You have to wonder why alliance is behind West Park

Over the past year, the Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance staff has created controversy. The quasi-public agency is charged with serving employer and employee needs.

Many of the issues were outlined in late February in the resignation letter of Beard Land and Investment Co. Chief Executive Officer and President Joseph Mackil, who quit the alliance board over multiple concerns.

Among the controversies is a "white paper" issued by the alliance in September stating that the county had no "shovel ready" industrial sites of more than 50 acres. The Beard company has such sites.

William Bassitt, alliance CEO, was quoted in The Bee on Sept. 8, saying, "But nothing is being planned to accommodate jobs. All you're getting is resistance in Crows Landing and Salida."

Bassitt was referring to "criticism from West Side residents and a Patterson City Council majority about the Crows Landing plan as well as Bee editorials chastising supervisors for bypassing a public vote with their approval of the Salida Now initiative and growth plan," The Bee reported.

Patterson City Manager Cleve Morris, in a Sept. 21 letter, challenged the white paper, saying "the delivery technique and the apparent attack on the city of Patterson are unwarranted."

Morris cited errors in the white paper and wrote, "The position of the alliance seems to be that jobs should be created regardless of the impact on quality of life, including traffic, loss of agricultural land, aesthetics, etc."

Mackil cited the white paper and another issue. "The Alliance's active support of the economically questionable West Park project and its developer before the supervisors even voted on the project is even more disturbing to me," Mackil wrote. "Based on my limited knowledge of the 'short-haul railroad' plan, intermodal operations and railroad economics, I believe that the West Park proposal is not even close to being economically viable. The money required from taxpayers to create a money losing railroad operation would be a foolish waste of scarce resources."

Mackil further wrote: "Therefore, Beard Land and Investment Co. will no longer provide any financial support to (the) alliance."

When the CEO of the area's premier industrial development resigns from an important board and offers such criticisms, business leaders should ask questions -- such as, "What is behind the alliance's blind support of West Park?"

Did Bassitt and staff deliberately underestimate the available industrial reserve in their white paper in order to make West Park appear more desirable?

There's more. At a Stanislaus Council of Governments citizens advisory committee meeting in October, Doug Sweetland, the alliance's director of economic development, attacked Supervisor Jim DeMartini, saying DeMartini shouldn't speak out or question StanCOG's endorsement of West Park.

We have to continue to wonder why the alliance is so strongly opposing DeMartini -- who is loyally representing his constituents -- and is so strongly supporting West Park.

Delphia, a Patterson activist, is a regular community columnist and is vice president of WS-PACE.org, which opposes the West Park proposal. Write him at columns@modbee.com.