Not ONE village official I have spoken with, and I include myself, too, has ever postulated, much less "known," that this NECESSARY step would "bankrupt" the village! Indeed, the lawsuits that might have continued indefinitely for NOT becoming handicapped-compliant, might have led to draining our funds with greater likelihood!

Oh, and getting a COMPLETELY built building, less than 20 years old, with furniture, heating plant, wiring, plumbing, etc, for ONLY $1 million (it would take at least $5 or 6 million to duplicate, or build a SMALLER building, as planned earlier, from scratch!) is a prudent bargain, particularly IF we can get rental monies for unused space, OR share with town, for increased communication, cooperation, or consolidation, each of which saves taxpayers money!

I don't attack those who can contradict and disagree civilly with some semblance of logic or evidence; it's that I challenge those who make stuff up or claim to know what others "know" based on no actual substantiation, who won't SUPPORT their blatant assertions with more than mere say-so.

Everyone has a right to their OPINION, but nobody has to accept it because it is merely said. And making slanderous claims has never been protected by the Constitution, so don't try hiding there! If you have PROOF of your beliefs, fine, then present it or take it to the attorney general or DA!

As an anonymous person, you have the advantage on me, and can call ME by MY name, but I can't even tell if this is the SAME single person over and over or three pusillanimous cranks playing tag team!

See, I'd like to address my remarks to the person who MADE them, but I simply can't tell!

As for the editorial, don't be silly... it's written by Alex Schiffer, the publisher-opinions editor of the Journal, just as it says in the paper's masthead. So that dog won't hunt, Sparky.

And though I agree that even paranoids might actually have people after them, more unsubstantiated accusations (any basis for your "retribution" claim?) only adds to the point I've been making.

Unfortunately, the way this forum is set up, ANYONE can make ANY claim, anonymously, or even by falsely putting someone else's name in the field, and there's NO accountability to address incorrect or even libelous claims, and the damage it can do.

Some of us CARE about our good name, and in a small community, even a rumor, with no basis in fact, can spread and do damage before it can be countered, and, in cases like this, where NOBODY is accountable, there is no place to go and get legal satisfaction.

This is particularly important when someone makes blanket claims, tarring an entire board or even an entire administration, without any specificity. *I* resent being lumped in with a blanket group (Village Elders) being accused of some errant nonsense, from an unknown accuser who hides behind an unaccountable anonymity.

I will let my fellow "Elders" defend themselves, if they choose to, but for now, *I* am the only one in these forums, and I'll be damned if I will let nameless online thugs (and it IS thuggery to tar others without accountability) accuse ME of imaginary crimes and then walk away whistling and wiping their hands, and think that I will just swallow it without, at the very least, pointing it out and demanding people BACK their claims. WHAT other "retribution" can I dish out? NONE!

All I'm saying is that if you do not put your name (like me), it is not completely confidential. This is because your IP (Internet Protocol) address is somehow connected to your comment, which can be traced to your computer.

I think public officials should make themselves as available as possible, by email, phone, or in person. I have always tried to go to as many local events as possible, where people can run into me and comment or ask questions. I write a regular column in the Journal, call into or appear on the WELV talk show as I can, and I think other officials should also be constantly explaining what's going on and taking questions IN public from the public.

Absolutely, EVERY citizen has an obligation to PARTICIPATE in local government, to the extent possible, or else we become a government of the least, rather than of the most. The citizenry as a whole, as well as smaller groupings, SHOULD play a watchdog role and demand that officials be up front and paying attention, and not just at election time.

We spend over a month's worth of public workshops on our budget and very few come, and usually those with an ox being gored. Don't think for one minute that every letter or comment isn't noticed, because, with so few, they stand out!

Nobody should be attacked for simply and civilly questioning actions, when the civil questioning is based on a specific matter and doesn't come front-loaded with charges of corruption or mendacity or prevarication without any grounds.

THAT is what has irked me! Nobody has the right to slander or libel! There's NO constitutional protection for THAT! HOW does someone dare to claim to KNOW what another person's INTENT or MOTIVES ARE, unless the person's OWN WORDS have been said or printed to that effect? I resent having some unknown and anonymous ill-informed person putting words into MY mouth that I never said, claiming I think thoughts I never had, or ascribing motives they could never be privy to, but blather on just the same, under cover of anonymity!

And I can certainly CHALLENGE anyone who does that, or otherwise passes off opinion as fact, or makes blatant assertions without substantiation, to SUPPORT their mere claims, and if you want to mischaracterize THAT as "attacking" or "belittling" then I challenge that as well. AND there's no reason I can't defend myself from baseless and nasty personal attacks, question the validity of another's premises or arguments or point out the fallacies employed, and STILL "discharge" my duty as an elected official as *I* see it, and as the law and my oath requires.

