Embrace the Supercenter
Let's look at the bright side
By Kelvin Wade | | February 20, 2008 15:31
Suisun City is on its way to enjoying a massive new Wal-Mart Supercenter. Well, not everyone is happy about it.
If you're quiet, you just might hear the faint whispers of fists shaking in the air, the rush of steam exiting ears and the clickety-clack of gnashing teeth from the anti-Wal-Mart forces. It's a coalition of Travis-protecting-zealots, huggers-of-wetland-critters-no-one-ever-sees, frightened business owners, folks legitimately concerned about traffic and of course, the Professional Wal-Mart Haters.
Full disclosure: Anyone who has visited my blog knows I didn't want Suisun City to approve a Wal-Mart Supercenter. It had nothing to do with Wal-Mart being evil or the likelihood of a C5 making an unscheduled landing in the produce aisle. I wasn't concerned about noise, pollution, endangered species or even increased traffic. No, I wanted Suisun residents to spend their hard earned dollars in Fairfield's Supercenter. Ka-ching. We've done the heavy lifting of negotiating, cutting through the anti-Wal-Mart forces and surviving a lawsuit.
My brother Orvis serves on the Suisun Planning Commission who gave thumbs up to the deal right before the City Council approved it. He made what he believes to be the best decision for the future of Suisun. Despite the testimony of good people, I believe the plane falling out of the sky into the Wal-Mart argument backfired badly. It just seems so remote and frankly, desperate. If residents were truly that afraid of such a calamity, people would be fleeing the area.
Remember, I didn't want Suisun to approve a Supercenter. And I know opponents will continue to fight. But instead of focusing on the potential downsides of a Supercenter, how about looking at what you'll definitely receive if you build one.
n The Supercenter will bring jobs to Suisun. Are they incredibly high paying jobs with a five star benefit package? No, but you're working in retail sales, not managing hedge funds on Wall Street.
n Wal-Mart is going to bring much needed tax revenue to Suisun city coffers. Who can blame Suisun for wanting a heaping helping of fat retail pie?
n The Supercenter will bring low prices to customers. I know competitors shudder to hear this but in an environment where people are struggling to make house payments and are getting sticker shock at the pump, they want to stretch their dollar.
And for those angry Suisun residents who oppose the Walters Road Supercenter, you're more than welcome to shop at Fairfield's Supercenter in protest.
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High fives are in order for the Fairfield City Council who unanimously approved a contract to lease 9,300 square feet of space from Grocery Outlet for a new teen center.
Our councilmen have focused hard on this issue. They're committed to the youth even in this time of budget uncertainty because they realize that the teen center and youth activities are a crucial component in both crime prevention and making our city an attractive place to live.
Kudos. Peace.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
NOTES: I wanted to commiserate with the anti-Walmart people. Actually, I wanted to show the majority of readers somethng that only a small number of people had read on my blog. These anti-Walmart crusades bother me because people don't respond this way to other big retailers. Walmart isn't the only retailer importing goods from China.
Also, for people worried about Walmart polluting, a Supercenter couldn't possibly pollute more than an air base. How many bases have had jet fuel and other toxins leak into the water supply of a nearby town or leave some other contaminent around? I know it happened with McClellan in Sacramento.
And opponents of the project fear a C5 crashing into the building. Really? Then why would you even live out there if you're worried about that possibility? A C5 is no likelier to crash into a Supercenter than a neighborhood. A crash is a crash. When I was a kid, C5s and C141s flew overhead all the time. I never worried about them crashing into the neighborhood.
Now I say all of this as an opponent of that Supercenter. Having two Supercenters in the area will limit Fairfield's tax revenue and it will also have a more devastating impact on local supermarkets. But I can't be mad at Suisun City for moving ahead with the project. They'd be derelict in their duty not to go for it. The truth is they would've taken a hit by Fairfield's Walmart.
Walmart played both communities beautifully.
Now, you might want to check out THE OTHER SIDE DR BLOG to read about the Human Bowling Ball and racist flyers that were recently distributed in Vacaville.
