To the editor:

It’s outrageous! The City Commission’s willingness to settle the lawsuit that developers and Wal-Mart filed against Lawrence is nothing less than the big sellout of local sovereignty to the highest bidder.

Worse, new commissioners Michael Dever and Rob Chestnut accepted campaign contributions from the plaintiffs! They must recuse themselves from any discussion or consideration of this issue. And Mayor Sue Hack wants citizens to see the subject of this discussion as a land-use issue divorced from the land user:

¢ As though Wal-Mart were not the world’s largest retailer, one that discriminates against women, minorities, people with disabilities and any employee who complains about said discrimination.

¢ As though Wal-Mart did not encourage underpaid employees to sign up for Medicaid so taxpayers could subsidize their huge corporate profits.

¢ As though Wal-Mart did not have a development pattern of paving over thousands of acres of precious farmland, building second stores, abandoning one store when things go south and leaving the empty hulk and sea of newly unemployed for the community to clean up.

¢ As though Wal-Mart Supercenters did not take enormous quantities of imported energy and other resources to build and function.

¢ As though we did not have good evidence that locally owned businesses are already at risk because Lawrence retail is growing three times the rate of demand.

Lawrence does not need to be saddled with a second Wal-Mart. We in Lawrence must insist that we have the right to decide our own futures and to fight for that right in court.

Jane Gibson,

Lawrence