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Positions on Walmart
Where Town Board, Mayor and Candidates Stand
September 19, 2013

T
ownDock.net emailed Town Board Commissioners and the Mayor three questions this week regarding the Walmart issue.

Since the Walmart story evolves just a few months before Oriental’s municipal elections on November 6, those questions also have been asked of the candidates seeking seats on the Board and the mayor’s seat.

Three commissioners — Michelle Bessette, Larry Summers and Barbara Venturi are seeking re-election as is Mayor Bill Sage. Besides those incumbents, the other candidates are Lori Wagoner for Mayor, and, for seats on the Board, Ben Cox, Martha Gail Good, Bob Maxbauer, Charlie Overcash, Peter Ritchie, David White & Sandy Winfrey.

Responding so far have been Larry Summers, Lori Wagoner, David White, Michelle Bessette.

Town Board Commissioner Michelle Bessette
(Responded September 19)

1) What is your view of a Walmart Express store opening just outside the Town limits?

I have looked at the pros and cons of the opening of a Walmart Express outside of our town limits. I am neutral on the issue.

2) Should it be a concern that the Town would provide police protection to the store that falls within the one-mile mutual aid zone, while the Town would receive no property tax revenue from the store? Do we now provide protection to the Dollar store?

Do we receive any property tax from the Dollar store? I see no difference in the treatment of either business.

3) Would you support a resolution — symbolic in nature, because the proposed store is outside the Town limits – that states the Town of Oriental opposes a Walmart coming so close because of the impact it may have on local, independently-run businesses?

I will back a resolution that addresses support of our local businesses.

Town Board Commissioner Larry Summers
(Responded September 17)

1) What is your view of a Walmart Express store opening just outside the Town limits?

I have made several statements on Walmart including one in a TV interview. I had a written motion that I thought should be easily agreeable to members of the board at the last town meeting. No one seemed interested in it and as I didn’t even get a second on my motion regarding the harbor I didn’t make a motion on the Walmart one. My original motion was:

Be it Resolved that:

   1. The Town of Oriental will continue to support local business as much as reasonably possible as they bring in Tax Revenue to the Town of Oriental and keep profits in the community.

   2. The Oriental Board of Commissioners asks the citizens of Oriental to also support your friends and neighbors who run and work for local businesses.

   3. If Pamlico County approves the plan for a Walmart adjacent to the Town of Oriental it is requested that Walmart do the following:

   a. Construct the parking lot to conform with the parking lot regulations in Section 93 of Article VII (Parking) of the Town of Oriental Growth Management Ordinance.

   b. Pledge to not use the “Property Access Easement” depicted on your plan #86342 titled Proposed Highway 55 Walmart Neighborhood Market”, for regular commercial or any heavy construction traffic.

That easement joins the Town of Oriental in a primarily residential area at what is currently a dangerous corner that has numerous bicyclists, walkers, dog walkers and children going around that corner.
Please note that I thought that the above motion could be agreed upon by all the members.

I don’t like the notion of a Walmart coming to our town. It doesn’t fit our vision of the town in our Comprehensive Plan and it doesn’t certainly fit my personal image of what the town should look like.

I have seen their “flexible pricing” in action. Once they control a market they simply raise their prices to maximize their profit.

That being said we have no control over their building a store just outside of the town limits. I expect that they will build it and I believe that the best we can hope for is to try to influence how it looks as part of the entrance corridor to Oriental. I would like to see them follow both the parking lot and signage ordinances of the Town of Oriental. A “good neighbor” would do this even if they were not required to do it. I am also vehemently opposed to any use of the “Property Access Easement” shown on their proposal for construction or regular commercial traffic. This easement was intended for the “Tall Pines Subdivision” that was approved by the Pamlico County Planning Board in 2003. It was never planned for heavy traffic.

2) Should it be a concern that the Town would provide police protection to the store that falls within the one-mile mutual aid zone, while the Town would receive no property tax revenue from the store?

My answer to your second question about the police coverage over the one mile mutual aid zone is that we simply have to give it to them like we give it to Dollar General and to everyone else in that zone. We have the closest law enforcement and criminal acts must be stopped as soon as possible. I don’t like the fact that they will not be paying taxes but perhaps they could ask to be voluntarily annexed into the town or make a substantial donation to one or more of our town programs each year.

3) Would you support a resolution — symbolic in nature, because the proposed store is outside the Town limits — that states the Town of Oriental opposes a Walmart coming so close because of the impact it may have on local, independently-run businesses?

