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<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>I guess if it's not fawning agreement,
it's distortion. (Or personal attack in one notable case)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can think of several instances where
the city has made decisions</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>that were not particularly favorable to
ALL economic sectors. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Various aspects of the big box and dark
store ordinances leap</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>immediately to mind along with
the ill </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>conceived boarding</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>house amendment. Perhaps you would care
to take a stab </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>at turning me away </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>from my evil ways and point out a few of the
"many"</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>wonderful things the current city
government has done to "Build a more solid</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>economic base to the benefit of
all." From my perspective, it seems that</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>their overriding concern is to maintain
some sort of warped status quo.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>g</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "B. J. Swanson" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:bjswan@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>bjswan@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: "'g. crabtree'" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:jampot@roadrunner.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>jampot@roadrunner.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>>; "'lfalen'"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:lfalen@turbonet.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>lfalen@turbonet.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>>; "'Bill
London'" <</FONT><A href="mailto:london@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>london@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>>; "'v2020'"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 6:11
AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] real economic development
in Moscow</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>> Gary,<BR>> <BR>> You seem to be the master of distortion
lately. Perhaps if you had attended<BR>> and heard the whole story you
might have more of a clue instead of missing<BR>> the point completely.
"Focusing" on one economic sector doesn't equate to<BR>> standing in the way
of others. <BR>> <BR>> The current City government has done many
things to build a more solid<BR>> economic base to benefit ALL of Moscow
instead of just a few. <BR>> <BR>> B. J. Swanson<BR>> <BR>>
------------------------<BR>> <BR>> -----Original Message-----<BR>>
From: </FONT><A href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<BR>> On Behalf Of g. crabtree<BR>>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 6:28 PM<BR>> To: lfalen; Bill London;
v2020<BR>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real economic development in
Moscow<BR>> <BR>> What has yet to be explained is how you attract high
tech businesses without<BR>> <BR>> attracting business in general. Setting
the city council up as some sort of <BR>> business border guard with the
power to say "come on in" to some and "we <BR>> don't much care the likes of
you" to others should not be a function of city<BR>> <BR>> government or
anyone else for that matter.<BR>> <BR>> It's hard to imagine a statement
more arrogant than:<BR>> <BR>> "...Moscow needs to wean itself from a
housing and retail fixation about <BR>> growth. "Our voracious appetite to
approve subdivision after subdivision, to<BR>> <BR>> build high-end homes,
has run out of high-end people to occupy them," <BR>> Swanson said, adding
that new retail businesses seem to be only replacing <BR>> old ones.<BR>>
<BR>> "Over-built housing and replacement retail is not a good economic
model..."<BR>> <BR>> Aren't we lucky that someone who is infinitely
smarter than our builders <BR>> will call a halt to high end homes being
erected. Goodness knows the <BR>> builder, who is the one taking the risk,
couldn't be bright enough to assess<BR>> <BR>> the potential for profit or
loss. If the market were to truly be saturated, <BR>> I would imagine that
