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Apoplexy in Longmont
Contributed by: Kaye Fissinger on 12/3/2007

The movers and shakers in Longmont are a little apoplectic these days. They lost the November election! City Council has a 4-2 majority for CHANGE.

And on January 29th votes will be counted for the mail-in ballot to repeal the 348-acre LifeBridge/Union annexation the previous City Council so graciously enabled for their crony capitalists.

Wow! Just think of it. A small number of people galvanized over 6,000 people to actually place a referendum on Longmont's local ballot -- historic for our town. And more than that, it convinced voters that they really had the power to make change come to Longmont and it happened November 6th.

Who said one person can't make a difference?! One + one + one + one + ... well you get my meaning. I hope you gave thanks on Thanksgiving Day and you certainly have extra reasons to celebrate the New Year.

The pushback reflected through Longmont's newspaper The Times-Call shows just how resistant the entrenched powers are to the notion that the City's decisions should benefit the larger population of Longmont.

Those of you who are around my age will remember the old saw that "What's good for General Motors is good for America." That trickle-down ideology is still apparent in Longmont only it goes more like, "What's good for developers is good for Longmont." Supposedly if you know that. you don't need to know anything else.

LifeBridge/4C is showing us renderings of the proposed development. We're supposed to look at them and say something like: "My God, look at that! Isn't it great! Isn't it grand!" And all that jazz.

But there's a story behind those pictures. First, they're not real. And second, if they were, darn--the church is creating another city out by Union Reservoir and they want it right inside the one we already have. And third, they want to shift the risk to the taxpayers of Longmont.

And guess what, they'd also shift some of the risks to the pour souls who purchase property in their very own city. "How?" -- you might ask. Why by creating a Metropolitan Special District that the LifeBridge hierarchy votes on and everyone else has to live with. No more votes. Once, and it's a done deal. And if LifeBridge can't deliver on their grand plans, the unsuspecting will be left to pick up the tab of the debt repayment.

So what do we end up with? Well, it's a clever little scheme. On the one hand, it's "take the money and run." But on the other hand, the power will still remain with the church. They will control who's inside the community and who isn't and what they do there. Oh, but you say, that's not legal. Of course, it's not. But there are ways. You know that. You've been around the block -- at least a little.

Some keep harping that LifeBridge is going to build this thing anyway, so why not have some control over it. Who are they kidding? Longmont -- control? They gave that away throughout the process and finally through long-term vesting. Way longer than city policy! That means Longmont backed itself right into the proverbial corner and legally won't be able to get out.

And are you really sure that this thing will get built in Weld County if Longmont turns them down? Did you know that it could cost the developers an additional $23 million for water if they can't use Longmont? Did you know that while Weld County is "easy" (yeah, you know what I mean), they won't shell out any money to help LifeBridge/4C defray any of the costs. So.... maybe, or maybe not.

After all is said and done, if Weld county wants this albatross, let them have it. Longmont doesn't have to shoot itself in the foot just because it might get built.

The mail-in ballots will be dropped in the mail somewhere around January 10th. However, it's worded, make sure you mark STOP this atrocity. Need more info? Visit www.whatsinitforlongmont.org/wp




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Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
Submitted By: Stephanie Baum
posted on 1/9/2008 @ 4:23:10 PM
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I think it's funny that on the one hand, you're against creating a "city in our city" (what you called the proposed Union Annexation) yet in your own profile you state that your daughter lives in "Longmont (Prospect)" which is another "city in our city." So you're in FAVOR of this kind of setup when it suits your own living arrangement yet you're against it elsewhere in Longmont? Oh, and how very elitest of your to HAVE to mention that your daughter lives in Prospect, because just saying she lives in Longmont in your mind is not good enough? Just goes to show what kind of person you really are.
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Submitted By: Jaime Rios
posted on 12/19/2007 @ 4:45:13 PM
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My comment is based more in general at all posts - doogmans posts, wrays, whatsinitforlongmont, progressnow - this post was milder. I do see the common misleadings here - the tax argument, even though I have seen answers to that question. Certainly, there is the insuation that Lifebridge is a shady entity out to wreak havoc in this post - part of what I'm tired of - I've know some of these people - maybe not on a very personal level, but they are good people that have done great things for the community. Lifebridge itself constantly has things going on to benefit the community - why keep attacking and trying to convince people otherwise. Becuse religious organizations are not to have the same rights as any other group, entity, or developer? More neighborhoods will go up and I guarantee no one will make a peep about the others.
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Submitted By: Bing Van Gorden
posted on 12/19/2007 @ 3:45:55 PM
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What consititutes an attack here? Kaye outlined specific reasons and concerns many citizens had, without attacking faith. This wasn't about discrimination. This was about us footing the bill for another development and we have been burned before by developers.
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Submitted By: Jaime Rios
posted on 12/18/2007 @ 2:48:58 PM
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Tax questions were answered repeatedly - the main argument I hear from you all. If this was not a religious organization, there would have been no movement - and you know it - how many developments have been raised with no protest - Longmont was 30k people smaller when I got here. Sure we should have seperation of church and state, but that should not rule out a church or Christian entity from carrying out business as long as it follows applicable laws - which Lifebridge will - as it has for over 100 years. Why discriminate? I have been in Longmont since 83 when I was 8 and for the first time here, I feel like an outsider - a scourge - in my own city - even though I won't even be living in Union - it's a bad feeling. I've had it - I've been posting nice all this time on your blogs, but I've had it with all your attacks and I say F you all.
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Submitted By: Jaime Rios
posted on 12/18/2007 @ 2:48:46 PM
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I don't know why you all want to make LB look so bad. The only bully in town is your group who has attacked this full force - to the point of attacking individuals online - with no retaliation. LB has been here over 100 years - and has constantly had community service projects going - at least since I started going there a few times a year a few years back. The people you are attacking are good people - they simply envision a new neighborhood they would like to live in. My mom babysat for the grandchild of one of the people you attack and I grew up down the street from another - very good people who have done a lot for the community...
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Submitted By: Bing Van Gorden
posted on 12/15/2007 @ 10:33:48 AM
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Hooray, I not only agree but you refrained form the tactics on the other side. We're all socialists and anti-Christian don't you know? This was democracy at work but it's as if we torched the church like an angry mob with pitchforks or something. In reality the city council spoke, many citizens disagreed, organized peacefully and petitioned our local government.
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Submitted By: Duane Leise
posted on 12/4/2007 @ 1:48:31 AM
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Right on Kaye! ---- Although many people in Longmont want to characterize the new council as "for change". I believe they were voted in because the new council members are more highly aligned with the core and traditional values of Longmont. The councils of the recent past had just gotten out of hand. They weren't listening.
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Showing 1-7 of 7 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Kaye Fissinger

Longmont , CO

Kaye Fissinger has posted 17 stories and 44 comments since joining on 9/6/2007. Kaye Fissinger 's average story rating is 3.29.
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