The Conversation Continues

Ms Cohen,
I wasn't on council when the Wal Mart controversary was going on but I did go to the meetings when both sides gave their opinions. One such meeting was at the First Baptist Church in Clemson and I have never seen people act the way they did particularly in a place of worship. I will always answer your letters, your phone calls or a face to face meeting. For me personally, as far as Lowe's goes, I want convenience and keep my tax dollars here. It takes a lot of money to run this town, especially keeping up 17 parks. I am not a tax and spend council member and have voted against tax increases the last 3 years I have been on council. I do not plan to run again and it is a shame that no one is running. That tells me one or two things. The citizens are either happy with the way things are going and they just don't care. I ran because it ticked my off that Clemson let Wal Mart go. This was the first time I had ever run for office and was very upfront with why I was running for office. The letting go of the Wal Mart was my campaign message and apparently there were more in agreement with me than not. I also want you to know, that there will be more growth even with me going off council. Please keep in touch with me because I do care. There is no one you want more than me on your side fighting for you. I do respect your position greatly on Lowe's and you are welcome to come and voice your opinion tonight at our council meeting.
Margaret



Dear Ms. Thompson,
I always appreciate your candor and you obviously don't mind mine (-; I know growth is inevitable and I do want growth; but there is smart growth and not-so-smart growth, and putting a big box store at that location limits the directions of growth into an antiquated model that has worked for America in the past but that needs to be rethought for the future. Why not put the Lowe's on 93? Now, that would be convenient! Isaqueena Trail should not only be an inviting entrance to Clemson, but it should also be kept as a way of growing the city in an enhanced way; not just cutting it off by and making it disappear into one more strip of undifferentiated ugly shopping malls.
I understand the need for tax dollars, but these tax dollars you speak of might be the equivalent of making a pact with the devil. And when I talked about Lowe's hurting small businesses, I was thinking of all the hardware stores and nurseries that I like to cater to around here- small stores that make the place human and humane. There might be room for both styles of development; we just have to be careful how we allow for both. Not to mention the decrease in home values of the well established neighborhoods around the planned area- do you plan to start a tax redistribution program to pay for the devaluation of those homes? There are consequences to everything, and I think it is time that communities start thinking in a more long term way than just letting the fat cats wheel and deal their way into strangling alternatives.
And there you go, my opinion: different from yours, yet I appreciate that you have one and stand behind it. And again, I do thank you for responding, even when I am at my most irascible.

Katya Cohen