[Vision2020] Recall the city council

[Paul Rumelhart]

A quick point about the minimum wage difference between the two states.  
If we are losing valuable employees to these developments because of the 
wage difference, local businesses can and should raise their wages 
accordingly.  If they don't, then they deserve to lose their workforce.  
If they do, that will benefit local employees.

Paul

Ted Moffett wrote:
> I'm not sure that this has been mentioned yet in this discussion, but 
> the article in the Moscow/Pullman Daily News about Wal-Mart building 
> at the Hawkins site claimed that Wal-Mart would close the Moscow 
> Wal-Mart if a super center was built at Hawkins.  This issue came up 
> in the previous discussions about Wal-Mart building a super center in 
> Moscow, with some concerned about the empty Wal-Mart building creating 
> problems
>  
> Closing the Moscow Wal-Mart would mean the loss of the local tax 
> revenues that store generates.  The impacts to businesses in Moscow 
> that will be negatively effected by the Hawkins development drawing 
> consumer dollars away from Moscow, and the loss of local tax revenue, 
> seems a valid point.  It will be argued no doubt that the Hawkins 
> development will bring new consumers to our area who will then shop in 
> Moscow, perhaps benefitting Moscow businesses, compensating for the 
> Moscow business lost due to local consumers shopping at Hawkins 
> instead of the Palouse Mall, et. al.  Also, the higher minimum wage in 
> Washington will ensure the jobs at Hawkins will pay more in many cases 
> than similar jobs in Moscow.  And that a general trend of either 
> increases in population and/or average income, will "raise all boats," 
> as they say, across state lines.
>  
> Where is the independent unbiased professional study of the full long 
> term economic impacts that a Hawkins development in Whitman County 
> just across the state line would have on the Moscow economy?  I asked 
> this question once on Vision2020, and did not receive a response 
> indicating any such study exists.  I know that some local academics 
> have commented on the positive economic benefits Hawkins might bring 
> to the Moscow economy.  But these comments were not taken from a 
> comprehensive unbiased professional study of the potential economic 
> impacts to Moscow, as far as I know.
>  
> In Moscow City Councilperson Tom Lamar's Moscow/Pullman Daily News 
> editorial on the Hawkins development deal agreed to by the Moscow City 
> Council, Lamar stated he had not seen any retail study regarding the 
> need for the Hawkins development.  And if he had not seen one, perhaps 
> none of the other council members have either; and perhaps such a 
> study does not exist.  If so, this fact alone renders the supposed 
> wisdom of the Hawkins/Moscow deal questionable.  The claimed urgency 
> that this deal had to go through quickly, with no time left for more 
> consideration, has also been questioned; along with the claim that 
> Hawkins would have proceeded with the development rather easily even 
> if Moscow had not agreed to provide services across state lines.
>  
> As we speculate on the economic impacts to Moscow of the Hawkins 
> development, those opposing and supporting the Moscow councils' deal 
> with Hawkins are using economic equations that have not been fully and 
> professionally examined, from what I have been able to gather.  The 
> opinion that "Every nuance of opinion had already been expressed ad 
> nauseum" regarding the Hawkins deal with Moscow appears to suggest the 
> comprehensive independent unbiased study of the economic impacts on 
> Moscow of the Hawkins development, exists.  Where is it?
>  
> http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2008-February/051940.html
>  
> *(February 15, 2008)
>  
> HIS VIEW: Why I oppose selling Moscow's water
> By Tom Lamar
>  
> "I have not seen a retail study showing that a retail development of this
> size - 714,000 square feet is needed or justified. If it is, such a
> development should be in Moscow - so our residents can control the
> development to fit our community."
> -----------------------------------------
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>
>
>  
> On 3/23/08, *roger hayes* <rhayes at turbonet.com 
> <mailto:rhayes at turbonet.com>> wrote:
>
>
>     > Moscow citizens need to take a good look at what the city council's
>     > decision to provide water and sewer to the Hawkins company will
>     bring.
>     > Yesterday's Daily News posted some serious speculation about WalMart
>     > building a Super Center in the Hawkin's development. Earlier, I did
>     > have a suspicion that was a distinct possibility. I could not
>     see how
>     > a Lowes could be the anchor store. WalMart, Idaho division, remains
>     > tight lipped about its plans, but would not rule out the
>     possibility.
>     > A local WalMart employee speculated that it is a reality.
>     > By providing water and sewer service across the state line, Moscow
>     > taxpayers may now subsidize the construction of WalMart. Whitman
>     > county taxpayers are providing over 10 million in infrastructure
>     > development.  This is an ultimate irony since both communities have
>     > waged campaigns against the building of a Super Center in their
>     > communities. And in Moscow's case, we are dealing a vast
>     economic blow
>     > to our community.
>     > Much more is going on than we citizens know. What other "deals" are
>     > happening behind closed doors?
>     > I do feel that if WalMart comes in it will prove how inept, and most
>     > likely, corrupt the current Moscow city council is. The council will
>     > no doubt plead ignorance, and do so with an arrogant smile.
>     We need to do something and do it quickly. Any ideas?
>     >
>
>     > Roger Hayes
>     >
>
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