Chief
08-30-2007, 07:40 AM
JEFFREY MIZE, columbian staff writer
April 10, 2001; Page C4
An outspoken foe of Vancouver's proposed special events center disputes the reasons offered for canceling this week's forum on the $59.1 million project. InterACT and the Forum at the Library were set to sponsor the first public forum featuring supporters and opponents of the events center.
InterACT's board of directors last week canceled Wednesday's event.
Marjorie Casswell, InterACT program manager, said opponents Larry Patella and Ralph Peabody both told her they only wanted to talk about the need for a public vote, not the project's merits and risks.
Patella, however, said he was ready to discuss finances, location and other issues.
"I've always been prepared to talk about more than just the right to vote," he said. "I don't think the two can be separated, the right to vote and the merits of it. I personally feel that InterACT was hasty in pulling the plug on this thing."
Casswell disputed that.
"In spite of what he says, I had to believe what they wanted to talk about was sending this issue to a vote," she said.
Could this be a simple miscommunication?
"Not on my part," Casswell said.
Steve Burdick, the city's economic development manager, agreed with Casswell.
"They (Patella and Peabody) had said they are neither for or against this thing. 'All we want to do is discuss whether this ought to go to a vote,'" he said.
Burdick and Jeff Cohen of Economics Research Associates, a Los Angeles-based consultant who has done market research for the city, were scheduled to speak in favor of the project during Wednesday's forum.
Casswell said Mayor Royce Pollard and other members of the city council sent out e-mails questioning the appropriateness of a staff member debating whether there should be a vote.
"It was getting way different from what InterACT and the Forum at the Library stand for, so we just had to step back," she said.
InterACT, an offshoot of Identity Clark County, was formed five years ago to encourage a community agenda through vigorous public discussion of issues and ideas.
Casswell has some hope of resurrecting the forum before the final council decisions are made.
"I hope we can still put together something different, but we'll see," she said.
April 10, 2001; Page C4
An outspoken foe of Vancouver's proposed special events center disputes the reasons offered for canceling this week's forum on the $59.1 million project. InterACT and the Forum at the Library were set to sponsor the first public forum featuring supporters and opponents of the events center.
InterACT's board of directors last week canceled Wednesday's event.
Marjorie Casswell, InterACT program manager, said opponents Larry Patella and Ralph Peabody both told her they only wanted to talk about the need for a public vote, not the project's merits and risks.
Patella, however, said he was ready to discuss finances, location and other issues.
"I've always been prepared to talk about more than just the right to vote," he said. "I don't think the two can be separated, the right to vote and the merits of it. I personally feel that InterACT was hasty in pulling the plug on this thing."
Casswell disputed that.
"In spite of what he says, I had to believe what they wanted to talk about was sending this issue to a vote," she said.
Could this be a simple miscommunication?
"Not on my part," Casswell said.
Steve Burdick, the city's economic development manager, agreed with Casswell.
"They (Patella and Peabody) had said they are neither for or against this thing. 'All we want to do is discuss whether this ought to go to a vote,'" he said.
Burdick and Jeff Cohen of Economics Research Associates, a Los Angeles-based consultant who has done market research for the city, were scheduled to speak in favor of the project during Wednesday's forum.
Casswell said Mayor Royce Pollard and other members of the city council sent out e-mails questioning the appropriateness of a staff member debating whether there should be a vote.
"It was getting way different from what InterACT and the Forum at the Library stand for, so we just had to step back," she said.
InterACT, an offshoot of Identity Clark County, was formed five years ago to encourage a community agenda through vigorous public discussion of issues and ideas.
Casswell has some hope of resurrecting the forum before the final council decisions are made.
"I hope we can still put together something different, but we'll see," she said.