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More big developers are on the way
EDITOR:
It was
hand-to-hand rhetoric combat at the Marathon City Council meeting
[Tuesday] night, something that rarely occurs in a typically rather dull
setting. The contest was between [Jeff] Pinkus, a council member, and [Pritam]
Singh, the well-known developer. What sparked the contest was a
retroactive fee the city was asking Singh to pay on properties which he
had completed and sold months ago.
Singh cut loose with a truly eloquent declaration
of rectitude. He said the matter was not a question of fairness but a
matter of right and wrong. He's a convincing speaker. When he was
finished, I don't think there was anyone present who was not convinced
the city had overstepped; including Pinkus who, in the end, retracted
the claim.
I am not a fan of Singh, I don't like his
projects and what they do to Marathon, but I recognize that he is an
intelligent, well-funded and nominally honest individual. But I also
recognize that when someone with his capability goes up against the
council, it's not at all clear that the council has the leadership
horsepower to prevail. The fee claim that started this set-to is small
potatoes. But when big issues, critical to the long-term interests of
the city are at stake, it's another matter. The council's encouragement
of large developers is worrisome, because others, perhaps even smarter
and less ethical than Singh, are on their way here with big plans.
Marathon is changing fast. Literally
hundreds of good, long-standing trailer-park citizens are being turned
out. Student enrollment is going down. A teacher can't afford to support
a family here. We are putting in a 3.5 million dollar pool while an
affordable house cannot be built even as million dollar condos go up
right and left. Something is seriously wrong in paradise.
David Spaulding
Marathon |