banks might decline to lend the builder or buyer money.<BR>> <BR>> Then
again the builder/buyer could always seek alternate forms of financing.<BR>>
<BR>> (Does any of this sound like the market sorting itself out?)<BR>>
<BR>> If a new retail business comes to Moscow and captures an old business's
<BR>> market, one would have to assume that there was a perfectly good reason
for <BR>> that to have happened. Either they had a better product, a better
price, or <BR>> better service. I don't believe there is anyone in Moscow
prescient enough <BR>> to decide that any one existing business is the apex
of quality, the <BR>> standard by which all others should be judged, and that
no new competitor <BR>> may come in and try their hand at providing something
better or different. <BR>> Often new businesses goad old enterprises into
running a better operation <BR>> and everybody wins. Why would we want to
interfere in this natural process <BR>> of improvement?<BR>> <BR>> I
suppose encouraging high tech biz is wonderful, however it might
magically<BR>> <BR>> be done, but standing in the way of other
entrepreneurs so a select few can <BR>> hold on to their nebulous notion of a
unique Moscow is elitist, short <BR>> sighted, and just plain wrong. I'm sure
that Dan, Wayne, and Walter are <BR>> bright enough to know when to get out
of the way and allow people with a <BR>> vision to have at it. The function
of city government should be to work <BR>> toward a prosperous and welcoming
environment for all. Candidates who would <BR>> presume to tell others how
their lives ought to be lived should be shown the<BR>> <BR>> door.<BR>>
<BR>> g<BR>> <BR>> ----- Original Message ----- <BR>> From: "lfalen"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:lfalen@turbonet.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>lfalen@turbonet.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>><BR>> To:
"Bill London" <</FONT><A href="mailto:london@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>london@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>>; "v2020"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>><BR>>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 10:34 AM<BR>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] real
economic development in Moscow<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>>I can't argue with
bringing in high-tech companies, I'm all for it. I think<BR>>
<BR>>>Moscow should try to attract all kinds of businesses. It is fine to
place <BR>>>controls on those that would create undue pollution. Other
than that <BR>>>promote almost anything that will provide jobs, increase
the tax base and <BR>>>improve the overall economy.<BR>>>
Roger<BR>>> -----Original message-----<BR>>> From: "Bill London"
</FONT><A href="mailto:london@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>london@moscow.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>>> Date:
Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:58:18 -0700<BR>>> To: "v2020" </FONT><A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>vision2020@moscow.com</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>>>
Subject: [Vision2020] real economic development in
Moscow<BR>>><BR>>>><BR>>>> Today's Tribune article about
the MCA forum held last night is a great <BR>>>> summary of the choices
facing Moscow voters in this council election. <BR>>>> Vote for the
future with MCA endorsed candidates and Moscow will aim for <BR>>>>
both maintaining its uniqueness and attracting more entrepreneurial
<BR>>>> businesses. My thanks to the MCA board for sponsoring
this forum. BL<BR>>>><BR>>>>
----------------<BR>>>> Is high-tech the key to Moscow's
future?<BR>>>> Forum sponsored by Moscow Civic Association brings
together business and <BR>>>> community leaders<BR>>>> By
David Johnson<BR>>>> October 23,
2007<BR>>>><BR>>>><BR>>>> MOSCOW - The economic
future of Moscow will depend more on attracting and<BR>> <BR>>>>
retaining high-tech companies than encouraging more housing and retail
<BR>>>> business, members of a panel agreed Monday
night.<BR>>>><BR>>>> "In the basic form, economic development
is jobs," said B.J. Swanson, <BR>>>> vice president of AmericanWest
Bank here and chairwoman of the board of <BR>>>> directors for Gritman
Medical Center. "But not just any job." She said <BR>>>> jobs should
provide enough money to offer a reasonably comfortable <BR>>>>
living.<BR>>>><BR>>>> Robin Woods, president of Alturas
Analytics located in Moscow, said 100 <BR>>>> percent of her bio-tech
business comes from outside Idaho, most of it <BR>>>> from the San
