In our opinion - Now the work begins

Do you really think that the City of Ukiah and the County of Mendocino will hammer out a tax revenue sharing agreement?

I'll believe it when I see it.

Chambers will take the fall on the 4+ million dollar land deal when it remains vacant for the next couple of years or more.

That is the most shallow bit of hogwash I have ever read- This election was all about the agenda of no growth advocates who run the city and the county.

There will be no tax sharing agreement, there will be no green jobs, there will be no action..All we'll get is another 15-20 years of no UVP and that warzone looking Shoemaker Park. None of these things will happen because the powers that be- city AND county- don't want them to happen.

I'm amazed at the gullibility of the UDJ.

Everything is going to be ok. Shoemaker is going to buy the site and fix it up. He said it on TV, it must be true, it was on TV...

MendoMike wrote:

That is the most shallow bit of hogwash I have ever read- This election was all about the agenda of no growth advocates who run the city and the county.
There will be no tax sharing agreement, there will be no green jobs, there will be no action..All we'll get is another 15-20 years of no UVP and that warzone looking Shoemaker Park. None of these things will happen because the powers that be- city AND county- don't want them to happen.
I'm amazed at the gullibility of the UDJ.

Huh, doesn't surprise me we disagree yet again Mike. Normally I think what the UDJ has to say IS hogwash, however what they have said here IS what needs to happens.

What IS hogwash is that you actually believe 62% of the voters are no-growth advocates who run the city and the county? Now THAT'S shallow if you ask me, but you didnt so... Thought you said you were "over it" regarding this issue?

By the way... when you're finished with it, can I borrow that crystal ball of yours?

Thanks.

I will leave the conspiracy theories alone for a moment and leave this simple comment. All those who were most strongly opposed, I would now like to see you push hard to bring both retail into the city limits and industrial to the Masonite Site. Since industrial is what everyone is talking to get on the site at this point, I want to know who here has talked to DDR and the interested or semi-interested parties that want to develop on that site. For those that are closest to the campaign, do you have any names to drop of companies you have started discussions with to expand their business onto the site? I figure that someone has to have been at least trying to talk to some companies and I am wondering specifically which ones so we can start making our decisions, as citizens, as to whether these companies are what we want based on business practices and overall jobs they will bring to the community. Maybe the UDJ can do some research into this and tell us who 'specifically' is or is not interested so that the community doesn't start to feel abandoned in a few months when the site is still empty.

Yer SMRT wrote:

<quoted text>
Huh, doesn't surprise me we disagree yet again Mike. Normally I think what the UDJ has to say IS hogwash, however what they have said here IS what needs to happens.
What IS hogwash is that you actually believe 62% of the voters are no-growth advocates who run the city and the county? Now THAT'S shallow if you ask me, but you didnt so... Thought you said you were "over it" regarding this issue?
By the way... when you're finished with it, can I borrow that crystal ball of yours?
Thanks.

Yeah..it doesn't surprise me we disagree either, but rather than stating you are wrong for about the fourth time today I'll make you a wager- If Ukiah and Mendocino county get a UVP plan in place, AND a tax sharing agreement in place, by Nov. of 2010, I will sit through a performance of The Bromettes singing protest songs- classics like Tom Dooley and such- but if Ukiah and Mendocino county fail to accomplish anything, as they've failed every time in the past 30 years, you will have to wear a Yes on A button for a week.

MendoMike wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah..it doesn't surprise me we disagree either, but rather than stating you are wrong for about the fourth time today I'll make you a wager- If Ukiah and Mendocino county get a UVP plan in place, AND a tax sharing agreement in place, by Nov. of 2010, I will sit through a performance of The Bromettes singing protest songs- classics like Tom Dooley and such- but if Ukiah and Mendocino county fail to accomplish anything, as they've failed every time in the past 30 years, you will have to wear a Yes on A button for a week.

