Sandpit Rezoning Revisited - Mon Vil. Brd. Mtg.

The issue of whether to rezone the Lake Flower Avenue village owned sandpit area will be discussed at Monday nights village board meeting. One question that has been raised is whether the issue of Wal-Mart should enter into the decision to rezone the sandpit site to commercial or to wait for the planned re-evaluation of the Village’s Master Plan and zoning regulations.
In an article published in last week's ADE the following was written:

McEneany said that when he considers whether to continue with the rezoning, Wal-Mart will not be part of his thinking; he will consider the parcel only, not future sale of it.

Village Trustee McEneany has one way of thinking about the rezoning issue. The issue is only about rezoning and whether Wal-Mart might want to purchase the sandpit site to build one of their stores should not be considered.

A Letter to the Editor written by Ms. Gloria Volze has another way of looking at the rezoning issue:

If this is truly not about Wal-Mart, then there should be no problems in stopping the rezone at this time. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain by looking at our future with a renewed comprehensive plan.

Clearly, Ms. Volze has a valid point. What's the hurry if the rezoning issue is not about Wal-Mart? And again, with up to two years of sand remaining in the sandpit, what is the hurry to rezone?

The decision to rezone the sandpit site should be postponed until the Village Master Plan is updated.

What in Hell is Wal-Mart Afraid Of???

Here's a picture of a billboard that went up at 1111 Sam Walton Blvd. in Bentonville, AR. By afternoon, it came down. Here is an email I received from walmartwatch.com this afternoon.

Dear friends,

Last week, with the help of tens of thousands of supporters across the country, Wal-Mart Watch extended a hand to Wal-Mart's management and the Walton family. In a seven-point statement of shared principles, we offered to partner with Wal-Mart to help make America's largest company a true model for responsible business in the 21st century.

www.walmartwatch.com/handshake

To reinforce our offer, we contracted with Whistler Outdoor Advertising to post a billboard near Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The billboard went up yesterday morning, just in time to greet visitors to Wal-Mart's Annual Shareholders Meeting being held today.

The billboard's message? -- a thoughtful, forward-looking quote from company founder Sam Walton:

"Maybe the most important way in which we at Wal-Mart believe in giving something back is through our commitment to using the power of this enormous enterprise as a force for change."


Yesterday afternoon, just hours after completing the billboard's installation at 1111 Sam Walton Boulevard, Whistler tore down our message. Company management has since told reporters that it was "duped" by Wal-Mart Watch. In reality, Whistler received our signed contract, payment, and artwork on May 25, 2006 and proceeded with the installation on schedule.

Whistler's management most certainly spent the day resisting withering pressure from Wal-Mart before finally giving in. While we hope that they will reconsider their action, we will accept our full refund and contribute that amount to the Bentonville Public Library.

So, while the first amendment doesn't seem to apply in the company town of Bentonville, our proposal to Wal-Mart still stands. Billboard or not, our hand is still extended. Is yours?

Please urge your friends to sign-on to our "Handshake with Sam" today.

Thanks for all you do,

Andrew Grossman
Executive Director

Wal-Mart is probably thinking "We don't need no stinkin handshake".

Sandpit Rezoning

An article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise concerning the number of letters being received at the Village offices concerning the sandpit rezoning process. Thus far 200 letters have been received by the Village Clerk.

“This is the biggest volume of letters I’ve ever gotten,” said Village Clerk Kareen Tyler, who estimated that she spent more than half an hour per day this month dealing with the influx.

The article goes on to point out that about have of the letters received thus far are opposed to the rezoning of sandpit site. Interestingly, these letters are not form letters but rather individual original letters. About 80 of the letters are in favor of rezoning the sandpit area. These letters are form letters. Those supporting the rezoning effort must be too busy to write their own letters.

A little more than half the letters were against continuing the rezoning process at this time. The majority of letters expressing this point were original. About 80 letters in favor of the rezone were the same letter with different signatures. This form letter never mentioned Wal-Mart, only that the parcel be rezoned for commercial use.

One major topic of discussion is whether the fact that Wal-Mart is interested in the property should be of concern when deciding whether to rezone or not.

One of the letters to garner the most attention from village officials was from retired attorney Peter Crary, who said he has 28 years of experience as an attorney including working in the environmental bureau of the state Attorney General’s Office. Crary, who is a neighbor to the sand pit, cautioned that the village shouldn’t overlook its SEQR Act obligations at this stage. He said the SEQR should address Wal-Mart because it made its intentions known about wanting to build on the property.

There are also two Letters (here and here) to the Editor concerning the rezoning issue, both opposed to rezoning.

Do Richard Edelman's Ethics Apply to His Wal-Mart Client?

Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, the largest independent public relations firm in the world has his own blog. Wal-Mart is one of Edelman PR's clients. Mr. Edelman's March 30th post is pretty interesting. He appears to have pretty high moral and ethical standards for his company (short of hiring Krempasky who thinks Rep. John Murtha is not a patriot; we have got to stop conservatives from smearing decorated veterans).

Here are a few things Mr. Edelman has to say about PR companies (hopefully not taken too much out of context, but you can check that for yourself by clicking on his blog link).

How serious is it for PR that the man who runs the foremost center for press and public policy in the US is fundamentally skeptical about our profession?

.....it is time for us to recognize that with our enhanced opportunity comes a very real responsibility.

Tell both sides of every story. We can be more credible by listing the side effects along with the demonstrable benefits.

Empower employees to shape the company image.

Total transparency as to the motive and the funding source.

We need to improve the practice of public relations.

ProPr had a few comments about Edelman PR and transparency.

That’s where Wal-Mart came up short. They used their PR firm’s bloggers and the credibility those bloggers had built up to speak directly to other bloggers. But for the rest of us, people outside of their carefully targeted direct blogger pitch, we could not see what the company was up to. The fact that their activity was discovered resulted from the slipshod practices of a few bloggers who quoted verbatim from the material Edelman/Wal-Mart provided to them, without attribution.

So, true transparency was not achieved. And the resultant uproar should prove a cautionary tale for all.

So do PR firms have the obligation to tell both sides of a story when representing a client? Should PR firms encourage the client it represents (Wal-Mart) to talk about side effects? Should there really be total transparency when representing a client? Should Wal-Mart employee's be empowered to shape the company image?

Maybe I'm just confused about what Mr. Edelman is trying to say.

Talking to the Wal

Talking to the Wal is a movie by Steve Alves. It concerns two small towns, Greenfield, MA (18,000), whose residents prevented a Wal-Mart incursion by stopping a rezoning effort (read more here pdf) and little Orange, MA (7,500) whose residents welcomed Wal-Mart to town in hopes of revitalizing the town.

"Today's Orange is praised for the character, intelligence and thrift of its citizens and for its lack of "rowdyism." It has all the elements that make a small town livable, including good schools, churches (10 of them), library, fire department, water supply, fraternal organizations, and banking facilities. It also has a Wal-Mart, which provides cheap goods at the expense of a thriving downtown".

(from here)

Any hope that the downtown could be revitalized due to a Wal-Mart store's presence has since been abondoned.

Read the NYT review of the film here.

Good Suggestion By Gloria

Suggested in the comments in the below post:

"Folks who do not want a WM - especially the 121,000 proposed WM (which is the
photo) - should send that Postcard marked 'NO, I DO NOT SUPPORT A WM COMING TO
SL' to the Village Board at:

Saranac Lake Village Board
3 Main Street
Saranac Lake, NY 12983

We are afraid sending them back to WM
may be wasteful on our efforts. WM really does not care about our community. We
believe it will make no difference to WM but it may make a difference to our
Village Officials."

What's Next----------??????

These 'outsiders' with 'disposable income' are trying to have their way again.
First, they change the school mascot from a fierce REDSKIN to a wimpy storm; Next, they change the spelling of Schoeter's Field!!!!; Now they are sending out direct mail trying to get us to build a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart SuperCenter. These 'outsiders' are in the minority so it's not really certain how they make all these changes.

What's next? Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies; rivers and seas boiling; 40 yrs of darkness, earthquakes, volcanos; the dead rising from the grave; human sacrifice?

DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER????

Something must be done with these 'outsiders'.

Wal-Mart and Schroeter's Field

There was a sad little letter in the Thursday edition of the ADE which can be viewed here, at least for the next 14 days.

What does Schroeter's Field have to do with Wal-Mart? Nothing actually, unless you are a conspiracy theorist. There have been several letters in the ADE, in the last few days, from out of town 'native Saranac Lakers' concerning the spelling of Schroders (Schroeter's) Field. These letters are the result of a 'news update' at the popular Saranac Lake memories website Bunksplace.

