Boise Neighborhood Leader-All Heil the bigot

That was quite an intro to an Oregonian article... the sort of thing that makes the opposition to the Lofts seem even more like the product of a small group of hysterical wingnuts than it already does.

Can you give us some context for the "classic quote" you attribute to Newell (you know, the person you are comparing to Hitler)?
Where was that said? Definitely not a joke? Sarcasm taken out of context? It would be a lot easier to make up our own minds about it with more information. As it stands, not enough to call/email/fax the lady.

Can you explain as well why her comment favoring what she perceives as a "better mix of incomes" reflects "racist,bigoted,homophobic values" on her part? As opposed to, say, classism or something?

I hope no one ever anonymously does that to me on a public forum like Indymedia.

I was on the fence regarding the Mississippi Lofts. Thanks for making up my mind for me.

I too wish that there were some context to this post, the post seems detrimental. I am against the MAL, and heard that the developers used a post that looks suspiciously like its from the same person in their case with the Historic Landmarks Committee.

however I have been in the neghborhood long enough to hear some pretty negative things about Kay Newell. One of those things is that she was vocally supportive of Ballot Measure 9, which would have added to the Oregon Constitution: "All governments in Oregon may not use their monies or properties to promote, encourage or facilitate homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism or masochism. All levels of government, including public education systems, must assist in setting a standard for Oregon's youth which recognizes that these behaviors are abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse and they are to be discouraged and avoided."

That might be where the homophobic part comes from. I havent heard about her shooting kids, so again, more context.

I think the poster is talking about the comment she made at a March 2006 Boise Neighborhood Meeting to Lisa manning. A discussion about a cross walk at Failing and Mississppi was going on, when she made the comment," I'll shoot your kids, if you don't keep them from running in front of cars". A couple of people immediately wrote it down in astonishment. Anyone with a history attending the Boise Neighborhood Meetings,I'm sure has a story of ageist,classist,stereotyping language that has been used. A lot of residents will not attend meetings because of it.
On another note, I don't see where this has anything to to with supporting or not supporting the MAL (Mississippi Avenue Lofts) project. It seemed like the poster was taking out the language that they took issue to, and then had the full story as context ?

I live in a different neighborhood. I went to Sunlan a couple of times in the past, because she does carry a specialty stock of lights, and I prefer to patronize regional business if at all possible.

Experience one: I had to return some lights because they just weren't performing as advertised. I had to argue with her, strenuously, to get her to take them back even though there was a demonstrable defect. She kept pointing to the manufacturer's generic specifications as if they negated the actual results.

Experience two: I subsequently needed another product, and went to the shop again. She ordered an employee to go get the item. When he returned, she berated him lengthily in my presence for his (paraphrasing here) stupidity and incompetence because, not finding the product in the stocks, he had brought back the nearest equivalent he could find. Her vicious tirade was totally out of proportion to his "crime." I pray the poor man has since found work elsewhere.

I saw the newspaper puff-piece about her, and was much bewildered at someone that toxic being cast as a Pillar Of The Community. I certainly would not willingly deal with her again.

"The Historic Landmarks Commission(HLC )has been inconsistent in its approach, attempting to override the city's zoning requirements, says Kay Newell, owner of Sunlan Lighting on North Mississippi"

I have attended all the meetings with the Historic Landmarks commission, and I find it interesting, that Kay Newell, who has NOT attended any of the meetings, is given space as our "Communities Leader", to make statements about the proceedings , by the local media and so called journalists,do they actually do any homework on a persons credibility, then again it is the Mercury . The least she could do is be honest with the neighborhood, considering she is a Boise Neighborhood Association board representative, and say, that she cannot comment on the proceedings because she has not left her store perch.
I want to thank my neighbors for caring , and for making their voices heard about the future direction of our community and the livability of our long time
residents, renters, elders, children and needy . Your investment of love and caring in our community, will pay off so much more than pieces of paper ever could.
We can see from the stories of NW 23rd, what happens when business interests take over and control , residential neighborhood associations.