Nobody is accusing you and from what I have read you are the only Town or Village official who takes the time to "chat" with constituents anonymous or otherwise. Since the meetings are often difficult to attend a TV coverage of the meetings like the school does it seems to be the best compromise, then a "chat forum" such as this could be based upon actual facts.

Now, when someone says ALL, that's making a sweeping generalization, and it includes ALL, with nobody specified OUT of that tarring. Which includes ME being accused, right?! And that is just one of several examples, and why I bristle at these non-specific but all-embracing charges.

Of course, another way to look at some of these is that, being anonymous, some of the accusers ARE "nobodies"!

I have been calling and calling again to get TV cameras in the room, since 2001, and all I get is a runaround, from the school and from the VM. I hope that when in the new building we will have a complete media room, not only to broadcast live and on tape, but to have interview programs not dependent on the school studio, to be on channel 23.

Village comparison
Monticello

Population: 6,649

Village manager salary: $60,000

Deputy village manager salary: $41,000

Mayor salary: $9,000

Ellenville

Population: 3,954

Village manager salary: $72,405

Mayor salary: $4,000

Warwick

Population: 6,571

No village manager or deputy

Mayor salary: $27,555

Monroe

Population: 8,127

No village manager or deputy

Mayor salary: $15,215

New Paltz

Population: 6,765

No village manager or deputy

Mayor salary: $25,000 "

Spitzer, the state's former attorney general, issued the order Jan. 1 because the majority of New Yorkers are unable to attend such meetings. The citizens of New York must be "fully aware of and able to observe the performances of public officials and attend and listen to the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy," the order states.

The order requires all public agencies and authorities to have a plan by March 1 that identifies all of their meetings that are subject to the state's Open Meetings Law, and lays out a timetable for broadcasting those over the Internet.

In a research report published earlier this month, Jeffrey Mann and Rich Costello, analysts at Gartner Inc., wrote that Spitzer's order could galvanize interest in webcasting, much as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' order to use Open Document Format (ODF) for all documents in the state government sparked interest in open-source office automation tools like OpenOffice.

"A more open government was one of the main goals of the Spitzer campaign, and the new governor has wasted no time implementing one of his campaign promises," according to the Gartner report.

The governor's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

The analysts said although many local, state and national legislatures have broadcast their sessions over cable TV and the Internet, this is the first major jurisdiction they are aware of that has extended the requirement to all government meetings.

While this may be a benefiet for citizens, journalists, lobbyists and activists who want to follow state business without having to travel to meetings, Spitzer's order places a burden on state organizations and their IT departments, and leaves many questions unanswered, the analysts said.

For one thing, there's no funding provided in the order, so state agencies must scramble for ways to pay for the service. In addition, while the order mandates live broadcasts, there is no formal requirement to record meetings for later playback, the report said.

"However, state organizations will certainly want to retain recordings to protect themselves against disputes about what was actually said," the report said.

Theh order also doesn't specify the products or protocols the agencies should use for the Webcasts, the analysts said. But, they said, aside from the potential benefits for constituents and good government in New York, the governor's order will generate more enterprise interest and vendor activity to support webcasting in New York and elsewhere.

Copyright 2004 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc.
This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent.

Ellenville to go after delinquent property taxpayers

If you are a delinquent property taxpayer in the Village of Ellenville, youre going to be getting a call in the not too distant future from the taxman.

The village is looking into hiring a professional company to go after people who owe taxes for many years, said Village Manager Elliot Auerbach.

This is another innovative move on the part of the mayor and the board to see if we can bring in a company who will not only handle our current tax collections, but will assist us in collecting past due taxes, some of which range back to five, six seven, and even 10 years ago, he said.

Between $120,000 and $200,000 is outstanding in taxes, said Auerbach.

Lead by example..right? What does this say about the leadership in the area? Do as I say, not as I do!

As I have said in this post and others on this site, nothing has changed.

Auerback is not the only one in local government not paying taxes. But these are only the properties that are in their name. I would bet that after a little more digging, you would find more.
Board of Trustees - Efrain Lopez $1557.72
Clerk - Ann Bowler $103.39
Sewer Dept. - Bruce Distel $834.01
Village Manager - Elliott Auerback $8691.53
Planning Board - Bruce Bowler $103.39

$11,186.65 taxes not collected by those running the place, and the biggest slap in the face is your overpaid Village Manager. That is over 5.5% of the uncollected taxes.

