From the October 28, 2008 issue of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

[Republican Latah County Commissioner candidate Carl] Hulquist prefers growth from locally owned businesses as opposed to big-box retail outlets like Walmart, but said he wants to make the area more enticing to developers, especially in tough economic times.

"When people talk about developers' greed, well, they ought to be a developer sometime and see how close the margin is," he said. "There is no such thing in the building business as excess profits."

[Incumbent Latah County Commissioner Jennifer] Barrett also recognizes the need for growth and expressed regret about Walmart building a super center in Pullman rather than Moscow.

"We have to grow out a little bit. I don't know what direction it's going to be but we have to do it," she said. "When you look at Walmart, when they open the new store in Clarkston they said they are going to shut the Lewiston building down, and there is no guarantee that they won't do the same thing here when the Pullman store opens."

No, there isn't. In fact, I highly suspect we'll see the Moscow store close as soon as the Pullman store opens. It's old, smaller than the one in Lewiston, and is not the format Wal-Mart prefers to operate. But never let it be said Moscow wasn't given a chance. Yes Moscow, No Super WalMart!

I hate to agree with the Democratic candidate over the Republican one, but what is with the attitude of "prefers growth from locally owned businesses as opposed to big-box retail outlets like Walmart." Just talk to the Nex Perce County Commissioners if you have any questions.

It was reported in last Saturday's Lewiston Tribune:

Wal-Mart's move to Clarkston a year from now will cut Nez Perce County revenue from its half-cent local option sales tax by about 10 percent.

Wal-Mart's contribution to the $3.28 million Nez Perce received in 2007 was $323,611, County Commission Chairman Ron Wittman said he was told Friday.

Wittman said Karianne Fallow, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman at Boise, also told him the chain has paid $233,786 to the county in the first nine months of 2008.

<snip>

What's frustrating, Wittman said, is "Clarkston is giddy" over Monday's groundbreaking for a new super center.

"I'm not sure why they (Wal-Mart) are running from the city of Lewiston, but hopefully it's the city of Lewiston and not Nez Perce County."

If Wal-Mart makes up 10% of Lewiston's sales tax base, with all the other big stores that are located there (Home Depot, ShopKo, K-Mart, et. al), how much greater percentage then does Wal-Mart comprise in Moscow, with much less retail?

Pride goeth before a fall.