This to Editor of Pierce County Business Examiner in response to their September 29th story.

Dear Sirs;

I am writing to disagree with your assertion stated in your story of September 29, 2006 titled "Yelm officials paving way for retail growth" where you state,
"Since the Wal-Mart decision, public opposition has calmed down, Beck notes."

Just because Yelm's Super Wal-Mart is under construction does not give justification to City of Yelm Development Director Grant Beck saying public opposition has died down, which is not the fact. There have been many persons that have gone on the record in 2006 to the City of Yelm Planning Commission and City Council raising the warning flags to both entities about the serious effects their decisions are having on traffic and water in the Nisqually Valley.
Were your reporter Kamilla K. McClelland to do a little research, she would find this is true.
She could easily do a check via Yelm's first community blog hosted by this writer.

Your writer failed to inform your readers that the Yelm City Council earned the egregious 2006 Jefferson Muzzle Awards
for completely inhibiting public comment before the Council about Wal-Mart, in addition to placing a "moratorium on moratoriums" on Big-Box construction when a moratorium was requested by a local citizen. Both of these actions happened on his watch when current Yelm Mayor Ron Harding was Mayor Pro-Tem. Even The Olympian expressed concern in their October 15, 2005 editorial about Mr. Harding not speaking up for the public interest on these issues. Let's be totally up front with your readers, this letter is written by Mr. Harding's Mayoral opponent in 2005. That said, I am interested in issues being brought before the public, which seem to be lost in reporting from City staff interviews.

The Yelm City Council heard public testimony last Tuesday night [Oct. 24] by Olympia Professional Engineer (PE) Ed Wiltsie on the record stating the Council's traffic and groundwater decisions have opened the City of Yelm to major issues including potential future litigation, if not addressed soon. Even Mr. Beck stated in his Staff Report recommendation to the City Council of October 23, 2006 (see page 2, last paragraph) that they "consider the points raised by Mr. Wiltsie..."

I would appreciate your informing your readers of such to provide balance to Ms. McClelland's report.

Stephen R. Klein
Yelm, WA.