[Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow

[Bruce and Jean Livingston]

Jeff,

I did ask Wayne earlier this evening, because I knew he wouldn't necessarily 
agree with you on every (or any) issue.  Perhaps I'll hear back from him.

Bruce

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Harkins" <jeffh at moscow.com>
To: "Bruce and Jean Livingston" <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com>; 
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 10:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in Moscow


| 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.
| >>>
| >>>
| >>>=======================================================
| >>>  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
| >>>=======================================================
| >>
| >>=======================================================
| >>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
| >>=======================================================
| >
|
|