The Amador Observer

To those of you who may stumble across this site, you may wonder, "…where is the breaking news?" or, "…there is nothing current here." etc.
Well, you’re right. I believe an explanation is in order.
At this time, the Amador Observer is in "hibernation mode". Time is lacking for the editor, thus, so are the stories.

If you are looking for current information, please visit the new Amador Community News site.
Here’s the address: www.amadorcommunitynews.com

Carol Harper is doing a great job supplying the community with news and info.

Until later, thanks for visiting!

Nothing like a little malicious controversy to spice things up around ‘ol Amador County. I am referring to the “did too” “did not” spat between Jack Mitchell, representing the Amador Chamber Commerce, and Tom Bambert, former County Supervisor, representing local government.

Jack…you are so incensed, so outraged at the vicious, unfair charges leveled at you for letting the Buena Vista Rancheria folks get into the Chamber. And Tom, you are so pontifically livid that the Chamber is allowing these unwelcome gambling miscreants in.

Well let me add my soapbox speech to this little mess.

Mitchell, spare me the “nobler than thou” outrage. The Chamber - and you, in particular -are renowned for smiling, shaking the hand of a local businessperson and telling them how good their local business is for the County on your way out the door to meet with “Big Business X” - their dreaded competitor - to try and woo them into the County. Give me a break. The Chamber’s business decisons haven’t exactly been of the highest caliber. It seems that just about anything goes regardless of the consequences to other local businesses. This Chamber has shown little discernment in “recruiting” appropriate businesses to our area. Balance in the types of businesses that populate our area creates a healthier business environment for everyone.

 Now, onto you Mr. Bambert. It’s easy to level criticism at the Chamber, but under your watch as Supervisor, this County had little vision for infrastructure goals or a General Plan to support its growth. Development was haphazard and without rhyme or reason and we are paying the price for this today. It did not seem that there was a great interest in the future of the County while you were in a position to do something about it. However, in looking into our County’s future now - and the possibility of yet another casino - I would agree that you are absolutely right to resign from the Chamber and send the message that you did. This Chamber and its leadership have no shame and no excuse for what they did. Instead of indignant self-righteousness, Mitchell should be rethinking what the heck he and the Chamber stand for, because as it is, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Which brings us to this issue: There has always been a squirming discomfort with the publisher of our one-newspaper town also being the head of the Chamber of Commerce. You know, conflict of interest, things like that. Mitchell only reinforced this concern by using the newspaper as a forum for his tirade against Bambert. This is wrong. If Mitchell wants to debate Bambert in the newspaper, then do it with equal footing. A Letter to the Editor from Bambert up against Mitchell’s 1/3 page Editorial hardly qualifies as "equal time". It is all to too easy for Mitchell’s inappropriate merging of duties to go in the wrong direction and he has very clearly shown why.

Opinions of growth in our county come from many sides. The developers see mainly their own financial gain and many residents would like to close the gate. Somewhere in between lays the reality. What is happening now in our county is a fascinating study of retail growth outpacing residential growth. The recent influx of big box stores requiring many people to staff them has created a glut of service-level jobs without enough people to staff them.

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Despite his acknowledged "pain" at having to do it, it is still difficult to understand why the Publisher of the Ledger Dispatch, Jack Mitchell, feels so compelled to offer his political endorsements for the November 7 election. There is some irony in the front page of this October 20 issue showing a reader poll that overwhelmingly disapproves of this action.

Further, it is extremely troubling that he firmly implies that since a reporter cannot be unbiased, why bother to try?
Well Jack, here are a few thoughts to chew on.

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The recent decision by the Amador County Board of Supervisors to not initiate any kind of ordinance regulating the use of ATV’s is a major disappointment. What’s worse, it sets up the potential for neighborhood feuds that could rival the proverbial Hatfields and the McCoys.

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Local residents have reported that the Home Depot stores in both Folsom and Rancho Cordova have set up a large display inside the front of the stores asking their shoppers to fill out ballots to support a store in Amador County / Jackson. Obviously there is no information available in regards to the controversy surrounding this issue, the ballot only allows a "yes" vote. There is no way to vote "no".

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In a recently released economic impact report prepared by Gruen Gruen & Associates for Home Depot, there are clear indications, supported by their own information, that our area plainly cannot support the sales volume required for this proposed Home Depot in Jackson.
Within this report are terms such as "divert sales from local retailers" which are used as a way to mask the reality of what this store would do to local businesses.
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So here’s the plan folks, per Home Depot’s book:
Take 58 acres in this beautiful, scenic, historical valley that virtually defines Amador County and turn it into a "retail big box power center".  There could be up to 4 or more big box stores,comprised of almost 400,000 square feet of retail space … or whatever else they try to do here. The public doesn’t need to know what the ‘master plan’ is, by the way.

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Martell will soon have a new car dealership complex comprised of the two existing local dealerships in Jackson and Sutter Creek which are moving there. The developer, Sierra West Business Park LLC, got quite a sweet deal from the County Supervisors some years back to facilitate this project.
Call it corporate welfare, a "rebate" or that it just doesn’t ’smell right’, but here’s how it will work:  the County - with taxpayer’s funds - will actually repay the developers 1.6 million dollars over the next ten years in monthly installments to compensate the developer for their costs to develop this land and expand their business. Read the rest of this entry »

As a local business owner, we strive to offer competitive prices. Not only is this the “right thing to do” but it is normally the way a business effectively competes in a competitive business climate. In the case of the local gas stations, there is no competitive business climate. Read the rest of this entry »