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From: Bernie Kunkel [berniek@bavarianwaste.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 10:19 AM
To: Brett Gaspard
Cc: Jim Brueggemann; Rick Brueggemann; Andrew Cole (E-mail); Anthony
Kunkel (E-mail); Barb Dehner (E-mail); Bill Adkisson (E-mail); Bill Kunkel
(E-mail); Bob Brueggemann (E-mail); Bud Clancy (E-mail); Charlie Walton
(E-mail); Colonel Ron Ray (E-mail); Commissioner Cathy Flaig (E-mail);
Commissioner Charlie Kenner (E-mail); Commissioner Terri Moore (E-mail); D.
Brian Richmond (E-mail); Dick Hammersmith (E-mail); Donna Mancini (E-mail); Doug
Fiedor (E-mail); Gayle Piron (E-mail); Ila Gosney (E-mail); Jay Weber (E-mail);
Jerry Sherman (E-mail); Joe Bessler (E-mail); John Boy Kunkel (E-mail); John
Riley (E-mail); Johnathan Masters (E-mail); Kenny Rolph (E-mail); Larry Brown
(E-mail); Mario Smith (E-mail); Matthew Bolte (E-mail); Mike Brueggemann
(E-mail); Norman Davis (E-mail); Paul Kennedy (E-mail); Representative Addia
Wuchner (E-mail); Representative Arnold Simpson (E-mail); Representative Joe
Fischer (E-mail); Representative Jon David Reinhardt (E-mail); Representative
Paul Marcotte (E-mail); Representative Tom Kerr (E-mail); Resa Camoriano
(E-mail); Rob Sanders (E-mail); Roger Thoney (E-mail); Senator Damon Thayer
(E-mail); Senator Dick Roeding (E-mail); Senator Jack Westwood (E-mail); Senator
Katie Stine (E-mail); Sheila Merrell (E-mail); Steve Fritz (E-mail); Teresa
Kunkel (E-mail); Tony Haubner (E-mail); Tony Stahl (E-mail)
Subject: RE: OKI Land Use Commission
Brett,
I went to the OKI meeting last night.
I heard them bemoan the fact that there is too much sprawl and how
development needs to be condensed. This fits in with their transportation
plans of mass transit, walking and biking everywhere, etc.
They said that "market forces and land
use are now in opposition" in the numerous local governments and planning
authorities. The solution according to OKI ? Let's have regional
planning. Somehow these 168 folks at OKI know what is best for us. Looking
over the Interim Report of the OKI LAND USE COMMISSION one finds that the
authorities consulted and referenced are all against growth and common
sense, e.g., The Sierra Club, American Farmland Trust, information from the
Smart Growth Network, etc. All listed are adversarial to growth and one
searches in vain to find property rights championed or free market solutions
advanced . OKI laments the fact that there are 190 local governments and
138 zoning authorities in the 8 county OKI region. But they ALL insisted
that they "want to work with and not against local planning" and that they
"seek no regulatory authority." And in the same breath they point out that
federal law gives OKI authority and that they decide how federal
transportation dollars are to be spent in the region. Sounds like they
carry a very big stick to me.
Bottom line is this. The marketplace
should determine growth and NOT regional planners.
Regional centralized planning has failed
everywhere it has been attempted and is an interference in the free market.
An interference that always has bad consequences.
OKI promotes the fraud that is tail-pipe
testing. A program that is a tax and aggravation to the good people of
Northern Kentucky.
And these planners promote public mass
transit, a program that has been a large revenue loser all over the country
that is there to plunder more of our tax dollars.
We need to deal with our local elected
county officials and hold them accountable instead of dealing with an
unelected and unaccountable OKI committee.
Bernie
Dear Mr. Parsons,
I understand that Gary has
been attempting to salvage our property rights through his efforts at
OKI and many of our eyes and ears say that he is doing a fair and
impartial job. However, our group (League of Property Owners) has
participated in some of OKI's forums in the past and not been
impressed. Quite frankly, many of our members will not be happy until
regional entities like OKI are traded in for more locally domiciled
coalitions. The best government is always that government which is
closest to the people.
"Build it and they will
come" is a wise proverb. However, in our area the people have already
come, yet the infrastructure has not been built. While OKI continues to
promote the plundering of taxpayer dollars through failed programs like
emissions testing and light rail, our road system suffers and nothing is
being done to resolve our transportation crisis. Again, the majority of
our constituency does not favor transferring local elected authority to
unelected bureaucracies no matter what guise of "local" or "regional"
representation they purport to have.
Should you disagree with our
position above, please clearly articulate why you support transferring
local decision-making processes to unelected bureaucracies like OKI so
that we may evaluate our position. The folks opposing the plundering of
taxpayer dollars in Northern Kentucky are not "small-minded," but rather
include some of the most successful businessmen in our area. We would
much rather see area judge-executives work together as part of their
civic duty rather than being cajoled into doing so through a
tax-supported entity unresponsive to the People.
I understand that your
position as a county administrator generally entails working through
channels such as OKI. As a citizen, however, I choose not to encourage
my elected officials to surrender their prestige to an organization I
will never support.
Cordially,
Brett Gaspard
President, LOKPO
Brett:
I saw the attached
email and was wondering where you are getting your information.
OKI's Land Use Commission has no intention or desire to supplant
local planning and zoning or local elected officials. OKI is
governed by local elected officials all of whom are very sensitive
the issue of not giving up local control. Judge Moore is currently
President of OKI.
The Land Use
Commission is working to ensure that the transportation planning
undertaken by OKI works in concert with local planning documents so
there is no conflict. You talk about the market deciding what areas
will develop. In fact many development patterns have been directly
impacted by transportation decisions made by government without
regard to the local impact. The process we are working to avoid is
transportation decisions being made with no regard to their impact
on the local planning process.
Jim Parsons
March 2,
2005, 7-9 p.m
Ryle High
School Commons
10379
Highway 42
Union,
Kentucky 41091
OKI wants to
dictate local planning and institute regional government with
no method of
recourse to elected officials. They are holding a series of
forums to
promote their agenda. Tomorrow's forum is at Ryle High School.
OKI is not
elected nor responsible to taxpayers and has no legal
constitutional right to determine land use issues or allocation of
tax
monies in
any of the three states. It is the marketplace that should
determine
economic growth patterns, not centralized planners.
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