<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><title>RE: [Vision2020] To HECK with the Current Moscow City Council . . .</title><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Mr. Steed,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>What a pleasure to see an email from you from an official City account! I trust that the significant financial cost to the taxpayers from your arrogance about and blatant disregard of Idaho Public Records law has since been emphasized to you. With respect to the previous (somewhat epic) Public Records request regarding your behind-the-scenes maneuvers to sell our water across the state line, my understanding is that you failed to disclose all of our correspondence on the water issue. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about the disastrous financial consequences your lapses could have had for the City. Personally, I’ve continued to wonder what other correspondence you failed to disclose as required by Public Records law. Certainly, the fact that you failed to comply with Idaho Public Records Law is a sorry stain on whatever integrity you hoped to sell to the good people of Moscow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>With respect to the current matter at hand, it’s a pity you went with an old quote rather than with more current thinking and studies (i.e., in this <b>century</b>), but regardless, I’m quite surprised you don’t understand the distinction between minimum wage and living wage. Frankly, I find it hard to believe the difference truly escapes you, so I wonder if you were hoping your smoke and mirrors would fool people Apparently, you were successful at bamboozling a shocking number of your fellow Council members, which is quite disappointing . . . although perhaps not surprising. One would hope your fellow Council members will have learned a valuable lesson from your . . . disingenuousness on this topic and won’t be taken in by your misinformation in the future. Of course, one would have <b>thought</b> they’d have learned the lesson from your water shenanigans, but what’s that saying? Oh, yes: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I’ll also add that I’m disappointed – although not surprised – to learn that you are the kind of mean-spirited and heartless ideologue who marches blindly to outdated and dishonest partisanship yet can sleep at night knowing that your actions will be responsible for some good hardworking people no longer being able to pay for their health insurance and car repairs, or for their children’s summer enrichment activities and back-to-school supplies, or for their retired elderly parents’ prescription medications and the helpers that allow them to continue to live in their own homes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Given that you don’t think a living wage is important to potential City employees and for the employees of those doing business with the City, and given these tough economic times, when can we look for you to put forth a resolution that will cut the salaries of Council members by the same percentage as is the result of your vote rescinding the Living Wage Resolution? Inquiring minds deserve to know. It’s a no-brainer, of course, that should you fail to do so, no amount of your smoke and mirrors will hide your hypocrisy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Also, I’m sure you’re aware that word on the street is that this rescission was to curry favor with certain contractors who have bristled at the requirement that they pay a living wage if they want to do business with the City of Moscow. I certainly hope that with the rescission of the Living Wage resolution, contract information will be readily available on the City’s Web site for all to see. Otherwise, it’s probably reasonable to assume that I’m not the only one outraged by your mean-spirited and completely partisan actions, and that Public Information Requests will be forthcoming for quite a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I’ll just ask the question: what provisions have been made to make contract information easily available . . . to see the light of day . . . in the darkness of the rescission of the Living Wage Resolution?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Saundra Lund<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Moscow, ID<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Compassion is the basis of all morality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>~ Arthur Schopenhuaer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Walter M Steed [mailto:wmsteed@ci.moscow.id.us] <br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 07, 2010 9:20 AM<br><b>To:</b> Saundra Lund; Sue Scott; Dan Carscallen; Tim Brown; Tom Lamar; Wayne Krauss<br><b>Cc:</b> Nancy Chaney<br><b>Subject:</b> RE: [Vision2020] To HECK with the Current Moscow City Council . . .<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Saundra,<br><br>This is certainly one of those "agree to disagree" moments. As I said last night:<br><br> "The campaign to raise the minimum wage will have little positive impact on the lives of poor people. Rather, it is a political measure that plays to a misunderstanding of the impact of higher minimum wages. The future of the American economy depends on a correct understanding of the causes of prosperity. For too long, attempts to relieve poverty have been misguided. To lift people out of poverty, we need a system that maximizes opportunities for economic well-being of low-skilled workers."