First the Saranac Lake Redskins, then Schroeter's Field. What's next--------------????(Drop a letter to the editor at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise link below to voice YOUR opinion. Go to "Virtual News Room" )

The Letter:
We native Saranac Lakers are really getting fed up with the “NEW” so-called Saranac Lakers changing all that made Saranac Lake a desirable place to live. Some with no backbone stole our beloved Redskins from us. A minority, mind you. Another minority of aliens are doing everything possible to keep our town from having a place to shop for groceries and clothing because they have their little specialty shops and we should shop there whether we like it or not. Sound familiar?

No one forced them to move to OUR area, but they came and decided to change it to fit their lifestyle. What about our lifestyle? Now they are changing the name of Schroeter’s field to Shroeder’s field. We all played ball there as children growing up here and have fond memories of George and his family allowing us to use their hose when we were hot and their garage when it rained. Their name was SHROETER. What next? If you weren’t born here, don’t call yourself natives.

Maybe all of us old-timers should contact the Minutemen to guard our borders. By the way, no one had a problem with Ames being in North Elba. Is it just Wal-Mart? Conflict of interest, anyone? Downtown is great if you like pizza, subs or alcohol. Enough is enough. I’m sorry I brought my family back here to enjoy what was a beautiful, caring town of beautiful, caring people. You can have it. Tony Anderson and Bill Wallace must be rolling over in their graves, among others. If they are allowed to do that in our NEW TOWN.

Vermontville

This letter is an example of an attack on the civil rights of "non-native Saranac Lakers" (NNSLers). NNSLers include ANYONE who was 1)not born in Saranac Lake General Hospital and 2) did not graduate from The Saranac Lake High School. The nice thing about this definition is that if you were born in SLGH (damn, who changed the name to AMC?) and did graduate from SLHS (damn, it's not in Petrova anymore), you will keep all the "rights" of a Native Saranac Laker (NSLer) forever. You can be living in Vermontville, NY or Luanda, Angola and you still have a full voice in what happens in SL. A "NNSLer" is an outsider...an immigrant....an alien. It doesn't matter if you've lived here for 50 yrs. Keep your opinions to yourselves and you will be tolerated and allowed to live in OUR (NSLers)TOWN. If you express an opinion WE (NSLers)don't like, please just leave the area. Go back from whence you came. Don't make us form a Minuteman group (a group by the way that is responsible for the formation of some bigoted, racist groups - Here, Here).

NNSLer's are everything that is wrong with SL. They are responsible for all change, even the spelling of Schoeter's Field. Now you NNSLers want to have an opinion about Wal-Mart! What's next ----------??????

Sometimes you can be ashamed to be a NSLer.

PS Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman and you PR/Direct Marketing guys in Rochester.....we don't mean you. You are honorary NSLer's.

Wal-Mart SEC Form 10-K

HERE

A Panopoly Of Wal-Mart Facts

You won't find these facts at Walmartfacts.com. Go to the facts section of walmartmovie.com to read how:

The Walton Family saves $91,500.00 per hour in Federal Taxes (and they don't do it by shopping at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart drives down retail wages by $3,000,000,000 a year.

California subsidizes Wal-Mart to the tune of $86,000,000 a year.

HealthCare:

FLORIDA: 12,300 WAL-MART Workers and their Dependents on Medicaid
GEORGIA: 10,261 Children of WAL-MART Employees are Enrolled in PeachCare for Kids
TENNESSEE: 9,617 WAL-MART Workers on TennCare

WAL-MART Costs Taxpayers $1,557,000,000,00 to Support its Employees

Lawsuits:

$50 MILLION to settle an off-the-clock class action suit in Colorado

Wal-Mart is paying eleven million dollars to settle Federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores.

Wal-Mart is facing a class-action lawsuit for discrimination against $1.6 million former and current female employees.

Wal-Mart currently faces lawsuits in thirty-one different States for wage and hour abuses potentially involving hundreds of thousand workers.

Currently in the U.S. there are 26,699,678 SQUARE FEET of empty WAL-MARTS

Environment:

2001: EPA orders WAL-MART to pay $1.0 MILLION fine for Clean Water Violations in: TEXAS, OKLAHOMA AND MASSACHUSETTS

2004: WAL-MART fined $3.1 MILLION by EPA, the largest ever for a retailer, for Clean Water Act violations in TEXAS, COLORADO, CALIFORNIA, DELAWARE, MICHIGAN, SOUTH DAKOTA, NEW JERSEY, TENNESSEE and UTAH

2005: Connecticut EPA orders WAL-MART to pay $1.15 MILLION for Clean Water Act violations in 22 stores


WAL-MART Imported $18 BILLION from CHINA in 2004
Lee Scott earnings for 2005: $27,207,799
Average WAL-MART Hourly Sales Employee Earnings: $13,861

HELEN WALTON: $18.0 BILLION
ALICE WALTON: 18.0 BILLION
JOHN WALTON: 18.2 BILLION
ROB WALTON: $18.3 BILLION
JIM WALTON: $18.3 BILLION

The WALTON FAMILY Has Given LESS THAN 1% of Their Wealth to Charity
Bill Gates has given 58%

The links for supporting information and documents are there too. We, the WalMart shoppers, actually deserve the credit for alot of this crap. What we won't do for "Everyday Low Prices".

Wal-Mart Going Green

Read "Can You Still Hate Wal-Mart" by Mark Morford.

Last October Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott announced that Wal-Mart is going 'green'. Huge plans from stores generating 100% renewable energy to eliminating bad plastic packaging and generating zero waste. So Wal-Mart suddenly is very concerned about the Earth's environment.

Morfords column discusses the more obvious reasons for Wal-Mart's sudden change in attitude towards the environment. Read it soon.

Some of my fav quotes:

Sometimes you just have to allow that something grand and good and healthy might actually be born from the bowels of the dank and ravenous megacorporate world, like flowers from a dung heap, like vodka from old potatoes, even if it comes right alongside the nastiest, most abusive federal environmental policy you will see in your lifetime.

There has been, to date, very little good to say about this most voracious and powerful of low-end, trashy retailers.

Wal-Mart has always been, quite appropriately, the devil.

Seems Wal-Mart has realized one vital maxim that so many fundamentalist right-wing capitalist GOPers have so far failed to grasp: The apocalypse is just really bad for business.

They are the George Bushes of the retail world -- drunk with power, cheaply made and full of crap

Morford can really turn a phrase!

Wal-Mart Decides To Help Further Split The Saranac Lake Community

A report on WNBZ radio here.

Multi-billion dollar Wal-Mart is worried. The company obviously will only survive by building an out-of-scale box store at a site that 70% of residents do not support. This must be the case, because Wal-Mart has started a PR campaign to build support for the company.

Now here we have some 'outsiders' with huge amounts of 'disposable income' telling us, the life long residents and common people of SL what we should do (part snark here). This is sure to upset the Wal-Mart supporters in the area because they do not like outsiders with disposable income influencing their decisions. CARD is sure to tell Wal-Mart to cease, desist and mind their own business. Don't call us, we'll call you.

The mailing says the store “blends with the design” and the “distinct character” of the community.

Keep in mind that a PR company's job is convincing you that a shit sandwich tastes great.



Saranac Lake Mayor Tom Michael had yet to see the flyer, but said he was disappointed Wal-Mart was launching a public relations campaign. “[I’m] wondering if they feel they need to get public opinion on their side because they’re project has issues,” he said. “The planning process is not a popularity contest. It’s a set process. I’m just disappointed they feel they need to start a PR campaign to get their store approved.”

This outragious ploy by Wal-Mart should be criticized by supporters and opponents of Wal-Mart because they are attempting to pit area resident against resident.

It includes a tear-off card that residents can return to a Wal-Mart Community Relations Office in Rochester. They can check off if they’d like to support the proposal by writing letters, attending meetings or becoming involved in “local pro-Wal-Mart efforts.”

Thanks Wal-Mart, but area residents are already writing letters, attending meetings and have become involved in local groups that either support or oppose you. Maybe you should think about spending those PR/marketing dollars on your employees.

Book Review

This is for the conservative among you. Excerpts of a review of Charles Fishman's book "The Wal-Mart Effect" in the American Conservative magazine.

This book demonstrates that the Wal-Mart effect is the most powerful market force expelling jobs and technology from our own country. Not only does Wal-Mart create low-wage jobs that lure further illegal immigrants here to do jobs that Americans could not afford to do even if they wanted to, but it provides a place those illegals can afford to shop.

In January 2001, after Wal-Mart was done making its “statement,” Vlasic filed for bankruptcy. Fishman discerns the same “devastating success” among other suppliers, from Huffy bikes to Lovable lingerie: bankruptcy and closed factories here, a diaspora of jobs and entire industries to the Third World.

