- The most powerful tool that citizens
have today are zoning laws. Citizens must WATCH their town boards like
a hawk. Apparently from various accounts in Lima and elsewhere, board
officials think (?) that they don't answer to anyone. We must
watch town boards closely ALL THE TIME - and not just when a news of a
Walmart inclursion is heard about. This can prevent the kind of back-room
deals that allows WalMart stores to invade any town, even if the people
don't want it. Citizens must pass local laws requiring judicial punishment
for back-room deals made by town board members. Reader response
to the WalMart article has been incredible and I've shared a few of them
with you below. Please read the companion article if you haven't already,
about one town's fight against them. (Readers names are shown with their
permission only.) These emails shed further light from past experiences
on just how the box chain and others can get away with back-room deals.
Some of these stories may be RICO Act violations by local officials, since
millions of dollars are involved. My comments are enclosed
in [ ].
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- T-Shirt photo by Jason - rense.com reader
Used with permission from www.shirtstatement.com
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- From a reader in Arkansas
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- Loved your article
on the fight against walmart. I thought I would give you a bit of perspective
from someone who lives well within their primary sphere of influence. My
family and I relocated for a job, back to Northwest Arkansas, in 2001.
We finally purchase a home in the eastern Rogers area, which is about 10
miles, as the crow flies, from the world headquarters of the 'Beast of
Bentonville', as we like to call them. Up until about 3 years ago we regularly
shopped at the first ever supercenter, on Walnut ave. One day I made the
decision not to support WM, and I can count on the fingers of one had the
number of times I've visited that store. The problem we have is the inordinate
amount of influence that company has on the local area. I'll give some
examples:
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- 1) We have one, small independent supermarket
chain in the area, Harp's/Price Cutter. That and WM are your ONLY choices.
I believe the closest outlet for a national or regional grocery store would
be Joplin, 60 miles to the north. There are 20 stores (Super Centers, Neighborhood
Market, Sam's), including 12 Supercenters, within a 50 mile radius. (Look
on the WalMart store locater, centered on Lowell - 72745.)
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- 2) While I don't have it on first hand
knowledge, I have been told by friends who work at Corporate, that when
WM executives and stockholders come into town for a meeting they are told
that if they should ever be stopped by the Bentonville Police, just show
their WM ID and there will be no further trouble.
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- 3) The city of Lowell was in line for
the most recent SC. WM had purchase the land, and had begin to clear it,
in preparation. The City Council balked at paying for installing the necessary
public services, so WM took their marbles and built the center to the north,
just over the Lowell city limits. And now dozens of acres of natural land
lies denuded of all trees, and everything else when WM pulled out.
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- 4) Several years ago WM mandated that
all of their major suppliers MUST have a local representative to service
the WM account. As a result, dozens of small farms and cattle ranches have
disappeared, only to be replaced by housing developments. As a Benton county
homeowner, I appreciate the increase in the value of my house (35% in 3
years), but the road out to the local airport (XNA - Lovingly referred
to as the Clinton-WalMart Regional) has turned into an area more closely
resembling Southern California than the rolling hills and forests of the
Ozarks, like it was when I first arrived.
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- We like living in Arkansas - The people
are nice (at least those that speak English - Tyson also has multiple processing
plants in the area - and urban 'art' is now found everywhere) the air is
clean, and when you get out of the 'city' there is very little reported
crime (The 'City' of Rogers is at about 30,000 population). Of course most
of the country residents operate under the 'Shoot, shovel and Shut UP'
philosophy. The illegal problem is also inundating the rural areas, again
thanks to Tyson. Even out in the sticks, crime is up. If you read Henrietta
Bowman, at Sierratimes.com, she lives about 60 miles east of us. They are
taking over there, as well.
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- So, short of Nuking Bentonville, there's
not much hope of getting rid of them in our part of the country.
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- Good luck in keeping them out of yours.
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- Alan P
- From Tacoma, WA
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- I was reading the article you wrote on
Rense and towards the end I just about jumped out of my chair. I also have
wondered why there needs to be so many "Waaaaaaahl*Maaaaaaarts"
(say it like a sheep) so close together....not only could they be used
for distribution but I envision them (the brand new Super Centers) being
converted overnight into Concentration Camps!
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- You've got boo-koo security already in
place...you've got a huge building with TV's hanging from the ceiling to
spew re-educational brainwashing videos...Enourmous, well lit parking lots
(also with cameras) for overflow...and I've noticed that about 95% of all
shelving and displays at a "Waaaaaaahl*Maaaaaaart" are temporary.
I know they like to move the racks and displays around from time to time
but I don't think that's the real reason they are set up the way they are.
Some might think I'm paranoid but I think I'm a true Realist. The way things
are going these days it seems that nothing should be considered impossible.
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- Keep up the good work!
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- Mike
- From San Diego
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- The following email is from a resident
who lived near Lima, NY. She fought corrupt officials in another nearby
town when living there. She explains the connection of two lawyers in the
two towns and a back-room deal zoning change. I've included a map of the
NY state empire zones below which is referenced in the following email.