<br><br>Reed Garfield<br>Senior Economist<br><br>Joint Economic Committee Report May 1996<br><br><br>Walter Steed<br>Moscow City Council<br>1345 Ridgeview Drive<br>Moscow ID 83843<br><br>Phone 208-883-0123<br><br><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Saundra Lund [<a href="mailto:sslund2009@fastmail.fm">mailto:sslund2009@fastmail.fm</a>]<br>Sent: Wed 7/7/2010 12:37 AM<br>To: Sue Scott; Dan Carscallen; Tim Brown; Tom Lamar; Walter M Steed; Wayne Krauss<br>Cc: Nancy Chaney<br>Subject: FW: [Vision2020] To HECK with the Current Moscow City Council . . .<br><br> . . . which has proven itself to be beneath contempt. GMA toadies: ROT IN<br>HECK -- you were warned that when you opted to lay lied down with dogs like<br>Walter Steed, you'd come up with fleas . . . and worse, as evidenced below.<br>I think it's safe to say that you'll not enjoy the benefit of crossover<br>votes in the future.<br><br>I hope all People of God and Humanity will remember this travesty come<br>Election Time.<br><br>And, it's absolutely mind-boggling to me that the Council thinks rabies<br>vaccinations important ONLY in home child cares where there are unrelated<br>children. Could you BE any more asinine?!?!<br><br>With particular gratitude to my offlist correspondent.<br><br><br>Council rescinds living wage resolution<br>Wage was set at $10.25 an hour in 2006<br>By Christina Lords Daily News staff writer<br><br>Posted on: Wednesday, July 07, 2010<br><br>Before voting on a motion that would eliminate the city of Moscow's<br>established living wage, Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney asked each of the City<br>Council members to consider one thing: Could they support themselves and<br>their families on a job that pays $7.25 an hour.<br><br>The established living wage allows city employees the provide the basic<br>living essentials for themselves and families, and lets the municipalities<br>set a good example for worker's pay, she said.<br><br>Councilman Walter Steed proposed repealing the resolution after Chaney asked<br>city staff and the council to revisit the established rate of $10.25 per<br>hour at the City Council's meeting Tuesday.<br><br>In August 2006, the City Council passed a resolution establishing a living<br>wage for city employees and businesses that maintain service contracts with<br>the city. A separate resolution passed by the council set the city's living<br>wage at $10.25.<br><br>The resolution only required the $10.25 per hour stipulation for full-time<br>employees and did not include temporary, seasonal or part-time help.<br><br>The lowest paid city employee is paid $11.95 an hour, said Human Resources<br>Director Leslie Moss.<br><br>City Supervisor Gary Riedner said the changes would not affect current city<br>of Moscow employees because of the city's established pay scale.<br><br>Council President Wayne Krauss questioned whether the resolution actually<br>made an impact on the city and argued setting a living wage dictated what<br>private enterprises could and could not pay their employees.<br><br>"I don't think (the resolution) was the right thing to do quite frankly," he<br>said.<br><br>Councilmen Tim Brown, Dan Carscallen, Krauss and Steed voted in favor of the<br>repeal.<br><br>Councilors Sue Scott and Tom Lamar voted against the motion to rescind the<br>resolution.<br><br>Lamar said it would be a shame to rescind the resolution because it set a<br>good standard for the community.<br><br>The availability of jobs that offer a living wage are consistent concerns<br>for many Moscow residents, he said.<br><br>"We have this one small opportunity to set a tone, set a pace, set some<br>minimum levels with ... contractors that work with Moscow," Lamar said.<br><br>Scott said the resolution was a "great statement of intent" that set a<br>livable wage standard for the community.<br><br>Due to the economic recession and budgetary issues, she said she wanted to<br>see the council leave the living wage at $10.25 and revisit the resolution<br>at a later date.<br><br>In other business:<br><br>The council passed a proposed Day Care Ordinance revision that allows a<br>provider to work at more than one licensed facility, require rabies<br>vaccinations for dogs, cats and ferrets in a day care facility, exclude<br>related children and children watched in their own home from the definition<br>of day care and allow providers of day care to four or five children to be<br>registered annually, among other changes.<br><br>Council passed a joint resolution regarding the safety of U.S. Highway 95<br>from Moscow to Thorncreek Road. The resolution includes endorsements from<br>the Latah County commissioners and the North Latah County Highway District<br>Board of Directors.<br><br>Christina Lords can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 301, or by e-mail to<br><a href="mailto:clords@dnews.com">clords@dnews.com</a>.<br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>