In Over Their Heads?
Neighbors Blast Landmarks Commission
BY MATT DAVIS
North Mississippi Avenue community members have tried to involve the mayor and city commissioners in the Mississippi Avenue Lofts dispute, begging them to stop the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) from derailing the project.

The controversial four-story development was initially granted approval on May 1 by the city's Bureau of Development services, which noted that it complied 100 percent with the city's zoning requirements. But it was then referred to the HLC—after one neighbor appealed over the project's ability to blend into the neighborhood.

The HLC has been inconsistent in its approach, attempting to override the city's zoning requirements, says Kay Newell, owner of Sunlan Lighting on North Mississippi, and Bridget Bayer, a professional mediator and longtime organizer of the Mississippi Avenue Street Fair (who also happens to be the partner of one of the loft developers, Peter Wilcox), in separate letters to the city.

The HLC's eight members are appointed by the mayor for their experience in areas like architecture, local history, and urban planning—but there are concerns over whether volunteers with other full-time jobs should be making multi-million dollar decisions on the future of the neighborhood. Newell thinks the HLC is betraying the neighborhood—which has voted twice to send letters in support of the project—by pandering to the concerns of a vocal minority.

On May 22 and June 12, the HLC asked the lofts' developers to add shutters, bricks, and cornices to the project, making it blend better with what they feel is the current character of the historic neighborhood. But Bayer says in her letter that these requirements are subjective and supplemental to the city's zoning requirements. She added that the HLC is now involved in "random rule making" and that "every meeting in front of the appointed commissioners is like a crapshoot."

Since the appeal is ongoing and will be decided on July 10, a commission staffer says its members are unable to comment. But in response to Newell's concerns, City Commissioner Randy Leonard—who oversees the Bureau of Development Services, which houses the HLC—says the commission, like the Portland Development Commission (PDC), suffers from problems because it is run by volunteers.

"While I don't know about specific cases, these kinds of citizen-run entities such as the HLC and PDC put volunteer citizens in a tough spot," Leonard says. "They are asked to deal with exceedingly complicated issues and have to balance these with full-time jobs."

"From what I've been hearing in general at the Landmarks Commission," Leonard continues, "I'm concerned about the processes. We're expecting a volunteer group of people to handle multi-million dollar issues and I do not see the formula for success there." City Commissioner Sam Adams, according to a staffer, shares Leonard's concerns.

Meanwhile, the mayor believes a volunteer-based system works, and has appointed "the very best people possible" to the HLC, says a spokesperson.

I am sure the man she berated was her son who she really barks orders to at her shop. It's funny your experience was nearly identical to the one I had when I decided to give her a try in spite of her homophobic public display a few years earlier(afterall I too go out of my way to support local business and wow, what a variety of bulbs she has). Every time I've been in there she is seated and hollaring her help around. I got fed up with her lack of customer service when on one visit I grew tired of waiting for her to stop booring some poor customer to death with stories about herself and left. give me home depot any day over that.

(it's ironic that , after living here for 21 years and wishing so badly for services nearby, that the number of businesses on mississippi that I can't , in good conscience, shop are just adding up and up. Let see there is: the one who thinks that the police murder of kendra james was justified because she might have left the scene and run over people and basically it was just one less piece of crap for the neighborhood to deal with; the slumlord; the cd/dvd store that buys hundreds of cds from a "fucked up " sketchy character and his accomplish standing nervously outside; and now a half dozen or more who have gone out of there way to openly support the current design of the MAL project while never reaching out to their neighbors who oppose to learn about our concerns. I would respect these MAL supporters if they had taken the time to research the reasons why there neighbors were in opposition-- it seems so anticommunity and self serving. so what a bummer, and I mean that, now I must go back to getting my needs fulfilled by driving outside my neighborhood).

I too wish the media would get a clue and not interview people who are not actively involved nor educated on the matter they are investigating. she has , as I've said before, done a lot for our community but she has also, especially of late, done a lot of damage-- I think it's time she pass on the torch and step down from the podium.

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I just picked up some bulbs that have 10,000 hours of use, at 35 watts, with 75 of full spectrum light...Why support a homophobic business