I would not support a resolution that categorically opposes the construction of a Walmart outside our town limits. I have and will continue to support our local businesses as I proposed in the motion that I have previously written, which is shown above.

David White, candidate for Oriental Town Board:
(Repsonded September 18)

1) What is your view of a Walmart Express store opening just outside the Town limits?

First, I am a large supporter of free enterprise and believe Wal-Mart has the right to acquire land and build within existing zoning laws. But with that said, I am not in support of Wal-Mart building just outside of the Town limits.

I question the business justification of an Express store near Oriental. The only way a Wal-Mart Express can survive in the Oriental area is to take share from our locally owned businesses, which I very much support. It is a zero sum game and Wal-Mart will prosper only by taking share from these locally owned and run grocery and pharmacy stores.

I feel Wal-Mart’s action will close local businesses and displace the workers. Based on recent studies of Wal-Mart’s other locations, for every one job created they displace one and a half other workers and this will only increase Pamlico County’s already high unemployment rate of 9%.

Additionally, Wal-Mart will claim they spend locally, but the facts show they’ll only spend $48 locally for every $100 received. Our local businesses spend $68 locally for every $100 they take in.

Finally, I moved to Oriental for its village atmosphere and not to be able to shop in box stores. If the proposed store is constructed, but later fails due to poor sales, Wal-Mart will close the store. If not purchased by another buyer, we could have two vacant buildings as you enter Oriental — the closed Wal-Mart and vacant Town and Country, if displaced by Wal-Mart.

2) Should it be a concern that the Town would provide police protection to the store that falls within the one-mile mutual aid zone, while the Town would receive no property tax revenue from the store?

The existing one mile mutual aid zone agreement has been in place for some time. I support the fastest way for a police officer to respond to a person in danger or if a crime is being committed. In my opinion this is a public safety issue and we should honor this regardless of Wal-Mart’s being built.

3) Would you support a resolution — symbolic in nature, because the proposed store is outside the Town limits — that states the Town of Oriental opposes a Walmart coming so close because of the impact it may have on local, independently-run businesses?

Yes, I would support such a resolution.

Lori Wagoner, Candidate for Mayor:
(Repsonded September 17 and referred to her campaign website. The answers to the questions were taken from there.)

1) What is your view of a Walmart Express store opening just outside the Town limits?

I don’t like big businesses moving in and killing small businesses. We all witnessed Redbox’s invasion in the County. They stayed just long enough to force the closure of local video rental stores before pulling out. (And what forced Redbox to remove a number of their kiosks? Loss of sales to Netflix! Ironic, non?) My own store, the Hungry Dragon, was badly hurt when Food Lion expanded its health food section. This Walmart Express will not provide anything we don’t already have available right here in the county.

I am opposed to Walmart in particular because of their lack of human labor ethics. That cheap stuff you buy there comes at a cost to some poor laborer working in a foreign country for pittance in very unsafe working conditions. And contrary to what some folks are saying, it will not boost the economy but will actually harm it instead as small local businesses are forced to close and Walmart’s profits are sent out of state to cooperate headquarters.

One of the things I loved about Oriental was the lack of chain stores. I fear that with the arrival of a Walmart Express we’ll start to look like Anytown, USA with a generic strip mall of chain stores as you approach our town. Small, quaint waterside towns are fast disappearing and I find it ironic that Mr. Chris Fulcher plays a role in bringing this Big Box Business to us. I’ve sent my “please not in my backyard” emails and do hope that we can persuade Walmart to stay away. If not, my local merchants can rest assured that my buying habits will not change and Walmart Express will not be one of my stops.

2) Should it be a concern that the Town would provide police protection to the store that falls within the one-mile mutual aid zone, while the Town would receive no property tax revenue from the store?

The town provides police protection 1 mile outside the cooperate limits so if something happened our cops would probably get there first. The problem with this is, without annexation, Walmart would not be paying any town taxes for this service – it’ll be on the house.

3) Would you support a resolution — symbolic in nature, because the proposed store is outside the Town limits — that states the Town of Oriental opposes a Walmart coming so close because of the impact it may have on local, independently-run businesses?

As the property lies outside the town limits, Oriental really has little say in what is built there. The town commissioners could have supported the cause by passing a resolution (Ed: at the September 3 Town Board meeting) but it did not despite the mayor having mentioned it at the Agenda Workshop the previous week. To learn more about the fight you can visit www.stopwalmart.org.

Posted Thursday September 19, 2013 by Melinda Penkava


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