Dear Editor:
As citizens of this great country, we have a duty to participate
in our democratic process.
Dear Editor:
As citizens of this great country, we have a duty to participate in our democratic process. Most of us do our part by getting out and voting for who we want to represent our views and opinions. But there is more to it than that- yes, we elect leaders to make decisions on our behalf, but it is also our right to speak our mind. City meetings are one venue in which this is practiced. If a matter before the Council or Commission is important to you, get out there and tell them!
Tonight at 7, the City Council will debate the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter. This is the final meeting and vote on this project and it is time for the hundreds and thousands of us who support this project to make our voices heard. Too long has the city planning process been dominated by union thugs who use every trick in the book to derail valuable projects. No one group should monopolize the Council’s attention or the public policy in Gilroy. Unlike most of us, the unions do not have Gilroy’s best interests at heart – instead; it has its own special interests at heart. Gilroy residents need to take control of the city’s destiny and not leave it in the hands of out-of-town workers who are bussed in for a city meeting.
To the average citizen, a Supercenter sounds like a great idea and an important addition to Gilroy. It will employ more than 500 people, which is nearly double the 267 people employed at the current Gilroy Wal-Mart (all of whom will be offered jobs at the new store). It will provide Gilroy with more than $600,000 in annual sales tax funds, which is at least $120,000 more than the current store gives.
And it is the right use for the right location – the Pacheco Pass Center has been zoned for large commercial uses under the General Plan for over 10 years. But to a union member, a Supercenter is cause for alarm. Why? With all of these benefits to Gilroy, what could be wrong?
Well, Wal-Mart is not union, and that is the ONLY reason the unions oppose this project. But I was at the Planning Commission hearing last week, and I heard dozens of Wal-Mart employees talk about the benefits they get at the company, the high salary they are paid, and the number of years they have been there because they WANT to work there. As usual, union members tried to speak for the employees, but I think that Wal-Mart employees know best how Wal-Mart treats its employees.
Throughout this whole process, Wal-Mart has consistently gone the extra mile to prove that its project is valuable through and through, and that it will be a strong community partner for Gilroy. While Wal-Mart’s project falls under the scope of a Mitigated Negative Declaration for all of Pacheco Pass Center, it chose to do a full EIR and have more extensive environmental analysis done in order to fully address potential concerns about the Supercenter. The Wal-Mart will also not be taking any financial incentives or money from Gilroy, since it is an existing retailer.
Whatever your reason is for supporting a Supercenter, it’s important that you let it be known. The City Council meeting tonight is the time for us to show our support for this important project and show the unions who’s the boss of this town.
Mark A. Zappa, Gilroy
Submitted Friday, Feb. 13 to [email protected]