“Do Americans need clothing to be so inexpensive that the people making it cannot afford a toothbrush?” The answer is no, of course we don’t, but Wal-Mart’s cost-cutting dynamic not only demands it but forces all who resist it out of business. The ultimate goal is not really “low prices for the consumer” but the obliteration of all competitors. Once this goal has been achieved through reverse predatory pricing (AKA dumping), once Wal-Mart has become one-stop shopping for every product and every service in every land, the pressure to keep prices low will abate, to say the least.

Wal-Mart’s pricing monomania has rooted out wasteful practices like the packaging of bottles, jars, and canisters of product in cardboard boxes but has itself created another gigantic category of waste: the bargain TV or DVD player or lawn mower that, purchased without the benefit of a knowledgeable service person and manufactured with cheaper and cheaper materials, soon breaks down, is not worth repairing, and winds up dumped in the trash—the Pickle Caper writ large. Fishman notes, “In the Wal-Mart economy, we as consumers often buy too much just because it’s cheap.”
(my emphasis)

Gracie Or Karla - Who Has Wal-Mart's Loyalty?

Karla is the loyal, shop at Wal-Mart 5 times a week type person. She goes into Wal-Mart to buy trash bags and her shopping cart just seems to fill itself before she can get out of there. Most of her checks in her checkbook are made out to Wal-Mart. Supposedly, Karla shops for what she needs. She wants one thing and one thing only - low prices.

Gracie is the more stylish, upscale shopper that Wal-Mart is now interested in. Gracie only goes to Wal-Mart less than once a week to get cleaning products. She buys fewer groceries from Wal-Mart (meat is not as fresh) and tends to avoid Wal-Mart in general.

Karla doesn't make as much money as Gracie and thus is more susceptible to economic downturns and high gas prices. Gracie has more 'disposable' income. So who would you court? Wal-Mart thinks future growth is dependent on the Gracie's of the world.

So Karla, you loyal Wal-Mart supporter.....see ya around

Read about it here.

More Wal-Mart Facts

Wal-Mart has 3,856 stores in the USA. That is one store for every county in the USA or one store for every 78,000 people.

Wal-Mart's net sales for 2006 was $312.4 billion dollars, about the cost of the Iraq War thus far.

53% of Americans live within 5 miles of a Wal-Mart store, 90% live within 15 mi.

Wal-Mart is as big as Home Depot, Kroger, Target, CostCo, Sears and KMart combined.

If Wal-Mart was a country, it would rank 20th in gross domestic product and would be China's 8th largest trading partner.

What Do Anti-Wal-Marters Want? Just Ask Sam Walton.

Walmartwatch has started "A Handshake With Sam" proposal.

Walmartwatch asks "WHAT DEFINES A GREAT AMERICAN INSTITUTION? And what are its obligations to the common good?"

They then propose The "Handshake Agreement" below is an agreement of shared principles offered in good faith to the executives and board members of Wal-Mart.
The interesting thing about these seven proposals is that they are all based on quotes from WalMart founder Sam Walton.

You can sign a petition supporting this proposal at Walmartwatch.

The "Handshake With Sam" proposal consists of seven different 'items' of moral responsibility that Walmartwatch proposes that Wal-Mart excutives and board members support. They can be seen in this pdf of a NYT ad.

A 23 page detailed overview of the proposal can be viewed here. A 2 page informational brochure of the proposals is here.

For those that have a slow modem, the seven proposals (without the supporting Sam Walton quotes) are:

1) Protect human dignity
2) Ensure quality and affordable healthcare coverage
3) Use market power to improve supplier conditions and wages
4) Enable and embrace self sufficiency
5) Buy local first
6) Keep it clean
7) Prove worthy of the public trust

Final Results - ADE Retail Store Location Poll

Lake Flower Avenue at Will Rogers Drive 30.5%

Between Broadway and Depot Street 21.6%

Other (identify site with a comment) 9.8%

None — no large-scale retail in Saranac Lake 38.1%

What to think?

1) A large group (38.1%) of residents want NO large-scale retail development in Saranac Lake. However, we don't know what large-scale retail development means to the respondents in this group. An unknown proportion of this group is probably opposed to Wal-Mart no matter what the size or location of a store.

2) Less than 1/3 of residents want the store to be built at the Lake Flower Avenue site. This shouldn't be surprising given the overwhelming win of Democrats to the Village board last month. If this group truly wants a Wal-Mart they need to start thinking compromise.

3) One fifth of respondents want the store to be built in the Depot Street area and one tenth want it built in an 'other' location, but probably downtown. This is a total of 31.4% of respondents. Add in a portion of those in the last group that are likely concerned about the size of the store and you have a large group that wants a store built in the downtown area.

4) The smallest group are those supporting Wal-Mart at the Lake Flower Ave site (if you consider groups 2 and 3 to be in favor of retail development downtown.)

Warning!

OH NO!!!

Ok, well not really. Have a good weekend.

But there is a pretty amusing letter in todays ADE here.

Interesting Letter in Today's ADE

Interesting enough to post the whole letter which can be found here:

I wanted the people of Saranac Lake and the surrounding communities to know what is happening in regard to a department store in downtown Saranac Lake. The Save Saranac Lake Coalition has formed an “Alternative Options” committee. We are a team of residents researching options for the downtown area. We have investigated existing small department stores all over the country and the possibility of starting a community-run department store. On this front we have good news. In late June we will be hosting Sharon Earheart from the Chamber of Commerce in Powell, Wyoming. Powell, Wyoming is the home of the Powell Mercantile, a small department store that is run by the community. In addition we are in contact with people in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine that are also in the process of opening locally run department stores. Sharon, along with others, will be part of a panel discussion the week of Jun 19th about the feasibility of such a thing here in Saranac Lake. Keep an eye out as details develop. The future of downtown Saranac Lake is bright!

Jamie Konkoski

Saranac Lake

This is a group of people that believe in action. I have stated my desire to invest in a community department store. I blogged about this option on Feb 24th and Feb 25th. It is definitely an idea worth discussing. One big advantage of such a store is the money REALLY is kept in the community.

Wal-Mart Threatens FL Landowners

Wal-Mart has apologized for being 'overly agressive' in telling rural landowners in Putnam County FL that if they don't sell their land to Wal-Mart it will be taken by eminent domain. Read about it here.

A letter to the landowners gave them until 5 p.m. Thursday to agree to a deal with the company.

John Williams, 61, a retired corrections officer who owns a mobile home on the road, said he doesn't want to sell the land he worked for years to buy. But he fears he might not have a choice.

"They are the big bear, and there's nothing we can do about it," Williams said. "The big bear comes in and takes whatever they want."

Wal-Mart spokesman, Keith Morris claims it's all just a little misunderstanding.

ALSO: Hitting the news today is a story about how Wal-Mart contributes to poverty. This story actually concerns the study "Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty" that has been linked on the side of this blog for a couple of months. It's an academic study and maybe it's in the news because it just got published in Social Science Quarterly.

ADE Poll Update

As of 10:00 PM:

30.3% In favor of Wal-Mart on Lake Flower Ave.
This is likely the group of residents that want a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart and are unwilling to compromise their position.

23.1% In favor of Wal-Mart (or possibly retail development other than Wal-Mart) in Depot St. area.
This is likely the group that wants a smaller sized Wal-Mart or other retail store. They are willing to compromise. They obviously do not want it built on Lake Flower Ave.

8.8% In favor of Wal-Mart (or possibly retail development other than Wal-Mart).
It's a bit harder to tell what these voters are about. Maybe someone can help out here.

37.8% Are opposed to Wal-Mart or any other large scale retail development in Saranac Lake.
This group must be the 'transplants' to the area (who have no right to an opinion) and all those people with 'disposable' income.

The problem here is determining the definition of 'large scale retail development'. Anything larger than the old Ame's department store?

Another ADE Wal-Mart 'Poll'

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is doing another of their infamous Wal-Mart web polls. Go to the ADE homepage here and scroll down to the lower right hand part of the page. Then vote your opinion.

Results of the poll can be seen here.

At 1:15 PM this afternoon:

38.4% were in favor of a Wal-Mart locating at the Lake Flower Ave. site
24.4% were in favor of a Wal-Mart locating between Depot St. and Broadway
10.5% were in favor of some other site
26.7% did not want a large retailer at all

Web Poll comments can be viewed here.

Only 38.4% in favor of Wal-Mart at Lake Flower site (although this could certainly change)

Wal-Mart would have few problems building in Saranac Lake if they would only consider the downtown area. Although, I suspect there are still problems with the size of the store Wal-Mart wants to build. Wal-Mart considers 121,000 sq ft one of their smaller sized stores.

