
>>
>>Granted, you will no doubt favor the actions that the council took on
>>several of these issues (the issues are necessarily philosophical and
>>ideological in tenor).  But the fact is that each of these decisions
>>casts a cloud on some aspect of economic development.  If you are
>>persuaded that their actions were appropriate, then you are espousing
>>"anti-growth" and "anti-development" sentiments.  And contributing to
>>the view that Moscow is "anti-business" and "anti-growth".
>>
>>
>>At 07:55 AM 10/25/2007, you wrote:
>>>The real question, Jeff, is now that BJ has responded to your
>>>question will you
>>>read it and take note of it or will you continue to spread the lie
>>>of anti-growth
>>>just to get some of your friends elected?
>>>
>>>I'm betting the latter!
>>>
>>>Best, Joe
>>>
>>>------------------------------
>>>
>>>Message: 5
>>>Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:15:57 -0700
>>>From: Jeff Harkins <jeffh at moscow.com>
>>>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow
>>>To: bjswan at moscow.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>Message-ID: <200710250416.l9P4GBfJ070204 at mail-gw.fsr.net>
>>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>>>
>>>Perhaps Ms. Swanson would provide us with a list of the economic
>>>development accomplishments of the current city government.
>>>
>>>
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>>
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