This story has been updated with the complete collection of videos posted here: http://olyblog.net/video-city-council-public-hearing-isthmus-building-height-rezone

Have you seen the video from last Tuesday's public hearing? It's 5 hours - but if you're interested in the rezone issue, this is a must-see (yes - all 5 hours.)

I was truly impressed by the depth and breadth of the public comments presented to the Council last Tuesday.

Video from the hearing is in four parts. The introduction is just under 30 minutes, parts one and two are a little less than 100 minutes and part three is a little over 50 minutes.

Here are the videos. The video and audio isn't synched perfectly (especially the introduction (-maybe it can be repaired)). But the video does seem to work (at least it does for me.)

Here they are:

Introduction:

Part One:

Part Two:

A comment I posted has been in moderation all day. Both Rick and Rob Whitlock have both been online today. It makes me feel like I'm not getting posted because my comment challenged Rob to provide data to support his argument. I don't want to believe that is so, but why else isn't my comment going up? There were no curse words used and challenged him in a civil tone.

At least two City Council Members, Mayor Doug Mah and Council Member Rhenda Iris Strub (please let me know if you know of any others, so that I can update,) received substantial campaign support from interests associated with Triway Enterprises, including but not limited to Mr. Tri Vo (sources: OlyBlog, Works in Progress, Washington State Public Disclosure Commission). Triway has a launched a major proposal to significantly alter zoning regulations on the Isthmus area of downtown Olympia. The zoning changes would allow Triway to build a truly massive structure, which is billed as a mixed-use development to include parking, retail and high-end housing. The structure, as envisioned, would contain 141 "up-class" condominium units priced from $800,000 to $1.2M. The City of Olympia has spent $50,000 city tax-payer dollars to study the impacts of the zoning changes as proposed by Triway.

Triway, obviously, will receive a substantial financial benefit from the passage of the proposed Isthmus zoning changes. Land on the Isthmus, which belongs to Triway (or land which Triway has options to purchase,) will drastically increase in value as a result of passage of the rezone proposal, regardless of whether or not the envisioned Larida Passage is ever actually built. (So Triway could, potentially, sell the land for profit after using $50,000 City taxpayer dollars to fund an impact study. - Personally I think Triway should reimburse the City.)

My question is whether or not there is a conflict of interest given that certain Council Members, whom have received significant and substantial campaign support, could vote to approve a zoning change that would be of significant and substantial benefit to a campaign contributor.

Richard Hayes Phillips: Witness to a Crime

How Republicans stole the 2004 presidential election in Ohio

Dr. Phillips has published a book chronicling the 2004 electoral theft of the presidential race. According to evidence that Phillips has compiled, voter fraud occurred was rampant in the precincts of many counties in the state of Ohio.

I found the story of Dr. Phillips to be compelling. I would have bought the book if I would have had 30 dollars.

Witness to a Crime

http://www.witnesstoacrime.com

Video of the hearing is posted to the city website. It has been up since sometime last week, I think it was posted Wednesday or Thursday. Anyway, it's up there, and I think it's worth watching all 5 hours, if you haven't seen it yet. I am also going to work on downloading the video and posting it to the Internet for purposes of embedding and viewing right here on little old OlyBlog. (so stay tuned)

Here's the link to the City Government webpage where you can find a link to the video from the September 16th meeting, it's in 4 parts: Olympia City Council

Hope you're having a great weekend!

bert

The following two movies will be playing this week at OFS:

Still Life (Sept. 20-26):

From YouTube: "In Still Life, great changes have come to the town of Fengjie due to the construction of the Three Gorges hydro project: Countless families that had lived there for many generations have had to relocate to other cities. Fengjie's old town, which has a 2000-year history, has been torn down and submerged forever, but its new neighborhood hasn't been finished yet. There are still things that need to be salvaged and yet there are also things that must be left behind. In Still Life, such life-changing choices face both Sanming, a miner traveling to Fengjie in search of his ex-wife of sixteen years, and Shen Hong, a nurse who has come to Fengjie to look for her husband who she hasn't seen in two years. Both Sanming and Shen will find who they're looking for, but in the process they too will have to decide what is worth salvaging in their lives and what they need to let go of."

The Edge of Heaven (Sept. 20-26):

From imdb: "Nejat seems disapproving about his widower father Ali's choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But he grows fond of her when he discovers she sends money home to Turkey for her daughter's university studies. Yeter's sudden death distances father and son. Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter's daughter Ayten. Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany. She is befriended by a young woman, Lotte, who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, a gesture not particularly pleasing to her conservative mother Susanne. When Ayten is arrested and her asylum plea is denied, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Lotte travels to Turkey,where she gets caught up in the seemingly hopeless situation of freeing Ayten. Written by omayra73@yahoo.com "

Find the OFS Calendar here.