Francisco Bay Area. Yet, she and her partners opted to <BR>>>> locate
here because of the quality of life that's
available<BR>>>><BR>>>> "Probably it would have been better to
locate in San Francisco or <BR>>>> Seattle, but with Fed Ex and the
fiber-optic that we have ... and with <BR>>>> the Internet, the world
is flat and we can conduct our business here," <BR>>>> Woods
said.<BR>>>><BR>>>> David Alexander, a UI graduate and CEO of
Ivus Industries, a small <BR>>>> business he decided to locate here,
said Moscow is an ideal location for <BR>>>> entrepreneurs to tap into
a high-tech labor pool that spins off both the <BR>>>> University of
Idaho and neighboring Washington State University in <BR>>>>
Pullman.<BR>>>><BR>>>> "What the business is, is a focus on
extremely fast-charging rechargeable<BR>> <BR>>>> products,"
Alexander said of his startup company. He said the company, <BR>>>>
which has four employees, is currently developing a fast-charging
<BR>>>> flashlight.<BR>>>><BR>>>> Judy Brown, an
economist and director of the Idaho Center on Budget and <BR>>>> Tax
Policy, said research shows if a community creates a good living
<BR>>>> environment, jobs will come. "The key thing that attracts"
entrepreneurs <BR>>>> and businesses to an area, Brown said, is quality
of life, not tax <BR>>>> breaks.<BR>>>><BR>>>>
"Quality of life and the ability to work either from home or near home,"
<BR>>>> she said, "are the two really key things in deciding where
people locate <BR>>>> those kinds of
businesses."<BR>>>><BR>>>> The forum, sponsored by the Moscow
Civic Association, comes two weeks <BR>>>> prior to a city council
election here that many say hinges on attitudes <BR>>>> about economic
growth. Bruce Livingston, president of the MCA, said the <BR>>>> forum
was called in part to dispel the notion that the MCA is <BR>>>>
anti-economic growth. He said the MCA is "pro business, pro growth and
<BR>>>> pro community."<BR>>>><BR>>>> About 30
people, including several council candidates, attended the forum<BR>>
<BR>>>> at the 1912 Center.<BR>>>><BR>>>> Swanson
said Moscow needs to wean itself from a housing and retail <BR>>>>
fixation about growth. "Our voracious appetite to approve subdivision
<BR>>>> after subdivision, to build high-end homes, has run out of
high-end <BR>>>> people to occupy them," Swanson said, adding that new
retail businesses <BR>>>> seem to be only replacing old
ones.<BR>>>><BR>>>> "Over-built housing and replacement retail
is not a good economic model,"<BR>> <BR>>>> Swanson
said.<BR>>>><BR>>>> According to statistics presented at the
forum, Moscow has a population <BR>>>> of about 22,350 and UI employs
about 2,870 people. Gritman employs 431, <BR>>>> with the Moscow School
District and Wal-Mart, by comparison, employing <BR>>>> 350 and 207
people, respectively.<BR>>>><BR>>>> Swanson said it's time for
the community to get back on the right <BR>>>> economic track with the
primary focus on good-paying jobs and a secondary<BR>> <BR>>>> focus
on housing and retail business. "And as always, focus on anything
<BR>>>> that will help the University of Idaho. They've carried us for
years. <BR>>>> It's time for us to get out and carry
ourselves."<BR>>>><BR>>>> All the panelists said Moscow city
officials and members of the city <BR>>>> council have been extremely
pro-business.<BR>>>><BR>>>> "Our intent is to hire WSU and
University of Idaho graduates," Woods said<BR>> <BR>>>> about her
expanding business. She said that all but one of the 30 people <BR>>>>
working at Alturas Analytics are from the two universities. Woods said
<BR>>>> it's important for Moscow to complete it's rewrite of the
comprehensive <BR>>>> plan, and to keep tech businesses together to
encourage more business.<BR>>>><BR>>>> "I think it's important
to have kind of a think-tank atmosphere," she <BR>>>> said, "kind of a
campus atmosphere in your tech park. So I don't think <BR>>>> it's a
good idea to scatter things here and there."<BR>>>><BR>>>>
Swanson pointed out Alturas Technology Park, located on the southeastern
<BR>>>> edge of town, had modest beginnings, but now is home to around
150 jobs <BR>>>> that have annual salaries of $50,000 and up. "And
those jobs really <BR>>>> contribute back to the community," she
said.<BR>>>><BR>>>> ---<BR>>>><BR>>>>
Johnson may be contacted at </FONT><A href="mailto:deveryone@potlatch.com"><FONT
face=Arial size=2>deveryone@potlatch.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2> or
(208)
883-0564.<BR>>>><BR>>>><BR>>>><BR>>><BR>>>
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