Last Night's Village Board Meeting

Read about it in the ADE here.

About 100 people attended and it was a very 'civil' meeting. The meeting was evidently a disappointment for some because there was no real discussion about Wal-Mart. It was a meeting to determine how the SEQR process on the Lake Flower Ave. village sandpit site is going.

The majority of discussion Monday was directly related to the SEQRA process, but separating the two issues still became a difficult task. Earlier in the night, many in the audience held up signs that read “CARD supports Wal-Mart,” a reference to the grassroots group Citizens for the Advancement of Retail Development. Others wore pins for and against Wal-Mart.

Many Wal-Mart supporters left the meeting when they heard there was not going to any direct discussion of the store.

Later in the meeting, the two Republican members of the board criticized Mayor Michael for not informing them about a meeting held last week with Wal-Mart respresentatives.

“But what really upset me was the fact Harrietstown was invited to this meeting and the town of North Elba was not,” McEneany said. “In my opinion, this board, the mayor or any one of its trustees has to represent the village as a whole, and that includes the three towns that make up our village.”

Michael said he wasn’t sure why the board didn’t know about it because it was well publicized in the media, including prior to the meeting, and that Harrietstown wasn’t invited. Miller had asked to attend.


UPDATE: You can read about the meeting last night at WNBZ radio here. The articles are much more informative than those in todays ADE.

Throughout the meeting, Mayor Tom Michael had stressed that rezoning the sand pit was not “project specific” and could be done without selling the property.

But several audience members said Wal-Mart’s plans have to be taken into account as part of any decision to continue. Mark Kurtz said the board needs to consider reality. “The reality is something is going to happen with the property,” he said. “The problem with only changing the zoning and allowing that to happen without acknowledging the ramifications of it, I think is not moving ahead in a way that’s appropriate for the community.”

A small sample:

Kurtz asked the board not to rezone the sand pit until the village goes through an upcoming comprehensive zoning and land use code update.

But Wal-Mart supporters, like Rick Gonyea of CARD, urged the board to plod ahead. “We need a place to shop, that’s why we’re here,” he said. “We’re behind you in rezoning this property for the business that wants to come in.”

Can Wal-Mart Help Us Get Universal Healthcare?

Wal-Mart Watch Board Chairman and SEIU President Andy Stern gives some insight into his 'war on Wal-Mart' here. It seems to be about Universal Healthcare.

Also, go here and click on the map of the USA in the upper right corner. Then see how Wal-Mart has spread across the USA like the red tide.

While at the latimes website you can read a three part series on Wal-Mart: An Empire Built on Bargains, An Obsession With Costs and Unions Battle to Stop Invasion.

SL Village Board Meeting Tonight

Tonight is the night. Mr. Andrew C. Abdallah, PE from Architectural & Engineering Design Associates PC is scheduled to answer questions about the rezoning status of the Lake Flower Avenue (and potential Wal-Mart building site) village sandpit. Mr. Abdallah was hired by the previous Village Board to advise in rezoning the sandpit site from residential to commercial.

Representatives of three local groups, Save Saranac Lake Coalition, Voters for Change and Sound Adirondack Growth Alliance will presumably there as well. All three groups have found problems with the SEQR document that is necessary for the rezoning. A pro-Wal-Mart group , CARD (Citizens for Advancement of Retail Development) will surely also be in attendance.

The groups also argue that the 'spot' rezoning process of the sandpit area should stop and become part of the future Comprehensive Master Planning process which the Village and Town has requested grant funding.

It should be a lively meeting. The meeting is being held at the Saranac Lake Volunteer Firehouse, to accommodate a larger group, at 7 PM.

Edelman and his Bloggers

Here are some of the bloggers that Edelman has hired. Three of them have PR experience and one of them is just a famous (infamous?) conservative blogger.

Mike Krempasky

Sorry, I didn't mean to leave out Erin Caldwell (Now she doesn't need to shop at Wal-Mart anymore)

Steve Rubel

Phil Gomes

Guillaume du Gardier

Ol Guillaume and Steve were two of the first commenters on Richard Edelman's first blog post. Steve even threw in a link to his PR blog (something that many bloggers find to be not so cool). Jeremy Pepper got into the sucking up too. Is that how you get jobs in the PR industry? Just kidding guys, going against a huge retailer is one thing, but you want to keep on the good side of the largest independent PR firm in the world.

Mr. Edelman says What do we hope to achieve together? In short, we want to persuade our corporate clients to commit to the blogosphere.

I guess that's probably how 'Working Families for Wal-Mart' got started. Mr. Edelman seems to be a firm believer that blogs are the future of the PR business. Edelman even has his own blog with a comment section here (BTW, I also believe the farmer and the cowman should be friends). From reading Mr. Edelman's blog, he seems to be an ethical person, so maybe the PR business is just misunderstood. And, reading the blog of the CEO of a major company is interesting.

Mr. Edelman believes in the power of the 'average person' as a trusted source of information about a company. Thus the need for a 'grass roots' organization like Working Families for Wal-Mart.

For a real grassroots pro-Wal-Mart website go here. Oh wait, you can't - Wal-Mart shut that website down (you can decide for yourself whether Wal-Mart played a role in shutting down 'AlwaysLowPrices' or not).

Mr. Edelman writes The average person like me is demanding a seat at the table, the true democratization of the purchasing process. Smart companies will recognize that ceding control is a central aspect in earning trust.

Mr. Edelman also believes that The need is for companies to do more than sell products. They must be responsible employers, assure that their supply chains reflect best practice in environment and put ethical behavior at top of list for executives. Hopefully that also includes treating their employees ethically.

I don't know which of these guys is the one that visits this little blog a few times a week (4 times today so far). I'd suggest that maybe a couple of you guys visit our little village to see how a 121,000 sq ft Wal-Mart Supercenter might fit into our community.

Thanks for the corrections MK.

Wal-Mart Suppliers Encouraged to Join WFFW

Wal-Mart started it's own 'grassroots' advocacy group called "Working Families for Wal-Mart" a few months ago. Now it appears it is 'encouraging' it's suppliers to join the organization.

As a result of the close relationship between the company and the Working Families for Wal-Mart, some current and former suppliers say, the advocacy group's membership drive amounts to Wal-Mart's leaning on its suppliers to help burnish the company's image — a request many said would be hard to turn down, given the company's importance to their business.

...Wal-Mart has helped with the recruitment of its suppliers by Working Families for Wal-Mart, even distributing a letter to thousands of suppliers, ostensibly from the group, that began "Wal-Mart is under attack and Wal-Mart and Sam's Club suppliers have the power to do something about it and help protect their businesses."

Another executive, who sits on the board of several Wal-Mart suppliers, said that given Wal-Mart's size, a company faces "implicit pressure to join" the group if asked. The executive spoke only after receiving anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak publicly about Wal-Mart.

Of course Wal-Mart denies any ties between a supplier joining Working Families for Wal-Mart and it's ability to do business with Wal-Mart. One member of the national steering committee for WFFW claims not to know if Wal-Mart provided any start-up funds for the organization.

Also involved with WFFW is Terry Nelson, a middleman in the money-laundering indictment involving former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the supervisor of convicted felon James Tobin of the 2002 New Hampshire phone jamming scandal and senior advisor to John McCain.

Wal-Mart's answer to a poor public image is to hire, Edelman, the largest public relations firm in the world.

Edelman has reportedly set up a 'war room' to deal with Wal-Mart's poor public relations. Edelman is very upfront about enlisting pro-Wal-Mart bloggers as means of improving Wal-Mart's image.

Let me get the disclosure out of the way. Edelman is the PR firm working with bloggers as part of a Wal-Mart corporate image campaign. Edelman is transparent about its relationship with Wal-Mart in our communications to bloggers. It's clear who we represent.

I wonder if Terry Nelson or Richard Edelman shop at Wal-Mart?

Why We Should Get a Wal-Mart by Randolf Stanley

In todays ADE an open letter to the mayor and village board of Saranac Lake and the residents of the Tri-Lakes by Randolf Stanley (Or please help me to become a millionaire).

How odd that Mr. Stanley supports having a Wal-Mart locate to Saranac Lake. Mr. Stanley, owner of bankrupt Stanley Chevrolet, believes he offers a level of credibility to my observations and opinions on this subject. Afterall, it's not like he will get a few million dollars from Wal-Mart for his property....oh wait...yes he will.

(1) Forty years ago the village made a mistake by not by not keeping municipal electricity, thus the village board always makes terrible decisions. Does that mean if the village board helps Wal-Mart build on your property it will be another terrible decision?