I doubt you could pay The Bronnettes enough to have you as their audience. They only play to the most exclusive audiences

MendoMike wrote:

That is the most shallow bit of hogwash I have ever read- This election was all about the agenda of no growth advocates who run the city and the county.

Huh...Did you actually see who the endorsers were. Go to www.Noona.com and read the list. Besides that only 62% of population stood up and said "No you will not bulldoze us into approving this plan" to a corporation who's interest was not in protecting the people of this county.

Haiku Girl wrote:

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Huh...Did you actually see who the endorsers were. Go to www.Noona.com and read the list. Besides that only 62% of population stood up and said "No you will not bulldoze us into approving this plan" to a corporation who's interest was not in protecting the people of this county.

Oh, are you going to drag out Marge Boynton again? Yes, read the names of the supporters... mostly the no growth people.. and the rest are people involved in government wanting to protect their domain... or some downtown store owner wanting to protect their interests.

As for the 62%... it's NOT 62% of the population... it was 62% of the VOTERS... the election is over, you don't have to lie any more.

MendoMike wrote:

This election was all about the agenda of no growth advocates who run the city and the county.

I'm sure there are many like me whose No vote was not against growth but against DDR.

I think it is ridiculous of anyone to actually think that there is an "industry" that will go into that site. Masonite tried numerous times to sell the plant before it was cannibalized and then after selling everything off, multiple efforts to again sell the site to "industry". The cost of doing business in California is difficult at best and to take on this community would be crazy. Can you imagine getting any sort of industry that could be agreed on? I think it is funny that everyone bemoans the loss of good paying jobs like Masonite provided but forget the constant hassles toward this plant. The air quality in the valley is just as bad or worse than it was when Masonite was there but they were always at fault, no one thinking about the air inversion, spraying, automobiles, & fireplaces. Must be Masonite, we know they are evil! I am not fond of DDR but we need to look into mixed use and move forward. Get your head out of the sand and look at what we can do and not what might be able to do. I predict the ugly site will be there for a long time and no one will want to do anything with it but at least it will be preserved, won't it?

Good luck on getting the city council and the BOS to do anything. KC... this is all just wishful thinking. When have theses two bodies EVER been able to do ANYTHING that didn't cost the residents MORE money.

There will be NO DEVELOPMENT. SOLE showed their true colors when I received an email stating they wanted to keep the "character of the area" and would gladly pay more in taxes, water and sewer fees to do just that. That means NO GROWTH AT ALL.
Hence:
So, there will be no new jobs.
There will be no increase in tax revenue.
There WILL BE increased water fees.
There WILL BE increased sewer fees (10-15% on July 1, 2010 if not earlier).
There WILL BE continued layoffs in the city and county.
There WILL BE increased taxes in the city and county.

You voted for it MC. Now live with it.

Don't you know? They're going to put a slaughterhouse at the old Masonite site. Its perfect. Industry, jobs. Its what the "voters" wanted.

MendoMike wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah..it doesn't surprise me we disagree either, but rather than stating you are wrong for about the fourth time today I'll make you a wager- If Ukiah and Mendocino county get a UVP plan in place, AND a tax sharing agreement in place, by Nov. of 2010, I will sit through a performance of The Bromettes singing protest songs- classics like Tom Dooley and such- but if Ukiah and Mendocino county fail to accomplish anything, as they've failed every time in the past 30 years, you will have to wear a Yes on A button for a week.

ROFL, man Mike, I couldn't sit through that myself!

But I suppose I could wear a button for a week IF you're right.

I hope your not, but history says otherwise this I know. I will say this. This whole venture has really got me interested in where these problems lay. I don't want you to be right, any more than you do, really.

So what do we do? I don't want to see that place sit any more than you do. I really don't care if it stays industry or not albeit it WOULD be ideal if this green friendly business dream could come true.

While you and I have disagreed on many thing regarding this issue I think in the end we have similar goals, just I didn't think DDR was the right answer.

Now that A is over what can we do to really fix this situation? Personally I am going to see how I can get more involved. The issues you rant about are real; I understand that and... get ready for it... "I agree with you." I just don't want to believe they are not fixable.