The Wading In blog has not been updated. But it will be shortly. Possibly by the end of the day.
If you're quiet, you just might hear the faint whispers of fists shaking in the air, the rush of steam exiting ears and the clickety-clack of gnashing teeth from the anti-Wal-Mart forces. It's a coalition of Travis-protecting-zealots, huggers-of-wetland-critters-no-one-ever-sees, frightened business owners, folks legitimately concerned about traffic and of course, the Professional Wal-Mart Haters.
Full disclosure: Anyone who has visited my blog knows I didn't want Suisun City to approve a Wal-Mart Supercenter. It had nothing to do with Wal-Mart being evil or the likelihood of a C5 making an unscheduled landing in the produce aisle. I wasn't concerned about noise, pollution, endangered species or even increased traffic. No, I wanted Suisun residents to spend their hard earned dollars in Fairfield's Supercenter. Ka-ching. We've done the heavy lifting of negotiating, cutting through the anti-Wal-Mart forces and surviving a lawsuit.
My brother Orvis serves on the Suisun Planning Commission who gave thumbs up to the deal right before the City Council approved it. He made what he believes to be the best decision for the future of Suisun. Despite the testimony of good people, I believe the plane falling out of the sky into the Wal-Mart argument backfired badly. It just seems so remote and frankly, desperate. If residents were truly that afraid of such a calamity, people would be fleeing the area.
Remember, I didn't want Suisun to approve a Supercenter. And I know opponents will continue to fight. But instead of focusing on the potential downsides of a Supercenter, how about looking at what you'll definitely receive if you build one.
n The Supercenter will bring jobs to Suisun. Are they incredibly high paying jobs with a five star benefit package? No, but you're working in retail sales, not managing hedge funds on Wall Street.
n Wal-Mart is going to bring much needed tax revenue to Suisun city coffers. Who can blame Suisun for wanting a heaping helping of fat retail pie?
n The Supercenter will bring low prices to customers. I know competitors shudder to hear this but in an environment where people are struggling to make house payments and are getting sticker shock at the pump, they want to stretch their dollar.
And for those angry Suisun residents who oppose the Walters Road Supercenter, you're more than welcome to shop at Fairfield's Supercenter in protest.
------------------------------------------------------------------
High fives are in order for the Fairfield City Council who unanimously approved a contract to lease 9,300 square feet of space from Grocery Outlet for a new teen center.
Our councilmen have focused hard on this issue. They're committed to the youth even in this time of budget uncertainty because they realize that the teen center and youth activities are a crucial component in both crime prevention and making our city an attractive place to live.
Kudos. Peace.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
NOTES: I wanted to commiserate with the anti-Walmart people. Actually, I wanted to show the majority of readers somethng that only a small number of people had read on my blog. These anti-Walmart crusades bother me because people don't respond this way to other big retailers. Walmart isn't the only retailer importing goods from China.
Also, for people worried about Walmart polluting, a Supercenter couldn't possibly pollute more than an air base. How many bases have had jet fuel and other toxins leak into the water supply of a nearby town or leave some other contaminent around? I know it happened with McClellan in Sacramento.
And opponents of the project fear a C5 crashing into the building. Really? Then why would you even live out there if you're worried about that possibility? A C5 is no likelier to crash into a Supercenter than a neighborhood. A crash is a crash. When I was a kid, C5s and C141s flew overhead all the time. I never worried about them crashing into the neighborhood.
Now I say all of this as an opponent of that Supercenter. Having two Supercenters in the area will limit Fairfield's tax revenue and it will also have a more devastating impact on local supermarkets. But I can't be mad at Suisun City for moving ahead with the project. They'd be derelict in their duty not to go for it. The truth is they would've taken a hit by Fairfield's Walmart.
Walmart played both communities beautifully.
Now, you might want to check out THE OTHER SIDE DR BLOG to read about the Human Bowling Ball and racist flyers that were recently distributed in Vacaville.
The Wading In blog has not been updated. But it will be shortly. Possibly by the end of the day.
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