(2) Transportation. No other retailer will come to SL because only Wal-Mart has a 'delivery loop' with stores in Ti, Plattsburgh, Malone, Canton-Potsdam and Saranac Lake. Oh wait, they don't have stores in Malone, Canton-Potsdam and Saranac Lake.

(3) Downtown location. A downtown location won't work. Besides if they build in downtown SL I won't get my millions.

(4) Wal-Mart is willing to invest 'millions' in SL. Having a Wal-Mart will provide the money to build a parking structure in the downtown area, although who will there be to park in it?

(5) Location, location. Look at how poorly the 'Industrial Park' in Lake Clear has done. Let the businessmen decide where to build. Besides, I still want my millions of dollars.

PS I lost my business because people shopped out of town.

When is Losing a Win?

Easy. When you are the 2nd worse company in America. Of course it's no where near an 'official' poll, but the readers of the 'Consumerist' think that Halliburton is the worse company in America. Wal-Mart comes in 2nd (or 3rd). Wal-Mart vs Target was 1529 v 85.

Wal-Mart Commentary by SAGA

In todays ADE, a guest commentary on Wal-Mart written by SAGA representative Mark Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz reinterates and discusses the criteria that SAGA believes should be followed for Wal-Mart to build in Saranac Lake.

These include:

Location: Downtown SL would be best. In this regard, Mayor Michael met with Wal-Mart reps and developers yesterday to discuss other building locations in SL.

Size: Follow store size limitations of 40,0000 sq ft for a single store or 68,000 sq ft for a shopping center.

This commentary should result in a spate of Letters to the Editor and calls to TOT.

Singing the Praises of Jim Sinegal - Costco

This weeks Time Magazine lists their 100 people who shape our world. Jim Sinegal is listed under 'builders and titans'.

Mr. Sinegal is the CEO of Costco. He makes $350,000 a year not including a modest bonus and stock options.

Costco is one of the U.S.'s largest companies, with 118,800 workers, 473 warehouse-club stores and sales of $51.9 billion in its most recent fiscal year. Costco's stock has trounced archrival Wal-Mart's in recent years. Perhaps most unusual, Sinegal has resisted Wall Street pressure to become a less generous employer; store workers earn an average of $17 an hour and pay just 9% of the cost of health insurance, a rich package in the penny-pinching retail industry. "Our attitude is that if you hire good people and pay them a fair wage, then good things will happen for the company," says Sinegal, who remains hale at 70.

If you Google 'Jim Sinegal' you will find that many others also sing his praises.

Mr. Sinegal has said "We pay much better than Wal-Mart. That's not altruism. It's good business." A full time clerk or warehouse worker at Costco makes $41,000 a year with great health benefits. Yep. Wal-Mart makes twice as much profit as Costco but Mr. Sinegal believes in making a 'profit' not a killing and to invest in his workers.

Who would have thought you can make money in retail AND provide for your employees?

Sandpit Rezoning Discussion - May 15th

The Saranac Lake Village Board will discuss the possible rezoning of the village sandpit area on Lake Flower Avenue. This is the 10 acre site that Wal-Mart is hoping to purchase from the village. Mayor Michael states that this meeting is not a Wal-Mart referendum but rather an opportunity to ask questions of the consulting engineer, Andy Abdullah. The village has thus far spent $18,000 on the rezoning process and it will cost an estimated $32,000 more. The SEQR process has been completed so Trustee John McEneany suggests that the board should decide whether or not to proceed with the rezoning process. McEneany is also concerned that the meeting could turn into a 'free-for-all'. Read more here at WNBZ.

Harrietstown Town Board Wants Wal-Mart in Downtown

There is a new interesting local development on Wal-Mart. Harrietstown Town Board has passed a resolution stating that it doesn't want Wal-Mart or any other large retailer to build outside the downtown area.

In todays ADE:

Instead board members want a committee consisting of local leaders to encourage development in the downtown area.

The resolution passed by the Harrietstown board authorizes Miller to send a letter to the Saranac Lake village mayor, Saranac Lake-Area Chamber of Commerce executive director and chairman of the Red Carpet Committee. The letter will ask the leaders of these groups to meet in a work session to develop a strategy for drawing retailers to downtown.

Smaller store and downtown location seems to be a reasonable compromise.

Shackling Wal-Mart

Jeff Milchen, the co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance, writes about the Shackling of Wal-Mart. This is an article discussing the outcry against Wal-Mart's request to enter the banking industry. A public outcry "led to the first-ever public hearings held by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a banking application".

I think this is true:

Naturally, Wal-Mart executives complain that it’s unfair for the Target Corporation to own a bank while they cannot, and they understandably are frustrated that Target largely escapes scrutiny for operating a business that emulates Wal-Mart in almost every manner. But just as many communities rightfully control big box stores more stringently than small businesses, Wal-Mart’s power demands we control it more stringently.

People continually wonder why the uproar against Wal-Mart and not other big box stores. Maybe it's because they don't understand the enormous size, financial advantage, and political power that is wielded by Wal-Mart.

Guess Who is Funding Repeal of the 'Death Tax'?

Mainly 18 super rich families including our nemesis.

The stakes of the campaign are great, not only for the super-wealthy families, but for the public. If the families’ repeal bid succeeds, it will cost the U.S. Treasury a trillion dollars in the first decade – roughly what it would cost to provide health insurance for every uninsured person in the United States.

The Walton family's net worth is 83.7 billion dollars. If the 'Death Tax' is repealed they stand to save 32.6 billion dollars. The average family on the other hand is 4 times more likely to get hit by lightning than have to pay the 'Death Tax'. 99.7% of people who die in the USA in 2006 will not have to pay estate taxes.

Report from Public Citizen is here (pdf).

Wal-Mart Reps Refuse Invite to Village Board Meeting

Tom Micheal, Mayor of Saranac Lake, invited Wal-Mart representatives to attend a May 15 Village Board Meeting. At this meeting there will be a presentation concerning the rezoning of the village sandpit site where Wal-Mart has expressed interest in building a store. Thus far, the Wal-Mart reps have refused the invitation. Read more here in today's ADE.

One interesting bit of information is that Mr. Micheal met with Wal-Mart reps last February as a representative of the 'Red Carpet Team' prior to being elected mayor.

Michael said he told the Wal-Mart representatives at that meeting there were other possible sites in the village for potential development and that the Wal-Mart representatives were interested in hearing those ideas.

Does this imply that Essex County Manager Cliff Donaldson never mentioned to Wal-Mart reps about possible downtown building sites? Building sites which are located in Franklin County and the Town of Harrietstown?

Interviews

Al Norman, anti-Wal-Mart activist and founder of Sprawl Busters. Questions by editors and by readers of Grist Magazine.

Q. Have you encountered critics who argue that low-income shoppers can't afford not to shop at big-box stores like Wal-Mart? What has been your response? -- Evelyn Goss, Austin, Texas

A. Yes. Wal-Mart has created and perpetuated a low-income cycle of worker/consumer. Something like 30 percent or more of Wal-Mart shoppers have no bank accounts. Wal-Mart's 1.5 million workers have to shop at the company store because they can't afford to shop elsewhere. It's a great closed-loop system, akin to a plantation where the field workers went to the company store with their day's wages. By making small profits on large volumes, Wal-Mart has created great wealth at the top of the chain. Each member of the Walton family is worth about $18 billion. They could afford to pay their workers a decent wage and provide them with health insurance, instead of amassing unimaginable wealth. That's why I say the model is based on greed, not need.

Q. What strategies have been used in the past to encourage Wal-Mart to rethink its plans and either relocate or sell its property to a developer who will enhance the area? -- Dean Brown, Orange, Calif.

A. You cannot "encourage Wal-Mart to rethink its plans." It pays no attention to what the community says it wants. Wal-Mart is driven by what it thinks its stockholders want and what will add value to its stock. But local citizens can reinvent their zoning codes to stop or restrict big-box sprawl. A cap on the footprint size of buildings can be done with one sentence.

While you are at it, read Umbra Fisk's answer to the question "Why is Wal-Mart Evil"? here.

And, read a little something good about Wal-Mart trying to improve it's environmental image here.

Something Was Missing - Poor Mr. Smiley

Poor Mr. Smiley has been demoted. Maybe he was involved in union talk or complained about poor pay and benefits. Or, maybe he just wasn't 'upscale' enough. Do you think he got severance pay?

Wal-Mart spends nearly as much each year to make us feel good about not paying health care costs for employees, locking immigrant workers inside stores overnight and firing managers who complain about unfair practices.... More here.

Tough to Legislate Wal-Mart Out of Your Community

Because Wal-Mart does not provide sufficient health care coverage for employees, the state of Maryland passed a law that requires Wal-Mart to spend more on employee health care. H. Lee Scott the president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. thinks the law is 'ridiculous'. "We are not going to go away that easily," Scott said. "It's going to be tough to legislate Wal-Mart out of your community." More here.