Anyway thanks for the laugh this morning Mike, hope you have a great day.

Ukiah_Mom wrote:

Good luck on getting the city council and the BOS to do anything. KC... this is all just wishful thinking. When have theses two bodies EVER been able to do ANYTHING that didn't cost the residents MORE money.
There will be NO DEVELOPMENT. SOLE showed their true colors when I received an email stating they wanted to keep the "character of the area" and would gladly pay more in taxes, water and sewer fees to do just that. That means NO GROWTH AT ALL.

I have every email SOLE sent in a special little folder marked SOLE. Don't Lie it didn't happen. Or if it did go ahead and copy and paste the text here complete with timestamp on the email.

really wrote:

<quoted text>
Oh, are you going to drag out Marge Boynton again? Yes, read the names of the supporters... mostly the no growth people.. and the rest are people involved in government wanting to protect their domain... or some downtown store owner wanting to protect their interests.
As for the 62%... it's NOT 62% of the population... it was 62% of the VOTERS... the election is over, you don't have to lie any more.

Uhh yes the voters...That is how we do it here. I don't have to lie or guess regarding the will of the electorate. As for the list do we really have 1500 people in government here?

Haiku Girl wrote:

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I have every email SOLE sent in a special little folder marked SOLE. Don't Lie it didn't happen. Or if it did go ahead and copy and paste the text here complete with timestamp on the email.

Good luck with that, I'm sure UM's claims are total BS just lie everything else i t spews. Remember, this is the same idiot who a while back was complaining about how she can't buy extremely fancy high end fashion items here in town, and then proceeded to complain about how she was having trouble feeding her family in the same post. Obviously she cares more about superficial items than people, even her own family.

Haiku Girl wrote:

<quoted text>
I have every email SOLE sent in a special little folder marked SOLE. Don't Lie it didn't happen. Or if it did go ahead and copy and paste the text here complete with timestamp on the email.

So, I am still wondering what SOLE really wants for our community. We know they did not want DDR, and many involved with SOLE said they did not want more big box retail that would destroy our downtown. Shannon Riley or Shoe Fly Sox was the leader in this mantra. Yet many involved with SOLE have been saying that big box can go down to the airport. So some in SOLE are ok with Big Box as long as it's in the city, and some from SOLE are not ok with Big box because it destroys the down town merchants and/or the small town feel. Which is it?

Some in SOLE, let by Mr. Shoemaker said they have an idea for industry at the Masonite site and even did a dog and pony show (although they never really said much of anything specific) just before the election (to confuse the voters even more). But now, Mr. SOLE is disbanding, and Mr. Shoemaker seems to be on to other maters. So was there a legitimate idea on the table or not? Did it finally dawn on them that they could not afford the $20 million price tag on the land, and then afford to finish cleaning it up (buy an insurance policy at great expense like DDR did), and they could not afford to do the infrastructure either... and did they then discover that this thing would never fly... and so they are just going to pretend they never said anything? What gives? How did this help the people in Mendocino county?

Will SOLE, Richard, or Guinness be down at the supervisors meetings pushing for the revenue sharing agreement now?

KC says the work now begins, but it sounds as if all the people involved with SOLE are just going to fade away now that they have defeated the evil giant from Ohio. Is their work done? What did they do that benefited the average citizen of this county?

Were the voters duped into believing that there was a plan B happening to bring jobs and raise money for the county coffers?

How is Mendocino County better off today than they were before the election? Do any of the unemployed have any hope of finding work anytime soon? Any hope on the horizon?

I heard that someone at the Rally for the Valley said something about manufacturing wood furniture and employing thousands of people. When is that going to happen? Or was this just another confusing promise from SOLE and it's supporters?

what's next?

Old Uncle Dave wrote:

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I'm sure there are many like me whose No vote was not against growth but against DDR.

Armageddon Sic a Dic Shu Maker.

Armageddon Sic A Jabba Da Hut.