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pro-growth gr</title></head><body>
<div>I'll let the lack of position statements on GMA's website slide
as an organizational growing pain issue, but I believe it is obvious
from the testimony on the Thomson rezone where GMA stands on that
issue as 2/3 of the board members spoke in favor of the rezone at
either the p&z or council hearings.</div>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Stephen Busch,
Chairperson</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Jim Anderson,
Vice-Chairperson</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Jim DeMeerleer,
Treasurer</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Shelley Bennett,
Co-Secretary</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Dan Carscallen</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Marshall
Comstock</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Bob Hieronymus</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">JoAnn Mack</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Bill Morscheck</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Brian Thie</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Jerry Weitz</font></blockquote>
<blockquote><font color="#000000">Susan Wilson,
Co-Secretary</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>In a community as small as Moscow, it is inevitable that there
will be conflicts of interest when organizations engage in advocacy.
As such it is very important to understand how personal motives,
especially economic motives, may relate to an organization's
positions.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>One example: The Thompson Rezone is listed as an Issue of
Interest by GMA. What is not listed is Shelley Bennett, GMA
Co-Secretary, is reported to be in line for a $400,000 realtor
commission if the development is approved. JoAnn Mack's family owns
the property adjacent to the Thompson's. Susan Wilson "<font
color="#000000">continues to be involved in the real estate industry
while beginning her law practice. Her husband of 4 years, Sean Wilson,
is an Associate Broker with Bennett & Associates Real Estate in
Moscow.</font>"</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark Solomon</div>
<blockquote><br></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 9:08 PM -0700 5/21/06, Mark Seman wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Keely,<br>
I agree with most all you say. Moscow's growth needs to be more
positive<br>
(proper) and proactive. I don't necessarily associate growth
with being<br>
negative, though much has definitely been poorly implemented in the
past and<br>
the process needs to be changed. Our children are the future and
they need<br>
to be wisely assisted. School gradutates without oppotunity
leave town. If<br>
the opportunity is not Wal-Mart, what else will Moscow provide?
Moscow<br>
needs to actively pursue what it wants to be...what it wants for its
future.<br>
If your list could come to fruition, "what a wonderful world this
would be."<br>
I hope to see it happen. I don't want growth for growth's sake,
I want<br>
positive community-minded growth and that's why I'm willing to support
GMA.<br>
<br>
Moscow needs to "come together" before it can proactively
move forward.<br>
Part of the process to do this is to develop dialogue, a concensus,
and a<br>
plan of action. Then the plan can be implemented. It seems
GMA wants to be</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>part of that dialogue. I would like
to think that the various organizations<br>
in Moscow recognize the need for concensus and that they are not
organized</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>just to toot their own horn.
Organizations need to brining their concerns<br>
to the table for discussion, but with the intent of compromise, so a
plan<br>
can be developed to move Moscow forward. The plan can be tweaked
along the<br>
way, but the plan needs to be developed so efforts for implementation
can<br>
proceed.<br>
<br>
I'm not quite sure whether the long-standing question is "When
will the<br>
dialogue begin?" or "How much longer will it take to get
consensus?" Either<br>
way, Moscow is still far off from having a plan, let alone
implementing one<br>
for its future. The current model of reaction needs to be
replaced with<br>
proaction, so for the most part, the answer is known before the
question is<br>
even asked.<br>
<br>
I know it is tough to get to such a point of agreement, but I see that
as a<br>
major role of Mayor and Council. Provide the leadership that
gets these<br>
steps done so Moscow knows its self well enough to define its general
path<br>
to future development. This process is not solely on the
shoulders of the<br>
City either, the community needs to care enough to be involved.<br>
<br>
Mark<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com<br>
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]On Behalf Of keely
emerinemix<br>
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 9:47 AM<br>
To: thansen@moscow.com; FCS@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com<br>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Tribune uncovers new Moscow pro-growth
group<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
I'd disagree with any group that would usher in big-box stores and
a</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>proliferation of strip malls, and I don't
think that growth for growth's<br>
sake is at all desireable.<br>
<br>
That said, I'm equally cocerned about people or groups who fail to
recognize<br>
the moral, social and economic difference between the positive
benefits of,<br>
say, a new high school on the fringes of town and a Wal-Mart
Supercenter on<br>
the fringes of town. The apparent inability of some people to
differentiate<br>
between a temple of gross consumerism and corporate greed and a<br>
state-of-the-art, educationally suitable and forward-planned high
school is<br>
almost as vexing as it is frightening.<br>
<br>
Here's what I want for Moscow:<br>
-- Growth that includes homes priced to allow the working poor to
build<br>
equity and secure a future -- An economy that derives benefit from
a<br>
financially sound and academically robust university<br>
-- School buildings that are equitable across the district in
their<br>
educational suitability<br>
-- Vocational and technological training for our kids who don't have
a<br>
four-year college in their<br>
future, with a commitment to quality education for all of our
students<br>
-- A healthy, business-oriented downtown;<br>
-- A pro-business city government that recognizes that
"pro-business" means<br>
support not for corporate leviathans but for small businesses, with a
move<br>
toward securing innovative technological and production companies
that<br>
provide real jobs;<br>
-- A continued atmosphere of support for the arts.<br>
<br>
The long and short of it is, I guess, that I'd like a hybrid of MCA
and GMA<br>
-- keep out the big box businesses, throw support behind public
schools, and<br>
never confuse the two.<br>
<br>
keely<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen@moscow.com><br>
To: <FCS@moscow.com>, <vision2020@moscow.com><br>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Tribune uncovers new Moscow pro-growth
group<br>
Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 05:49:54 -0700<br>
<br>
Mark -<br>
<br>
Although I applaud your community activism, I personally would want to
know<br>
just where an organization stands on issues before I joined it.<br>
<br>
So far, all the Greater Moscow Alliance (GMA) has accomplished amounts
to<br>
nothing more than providing a list of "feel good" mission
standards, a list<br>
of names that comprises its leadership, and a list of "Issues of
Interest"<br>
of which they have no stated position.<br>
<br>
Thoughts, Moscow?<br>
<br>
Tom Hansen<br>
Moscow, Idaho<br>
<br>
********************************************<br>
<br>
"In America, anybody can become president.<br>
That's one of the risks you take . . ."<br>
<br>
- Adlai Stevenson<br>
<br>
********************************************<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<br>
On Behalf Of Mark Seman<br>
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2006 9:20 PM<br>
To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Tribune uncovers new Moscow pro-growth
group<br>
<br>
I might think it to be more important to give Moscow a "proper"
tone. On<br>
any particular issue that tone could be perceived as either right or
left -<br>
whichever is needed, as long as it is "proper." For
now I have hope (with<br>
some trepidation) that GMA is willing to help Moscow attain proper<br>
prosperity. To listen and act for the betterment of not only
themselves,<br>
but for a greater community good. I'm signing up for a year to
see what<br>
happens. I could just sit back and do nothing, or I could do
more, but for<br>
now I'll just help out a little bit. In the future, I hope to
desire to do<br>
more.<br>
<br>
Mark<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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