Maybe it would be worthwhile for Wal-Mart to investigate why governments are trying to "legislate" them out of our communities. Is there something Wal-Mart could do to improve it's public image besides whining about how the largest company on earth is always being picked on? Wal-Mart has no problem paying Mr. Scott 17 million in compensation (2004), maybe spending a little on their 'associates' would be in order.

Wal-Mart Playing Catch-Up With Target?

Wal-Mart stock down 4% last year. Target stock is up 7%. How does Wal-Mart plan to catch up? Well, maybe creating a fictional cast of characters will help it boost lackluster sales.

Wal-Mart is claiming they don't want to be like Target in spite of the fact they are now building 'upscale' Wal-Mart stores in some areas.

Vice Chairman John Menzer said. "Our customers are moving from a focus on price, to a focus on value, and we are moving with our customers."

What exactly does that mean Mr. Menzer? Why can't we have quality goods for a slightly higher price? Isn't that value? Wouldn't treating your employees better be a value to you, them and their community?

SAGA E-Newsletter

Sound Adirondack Growth Alliance (SAGA) has published an electronic newsletter for April. The main article is called "It's about size and location - not being pro or anti-Wal-Mart". SAGA's position is that the Town of North Elba size restrictions, 40,000 sq ft for a single store and 68,000 sq ft for a shopping center, should be followed for any new retail development. Any proposed shopping center should also be located downtown and not at the currently proposed village sandpit site. SAGA also points out that it would take a minimum of two years before any new shopping center could be opened because of the required review processes. The entire article (pdf) can be read at the SAGA website or just click here.

Wal-Mart and Ethics Day

The Community College of Baltimore County held an ethics day on April 4th. The theme was 'Ethics and the Economy' and Gary W. Hill, director of the Global Ethics Offices for Wal-Mart was one of the panelists.

Mr. Hill evidently had some difficulty answering some of the questions posed by participants.

Mike Dean, lobbyist and president of Communications Workers of America, asked how ethical it is for Wal-Mart to give Medicaid forms to employees when other businesses have to pay for Medicaid. Hill had no answer, and Dean asked, “Why are you here if you can't answer?”

Hill could also not answer questions posed about unions or how charitable donations by Wal-Mart compared with those of other large companies.

Read more here.

Oprah and Minimum Wage

Oprah is taking on the minimum wage topic. Could you live 30 days on just $5 an hour? For millions of people, this is reality. No credit, no savings…life on minimum wage.

Being aired today I think. Go here to view short video and read more about 'Inside the Lives of People Living on Minimum wage'.

Also, one of Oprah's recommended books 'The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans By Beth Shulman' here.

Dispels some of the 'myths' of low wage jobs:

that most low-wage workers are teenagers, immigrants, or high-school dropouts

that being in low-wage employment is a stepping stone to a better position

that making bad jobs into good jobs requires insurmountably difficult reforms

that low-wage work is always low-skilled

Wal-Mart 'Botox'

From the theLedger.com:

Wal-Mart's ambitious plan for upgrading rundown stores calls for remodeling 1,800 of them in 18 months by adding mock-hardwood flooring in the apparel area, widening aisles and upgrading bathrooms. Wal-Mart will improve the layout and fixtures in the electronics, apparel and baby departments.

Wal-Mart is also going to increase the number of it's part-time employee's from 20% to 40%. HSBC Holdings PLC called Wal-Mart's remodeling plans 'botox', arresting decline but not relaunching growth.

Voters for Change Request Village to Stop Rezoning

Voters for Change, a local progressive political action group, formally requested that the SL Village Board stop the process of rezoning the village sandpit area.

Since the SEQR process is already ~80% complete and the consultants paid, SL Mayor Tom Micheal said it "makes more sense to move forward".

Read more here at WNBZ news.

Wall Street and Wal-Mart

It seems Wall St. thinks Wal-Mart could do better in a couple of areas.

What's more, some Wal-Mart watchers say investors are becoming increasingly frustrated that the company's spending an inordinate amount of time trying to diffuse its public relations crises and not giving enough attention to improving weak spots in its business.

A couple of recommendations include:

Bolster labor relations

As the nation's biggest private employer with 1.3 million workers, Wal-Mart has become an easy target for union-backed groups critical of its pay and benefits.

That means that Wal-Mart needs to make a dedicated and even more visible push to better its relationship with workers, and with communities where it does business.

Attract new customers

Last but not least, Wal-Mart's got to think outside of its "big-box" if its wants to win new customers and rejuvenate growth, said Love Goel, CEO of Growth Ventures, an investment firm focused on retailers.

Why can't Wal-Mart management see these issues?

An Associate - Revisited

A visit to Working At Wal-Mart is enlightening. First written anonymously by 'An Associate' (so he wouldn't be fired I imagine), 23 year old Josh Smith talks about his experiences as a Wal-Mart 'Associate'.

On October 12th, 2005 I was hired as an associate at WAL-MART Supercenter #2046 in Augusta, ME. As a temporary (and later part-time) hire, I averaged 32 hours per week at $7.40 per hour, with no benefits. My hours were erratic and I worked throughout the store as a cashier and door guard, in customer service and layaway, and at times even helping the stockmen and sales floor associates. All the while I witnessed the company cheat their employees out of benefits and raises, ignore workplace safety hazards, rig charitable-giving totals, engage in gender discrimination... It didn't take much of this for me to realize how difficult a job this truly is, especially given the intense pressure, the culture of fear, and the utter lack of respect handed down by the company. But I think what makes this job nearly unbearable is that, at the end of the day, despite working for the largest corporation in the world, these workers must return home to a life of poverty.

ADE Commentary - The Broadway-Depot St. Market Place

In yesterday’s Adirondack Daily Enterprise there is a commentary by Frank Casier entitled ‘The Broadway-Depot St. Market Place’. Mr. Casier suggests reviving a plan to redevelop a deteriorated area in Saranac Lake.

Mr. Casier writes:

“The area lies between Broadway and the railroad tracks, behind the fire house, Adirondack Tire, the Adult Center and other properties. It extends from Depot Street almost to Cedar Street, adjacent to the renovated Railroad Depot.”

This is the largest, mostly open, piece of property in the downtown area of Saranac Lake. It used to be a coal yard, a lumber yard, and a train yard. The property is made up of small parcels owned by at least a dozen people. It is currently hidden from the view of most passers-by except those that ride the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. It is an ideal area for re-development. According to Mr. Casier, the village board approved the re-development of the Depot Street area as long ago as August 13, 1979.

Mr. Casier goes on to say:

“It is a matter of setting better priorities and making more intelligent decisions to fulfill the community’s greatest needs. Wal-Mart on Lake Flower is not the only choice.”

Mr. Casier, a land developer in his own right, points out that “there are government agencies such as Urban Renewal that could be brought into the effort.” That is certainly a possibility. But wouldn’t it be better if Wal-Mart actually worked with village officials to develop this downtown area? The positive PR it would give Wal-Mart would probably be worth as much as they pay Edelman and Crosslink Strategy Group for one years worth of propaganda.

Wal-Mart, build a smaller store in the downtown area and you will be welcomed into Saranac Lake by at least 80% of the residents. Who knows, even the other 20% of us might come around sooner or later. However, as someone has previously pointed out in comments on this blog, Wal-Mart does not seem to be interested in doing small and they do not seem to be interested in locating in downtown business areas - Rutland, VT being at least one exception.

There is a piece of news from the WNBZ website that pre-dates this blog. As pointed out by Mr. Casier, this concerns a message delivered to the Harrietstown board by Mr. Parker, Kurtz, Drury and McCormick last February.

"Considering Wal-Mart’s plans to come to Saranac Lake are still in the initial stages, Parker said the mega-retailer might be convinced to locate in the downtown. “If we can show them the possibility of doing a downtown alternative, we could get their ear,” he said.

Parker noted that Wal-Mart has been experimenting in recent years with fitting its stores into smaller sites. He said there are at least three locations in Saranac Lake’s downtown that the company could consider. “This could be a flagship store for them,” he said." You can read it all here.

Wal-Mart PR - Working Families for Wal-Mart

In recent weeks, Wal-Mart has been asking thousands of their shoppers to join 'Working Families for Wal-Mart'. Fill out a form and support your local Wal-Mart but don't ask exactly where the information is going because it's going to a Washington-based consulting firm with close ties to the Republican Party.

"I just filled out the paper," said Tamymy Ramos, 27, who signed up outside of a Wal-Mart on Saturday after a shopping trip with her 3-year-old daughter.