For more on empire zones see http://www.empire.state.ny.us/Tax_and_Financial_Incentives/Empire_Zones/default.asp .
Lima is in the eastern edge of Livingston County.
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- EMPIRE DEVELOPMENT ZONES
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- From NY state website http://www.empire.state.ny.us/Tax_and_Financial_Incentives/Empire_Zones/default.asp
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- Ted,
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- What a weird coincidence. I am the gal
who's piece on the mexicans in my bank, who ignored and line crashed me
and the only other gringo in the bank, was put on Rense by you. I
had corresponded on another issue as well. What is a weird coincidence
is that I am from Livonia! Grew up there, went to school there, graduated
from Nazareth College of Rochester (didn't know then what I know now about
that instutution!). I was also a founding memeber of Livonia Citizens
for Responsible Development - LCRD. (only been out here in San Diego for
2 years)
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- I am writing about your latest piece
about Wal Mart and Lima. You cannot believe (yes, I think YOU can!) the
fiasco we went through for 3 solid years in Livonia trying to fight a low-income
housing project that is now built at the foot of our beautiful Conesus
Lake. I am not against affordable housing although we were painted
as racist as a result of our fight. What we were against was the deception,
profit, and manipulation that was present throughout the whole process. Our
Town's Master Plan was changed after it was approved. Many on this
planning board were appalled when they found out changes were made after
it was completed. Zoning to allow for this project was changed behind
closed doors, with no minutes or records of who was present. We were
stonewalled the whole way. The property was also protected as an archeological
site and wetlands (or flood plain, I forget). Interestingly, Livonia's
town attorney is a law partner with Lima's town attorney, Steven Kruk. Livonia's
town attorney, Jim Campbell, even represented the developer who bought
the property for $1000 an acre and sold it to his daughter's minority owned
company, who sold it to HUD (our tax dollars) for $40,000 an acre) in the
sale of a peice of property that is now used as an entrance into the project.
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- We experienced lies from the get go.
A good friend of mine who lives in Lakeville, was out in her yard one day
and saw a hedgehog mowing down the field next to her house. She walked
over and asked the man what was going on and he said they were getting
ready to put in a driveway for the new development going in. Rhonda
quickly called the town hall and was told by [name deleted] not
to worry, that a senior housing complex was going in. This was the
first that anyone knew that anything was going in. And it was soon after
that we found out it was not senior housing, but low income housing.
From this point on, the circus began. I and many others spent the
next 3 years going to all the Planning Board and Town Board meetings. We
got hundreds of signatures and worked relentlessly in trying to get to
the bottom of this issue. New rules of conduct at the meetings were
implemented (can't speak at planning boards, had to be on agenda at town
board meetings). New rules for getting copies and FOILs were implemented. A
local couple [named deleted] and the other founders of LCRD,
spend upwards of $20k in lawers fees and materials to fight this issue.
Obviously we lost. We were not able to get to the bottom of
it, i.e. the money trail. The couple moved to Warsaw [about 20 miles
southwest of Lima] ( the project has the majority of its units adjacent
to their pond). I moved to San Diego.
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- Recently I read in the channel 13 on-line
news that Livingston County was declared an Empire Zone. I remember
during our fight, I ran acrossed that term and came to the conclusion that
the reason this low-income housing project was going in was because a certain
amount of low income housing is necessary to be declared an Empire Zone.
I went to then town supervisor Tim Wahl's house and asked to talk to him. I
asked him point blank if that was the reason for the project and he DENIED
even knowing what an Empire Zone was. Now I see that they have been working
towards this designation for years. He lied right through his teeth to
my face.
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- Something that might help the people
in Lima: The Livingston County Planning Board has a lot more involvement
than is evident. Dominic Mazza, the head of this group, should be
asked about what the plans are for Livingston County, because they have
it all planned out. We were told that Livingston County is working
in conjunction with Monroe county to shift the population south.
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- There needs to be some sort of oversight
committee to follow up on the promises of these businesses.
Housing Oppprtunities application to the State was full of lies. We
pointed this out but it did not matter. People need to read these
things and make sure they are fulfilling their promises. The Barella
factory that is going in in Avon is promising certain number of jobs as
well. Who will check up on them 3 years from now? And you are
right on about what kind of jobs they will be -- sixty eight $9 hr
jobs and two $30k manager positions (women managers salary).
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- Find out who this consulting firm is
who are going to be used to look at the Master Plan. The same thing
occured in Livonia. The consulting firm had ties to the developer,
Chuck April. (who, incidently, sold WalMart the property in Geneseo).
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- You are on to something with this WalMart/Homeland
security thing. I have read about the Chinese flights coming into
Mena Ark [Arkansas] with WalMart goods... Wal Mart surely has
close ties to the government and with the state of the country, I would
not be surprised either if Wal Mart has a hand in helping our prison wardens
someday soon.
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- Thanks again for your time. I wish
I was there to get all riled up at some of these meetings.
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- Sincerely,
- Terry
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