I got lost driving back from the WalMart "meeting" at the Holiday Inn. I missed the turnoff at Revere street, and had to backtrack back to Empire Avenue and loop back in again, (goddamn freeways anyway).
I arrived at 6:54PM and took a seat. Several people with frouny faces had already shown up. The city council members took their seats one at a time, (I noticed that there are ten city council members in Bend, where Portland has only five.)
Mayor Friedman called the meeting to order. At that point he had us all stand and do the pledge of allegiance.
Several proposals were presented and passed fairly quickly.
Mayor Friedman then opended the discussion for citizens to speak with a three minute limit.
Several people stood up and addressed the issue of WalMart:
Ken Cooper: Spoke about about Density Problems in Bend and asked "What is happening with city planning in Bend? What will it do to small business? He expressed disappointment that the city council hadn't "stepped up to bat".
Anne Marie Callooshi: Said her husband and her were new residents and wanted the city council to "protect our city". Her previous community (Phoenix) had a WalMart. She cited a compromise in the quality of life, hazards to real estate, an increase in unsightly trash, an increase in gang activity, an increase in the crime rate, and an increase in traffic problems.
Dayton Heron: Pointed out that if a profit making entity asked for a contribution from a city asked for a donation, it would be turned down. He said that WalMart's pay is so low that most of it's employees have to live is subsidiesed housing and have to depend on public medical aid, a contribution from the community. He held up a book called "Better not Bigger" and recommended that the city council read it. He said that taxes spent to improve the community lead to growth, not profit oriented corporations.
Ms Conway: (Vice Chairman of Central Oregon Jobs with Justice) Will they be requesting tax breaks? Well they cut payments to suppliers (As they have done numerous times in the past?) 3 jobs are lost where every 2 are created. Workers have to rely on public assistance. WalMart creates a domino effect.
Randy Sergeant: Owned a stereo store in Bend since 1976. He had 6 employees for whom he provided health care coverage and a living wage. Much of the money spent by his store stays in the community. He asked for restrictions on the size of large retail structures.
Phil Filken: A former small businessman. He opened a store in Bend in the 1990's. The store went downhill when the big box stores moved into Bend. He provided pay and medical coverage better than WalMart does. He said "We can do better." And "I didn't move here because it's a great place to shop." (At this point several people applauded. Mayor Friedman said he would use the gavel if there was any more applause.)
Dana Wells: WalMart has already impacted me. She had worked for a company in the Northwest but in 2004 she was told she was not needed anymore because of the competitive activities of WalMart.
John Stancher: I want you to understand where you are going. This is Bend, the end of the frontier.
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