Ramos, a native of Brazil, wasn't sure what she would get in exchange for giving up her name, address and e-mail address. "He told me, but I forgot. Maybe some coupons," she guessed.

Read more here.

She is actually giving her information to Edelman PR, a global public relations firm and to consulting firm Crosslink Strategy Group, founded by Terry Nelson.

McCain Strategist Terry Nelson supervised James Tobin during New Hampshire phone jamming scandal; Tobin convicted of federal telephone arassment charges. McCain strategist Terry Nelson served as middleman in DeLay TRMPAC money laundering scheme, named in indictment and had to testify. More here and here.


Draw your own conclusions about how Wal-Mart sucks its customers into 'grassroots' organizations.

Wal-Mart Realty

I had no idea that Wal-Mart had their own Realty website. I like the little ads on the bottom of the page requesting you shop at Wal-Mart and Sam's. Of course not the stores that are listed for sale on the website.

Go here to see the full color pdf for the sale of the Brockport, NY Wal-Mart store. 98,578 sq ft, 13.76 acres and 360 ft wide by 269 ft deep. Maps, floor plans, population facts and all are provided. Or maybe you would prefer Geneseo, NY. I guess Geneseo got a new 204,137 square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Is Wal-Mart Leaving or Not?

From Chicago Tribune:

When the tiny village of East Dundee landed one of the first Wal-Mart stores in the Chicago area 15 years ago, officials gave the retail giant a tax break as a welcome present.

Now it seems Wal-Mart Co. is planning to pack up its wares and leave the Kane County town. Apparently, however, it forgot to give notice to the village, its customers or even employees.
East Dundee officials were stunned to learn via a commercial real estate listing last week that Wal-Mart would vacate the 120,000-square-foot store at Higgins Road and Dundee Avenue by winter of 2007.

Losing the store would blow a huge hole in the village's budget. The Wal-Mart provided $365,000 of the village's $1.9 million in sales tax revenue for 2004-05, interim Village Manager Paul Nicholson said.

Wal-Mart spokesman John Bisio called the listing premature and said he had no knowledge of plans to shut the East Dundee store but would not rule it out.


More here and here.

A Question for Wal-Mart - Answered

Asked below on March 27th. One answer today: Wal-Mart's Dirty Secret.

In the past few years, Wal-Mart has:

Opposed the introduction of anti-terrorist "smart containers" and electronic seals for cargo containers coming into U.S. ports. The retail industry called them "feel good (security) measures."
Opposed independent and regular inspections of supply-chain security practices around the world.
Opposed tougher rules requiring Wal-Mart to let Customs know what it's shipping in and where it comes from.
Opposed new container-handling fees to pay for improved port security.
The corporate lobbyists at RILA boasted in a 2005 lobbying report to Wal-Mart and other retailers about its "continued industry leadership in opposition to ill-advised and onerous port security measures (i.e., cargo fees, increased physical inspections)." In fact, beating back meaningful port security measures topped RILA's agenda.

RILA responds here.

Wal-Mart "is as American as mom and apple pie"

Media Matters has a good summary of why this may not be true.

My Mom doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would perfect an apple pie recipe and then outsource the production of that apple pie to Chinese children making 5 cents an hour. It just isn't in her character.

From pete592 / Wednesday March 22, 2006 02:03:44 PM EST in discussion section located on the above link. Priceless.

Wal-Mart Visits

Domain Name walmart.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address 161.165.196.# (Wal-Mart Stores)
ISP Wal-Mart Stores
Location Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Arkansas
City : Bentonville
Lat/Long : 36.2995, -93.9568 (Map)
Distance : 1,144 miles

We get an occasional visit from Bentonville. You would get more support for a smaller downtown Wal-Mart in Saranac Lake guys.

WalMart Continues Fight to Win Hearts and Minds

WalMart has instituted an economic development program that will locate new stores in economically blighted areas. In an attempt to put on a better face Wal-Mart has plans to establish 10 "jobs and opportunity zones." The first of these will be located in the Chicago area.

"The zones will encompass the Wal-Mart store and a host of local businesses and suppliers with which Wal-Mart will work to increase job creation and economic opportunity in surrounding neighborhoods," Wal-Mart said in a statement.

Read more here.

Wal-Mart Dethroned By Exxon Mobil - Fortune 500

Exxon Mobil tops the Fortune 500 list for 2005 beating out Wal-Mart. While Exxon had revenues of 340 billion dollars, an increase of 25.5% over 2004 (what a surprise), Wal-Mart only had revenues of 315.6 billion dollars. An increase of 9.5% over 2005. Article here.

SL Village Sandlot to Become Wal-lyworld?

According to an article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise the village sandlot on Lake Flower Ave. is to become a Wal-lyworld. ADE reporter Geoff Hayward interviewed Clark Griswald, one of those 'transplants' to the area. Griswald said "The timing of this announcement is really what people should be paying attention to" "To go behind the people's backs like this is unconscionable."

Many Tri-Lakes area residents were unhappy about the Wal-lyworld on the outskirts of the village. However they realized that Wal-lyworld would have just relocated in the next village over if they were not allowed to build on the sandlot site.

Community Benefit Agreements

Next week our new mayor and village trustees begin their term of office. One of the big issues now on the table is the question of rezoning the Lake Flower Avenue Village sandpit site. This would be an appropriate time to learn about community benefit agreements.

Google 'community benefit agreements' and you will get more information than you need.

From good jobs ny website:

What is a CBA?

A Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a legally binding contract negotiated between a developer and a coalition representing broad spectrum of community members impacted by the development. In exchange for community members' support for the project, the developer agrees to provide certain benefits. Existing CBAs include provisions such as funds for affordable housing and open space, card check neutrality for workers who choose to organize unions, and living wage goals for workers employed at the development.

In order to be meaningful, a CBA must incorporate concerns from a wide variety of stakeholders that come together as one coalition, and must lead to contributions from the developer and support for the project from coalition members that would not have emerged in the absence of CBA negotiations.

Who participates in a CBA?

Developers - to get a project through its approval process as quickly and smoothly as possible, with the public support of local stakeholders and elected officials.

Residents - to have a say in shaping the development projects in your neighborhood, to minimize the disruption they may cause, and to ensure that they contribute to the local quality of life.

Job seekers - to improve access to jobs for unemployed and under-employed people in the impacted area, and to support the inclusion of job quality standards, for example living wages, health benefits, and paid vacation.

Business owners - to give input on how best to increase local foot traffic and minimize disruptions while making sure that new-comers are not given an unfair competitive advantage over existing businesses through public subsidies that come without any strings attached.

Unions - to expand opportunities for existing members and ensure that unorganized workers can exercise their right to join a union.

City officials - to facilitate the completion of worthy projects, help craft economic development outcomes that balance the needs of city residents, businesses, and tax-payers, and encourage the types of businesses that invest - and remain - in the neighborhoods in which they locate.

Wal-Mart should have no problem with such an agreement because they are concerned about communities. Everyone participates, everyone compromises, everyone wins.

An example of a community benefit agreement can be found here.

Read about the first NY CBA here.

Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market Community Benefits Agreement here (pdf).

Ticonderoga Wal-Mart - Illegal Aliens

The Ticonderoga Wal-Mart is apparently getting renovated. The contractor or subcontractor has been using illegal aliens as employees. And, this isn't the first time this has happened.

According to an article in todays Plattsburgh Press Republican:

In 2003, four members of a Lithuanian cleaning group at the Ticonderoga Wal-Mart were taken into custody by the Border Patrol for deportation. The arrests were part of a nationwide roundup of 300 illegal aliens staffing Wal-Mart cleaning crews.

Of course Wal-Mart knows absolutely nothing about the use of illegal alien labor in their stores and immediately suspended the renovation work. Did they use a local contractor and local labor? Unlikely. Wal-Mart uses subcontractors (who hire illegal aliens) so that they can deny responsibility for the labor violations. Wal-Mart likes to give "Always low prices. Always.", so they have to keep their labor costs down as low as possible.

A good article concerning Wal-Mart and illegal alien workers can be found here.

Wal-Mart officials said it made sense to contract out the cleaning work because that enabled store managers to concentrate on what they do best, operating stores that provide low-cost merchandise. Wal-Mart uses about 100 contractors to clean nearly 1,000 of its stores.

Several industry executives said the questionable contractors made it hard for legitimate operators to bid low enough to win contracts at Wal-Mart.

"When you don't pay taxes, don't pay Social Security and don't pay workers' comp, you have a 40 percent cost advantage," said Lilia Garcia, executive director of the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a group financed by California cleaning contractors to police fly-by-night competitors. "It makes it hard for companies that follow the rules."

Read the lawsuit brought against WalMart by the illegal alien janitors here (pdf).

See, if Wal-Mart had to play by the rules, we wouldn't have "Everyday Low Prices".

Downtown Rutland, VT
With a downsized, downtown Wal-Mart. It has been done and can be done.

Downtown Wal-Mart - St. Albans, VT

Wal-Mart wants to build a 150,000 sq ft store in a corn field outside of St. Albans, VT. But wouldn't a downtown store be a better deal for everyone involved? Here is a simulated picture of how a Wal-Mart would fit into a downtown location and actually enhance the town. Visit the Preservation Trust of Vermont website for more information. Smaller, multi-story Wal-Marts with underground parking are evidently being developed for European cities.

Maybe the Adirondack Daily Enterprise should publish an open letter to H. Lee Scott Jr., CEO of Wal-Mart, requesting a downsized, downtown Wal-Mart for Saranac Lake (just as the residents of Vermont did).

Together Again - Howard Riley in ADE

Howard Riley wrote in Sat. ADE a column about the Democrats sweeping the Village elections. The last paragraph is worth posting for those of you who do not get the ADE.

It is now time for the village board, the Harrietstown Town Board, the chamber of commerce, the Red Carpet Team, the Local Merchants Association and others who want to play a part to get a department store in a DOWNTOWN location where seniors can walk to it. If Wal-Mart can pay more than 2 million bucks for only one of the sites in its present plan, then there are sites that they can afford to develop downtown in a store of reasonable size.
The citizens of Saranac Lake have just spoken loud and clear that they will decide what Saranac Lake wants and needs and gave a big Bronx cheer to those who believe otherwise.

Congratulations to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise on your great new website. Welcome to the 21st Century!

UPDATE: The entire text of Mr. Riley's column is posted here at the ADE website.

Find the Wal-Mart Store Entrance

Make Big Boxes Get Small & Go Downtown. From VermontWalMartWatch.org. Isn't this a smart idea? Limit the store size and make them build downtown and 80% of Saranac Lakers would likely welcome Wal-Mart into their community. A neighborhood Wal-Mart store sells 23,000 items and is less than 50,000 sq. ft.

Also, read this (pdf) to see how Rutland, VT dealt with Wal-Mart, downsize and downtown.

Also, a great speech by Bill McKibben at this same website.

How Good a Neighbor is Wal-Mart?

Go here to find out. Make sure and read some of the emails.

A Question for Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart imports billions of dollars of stuff from China and other countries in the far East. Thousands of containers loaded with Wal-Mart imported goods must arrive in US West coast ports every week. What is Wal-Mart's stance on port security? Do they believe that all their containers full of imported goods should be inspected and secured prior to leaving the foreign ports? Do they support Congressional action that would require such inspections?

Wal-Mart and Bangladesh

Much of the clothing sold by Wal-Mart is made in Bangladesh under extremely poor conditions and pay, often using child labor. Wal-Mart now claims to have instituted a Corporate Code of Conduct that will prevent dealing with suppliers that employ children under the age of 14. However, it is questionable whether the code can be enforced.

From CBC news:
Radio-Canada journalists posed as buyers in the Canadian garment industry so they could videotape inside factories in Bangladesh with hidden cameras. In one factory, typical of many in the country, children were busy with lower-skill tasks. In badly lit, dirty and overheated workshops, young boys were everywhere. A label reading Simply Basic, one of Wal-Mart's in-house brand names along with the number CA 28885, the corporate ID of Wal-Mart Canada, was seen in the factory. The same factory also produces Wal-Mart's corporate T-shirt for Canada. The factory manager told Radio-Canada that the children are working on domestic production. "They do not work on export garments, like Wal-Mart's," said Liakot Patwary. "I can give you [a] guarantee." But after filling many orders, Patwary said he had never met inspectors from the company and Wal-Mart had not visited the factory.

Read more about 'Wal-Mart's Shirts of Misery' here.

Read about Wal-Mart in China here.

Read about Sweatshop Labor at the sistersofmercy.org.

This may seem like picking on Wal-Mart because all large retailers are now exploiting overseas workers to provide us with low cost clothing. But Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world and they have to lead the change in this disgusting practice.

Thank You Edelman PR for Visiting This Site

From SourceWatch. In October 2005, Reuters reported that Edelman is to mount an aggressive campaign against Robert Greenwald's new documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of a Low Price. In what is reported to be a movie industry first, Edelman's representatives emailed reporters press kits containing a point-by-point rebuttal of the film's trailer, which Wal-Mart is demanding be altered or removed from the walmartmovie.com website. (The trailer is under fire because the documentary itself will not be released until November 1, 2005.) "The press kit includes snippets from negative reviews of Greenwald's earlier works - one dating as far back as 1980 - and three examples of what the retailer calls factual errors in the latest documentary.

Come back anytime.

What Will Essex County Do?

Last October, Lawmakers in Suffolk County, N.Y voted 17-1 to require large, nonunionized grocery retailers in the county to contribute to their employees' health insurance. The bill affects retail stores that have 25,000 square feet or more devoted to groceries, stores that have 100,000 or more square feet with 3% used for groceries.

Philip Serghini (Wal-Mart Community Affairs Manager for the Northeast), said, "We are concerned that the health care bill passed today, which does nothing to provide health care to those people without insurance, is a kind of hidden tax that runs counter to Wal-Mart's commitment to everyday low prices"

Mr. Serghini, believes that Wal-Mart provides affordable health care insurance to its employees. Does Mr. Serghini have the same health care plan as the 'associates' at his stores? Mr. Serghini notes that all Wal-Mart employees are eligible for company provided health insurance but about half of them 'decline' it. Does Mr. Serghini know why half of the employees 'decline' the Wal-Mart health insurance plan?

Some other things Mr. Serghini 'believes':

Wal-Mart provides value for customers

see here and here.

Wal-Mart provides opportunities for our workforce

see here and here and here.

Wal-Mart provides economic support for communities

see here and here.

Wal-Mart provides a helping hand for charities across America

see here.

Will Wal-Mart Impact SL Police Dept?

SL has long had financial concerns over police 'overtime' or whether to even have a police department. Having a Wal-Mart is likely to result in a need for more police officers, especially if the store is allowed to stay opened 24 hrs a day. Epping, NH had that specific problem.

Pineville, NC seems to have the same problem.
Pineville is one of a growing number of towns that have added large retail
stores in recent years only to find that the stores do not generate enough
tax revenue to cover their impact on public services, particularly police
costs.

And in West Sadsbury, Pennsylvania:
We saw a significant increase in crime and incident calls for service from the day Wal-Mart opened,'' as the anchor store in a new development in 2002, he said. Crime jumped 55 percent from the year before Wal-Mart opened to 2003, while calls for service increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2003, he said.

These are towns the size of Saranac Lake or smaller. Will police costs rise in SL if a Wal-Mart locates here? Maybe it would be best to try and determine if that will be the case or not.

Read a summary here.

Democrats Sweep SL Village Elections

In an interesting development 'Wal-Mart at any cost' Republicans were defeated in yesterdays Saranac Lake Village elections by the Democrats. The Democrats ran on a pro-development agenda but cautioned that the impacts of development on the community must first be discerned. Read more here (WNBZ) and here (ADE).

The vote counts were as follows:

Mayor Michael 838 Branch 579

Trustee Waters 797 Knuth 515

Trustee Fontana 811 Piro 677

Overall Democrats got 28% more votes than Republicans even though Democrats were cast as the anti-Wal-Mart party.

In Maine, Damariscotta residents voted in a 35,000 sq ft size cap in yesterdays elections.

How Big is Big?

Wal-Mart - Bullying and Broken Promises

Read about it here.

Will Wal-Mart give "peanut" gifts to our schools to improve their image like they did in Chicago, IL?

Will they form a front company called "Protect Saranac Lake's future" like they did in Flagstaff, AZ?

Will they break promises after getting tax subsidies like they did in Lewiston, Maine?

Will they pull a 'bait and switch' like they did in Cleveland, OH?

Maybe they'll use threats like they did in Stoughton, WI.

Damariscotta, Maine

This is a community made up of several villages including Damariscotta, Nobleboro, Waldoboro, Edgecomb, Newcastle and Pemaquid region. Wal-Mart is also trying to invade their community so they have a website providing the facts about Wal-Mart.

Today is a special day for residents of the Damariscotta region. They are voting on size caps for big box stores. Just a couple days ago Wal-Mart supporters sent out a mailing that over estimated the amount of tax revenue the Town would get from a Wal-Mart (read more here.)

It seems the town did an economic impact study paid for by Wal-Mart (can be found here). Reviews of the deficiencies of the report can be found here and here.

Lot's more information on this website.