There will of course be the necessity to widen the roads to accommodate the expected increase in traffic (80,000
cars per day in some areas). Local schools of course will be affected, as well as the potential for crime.

The politicians are NOT getting involved in these decisions, but letting the population decide their future. About 10,000 people per year move to Ventura County., that's 100,000 in 10 years folks, according to my math.

In general, the business community
and local leaders welcome the additional residents, believing they
will benefit the cities and towns in tne county (the whole county).

Food for thought for Ellenville-Napanoch.

Payment Information:
Tax Penalty 2nd Notice Fee Pay on or before Pay this amount
3618.60 0.00 0.00 09302006 3618.60*
3618.60 36.19 0.00 10312006 3654.79*
3618.60 72.37 0.00 11062006 3690.97*
* Amount does not include bad check fee if any.
Town School Code:
Town Code School Code

by

Douglas Jones Kathleen O'Connor

The small Ulster County community of Ellenville, home to a little over 4,000 residents, is in the process of organizing a myriad of new initiatives for community revitalization. The village was a boomtown driven by manufacturing plants in the 1950s and 1960s, but the two largest factories have fallen silent. Channel Master, a manufacturer of antennas, closed in 1984 and knife manufacturer, Imperial Schrade Corp. closed in 2004. Urban renewal swept into the village in the 1970s, and historic buildings were torn downleaving few lasting positive effects and too many gaping scars on Main Street. Ellenville officials and residents now aspire to capitalize on the villages changing economic and demographic profile.

Ellenville first needed a comprehensive assessment of the village in order to determine its needs and direction in terms of a strategy for overall community improvement. Ellenvilles village manager and native son, Elliot Auerbach, secured $30,000 from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Economic Area Partnership to fund a project called the Joint Economic Team of Wawarsing and the Village of Ellenville, a.k.a. JET WAVE. Auerbach and Peter Fairweather, a planning consultant from Saratoga Associates in New Paltz, enlisted community involvement to develop an economic development strategy. At the outset, village leaders realized the importance of including community members in the development of this economic strategy. Fairweather believes strongly that direct resident participation in the evaluation process is key because Ellenvilles issues of concern are as diverse as its residents. First, the village organized a steering committee with the goal of making it as inclusive as possible. Fairweather then set up focus groups involving the local school board, church groups, employers and other residents to further refine the economic development strategy. Currently, the group monitors the progress of village measures to stimulate economic development and makes suggestions on how to improve the process. Participants are also project ambassadorsthey talk about initiatives with other residents which encourages even more participation and interest in the efforts. Village officials hope that the more people are involved, the more effective the economic plan will be at meeting the communitys needs. Additionally, the steering committee helped overcome village skepticism that community development would make any difference at all. With the steering committee in place, Auerbach said that the most difficult task for many people involved taking a hard, realistic look at the villages hurdles. Challenges include budget constraints, maintaining affordable housing alongside community development, amending current zoning regulations, and improving transportation routes to the village.

One example of the villages novel approach to community assessment is the neighborhood walk initiative started by Mayor Jeff Kaplan. As a regular part of the village board meeting, Mayor Kaplan and Manager Auerbach, the village trustees, the chief of police, the code inspector, and others, tour neighborhoods to note particular problems and devise solutions. In doing so, village leaders are able to acknowledge those who follow code requirements and address those who are not. Not only are the walks an effective code enforcement system, they are also an invaluable brainstorming resource for new community improvement ideas.

All of this intense analysis from throughout the community coalesced into a new vision to improve Ellenville by transforming it from a manufacturing town into a gateway for recreation- based eco-tourism. The lack of major highways may have hurt Ellenvilles economic development in the past, but the villages pristine isolation is an asset for attracting eco-tourists. The village is surrounded by wide expanses of open space, making it an ideal location for nature enthusiasts. Ellenville abuts the Shawangunk Mountains, which include Minnewaska State Park Reserve and Sams Point Preserve. This area is renowned for its ice caves, hiking, and kayaking. It boasts a level trail perfect for jogging during warmer months and cross-country skiing in the winter. Ellenvilles topography is also uniquely suited to be one of the nations hubs for hang gliding. These natural features are a resource the village plans to utilize to stimulate its economic revitalization, and it chose to protect them by selling nearly 4,600 acres to the Open Space Institute, an organization dedicated to keeping land undeveloped and accessible to tourists.

In order to bring eco-tourism dollars to the village, Ellenville plans not only to capitalize on its surrounding natural beauty, but also to offer eco-tourists the amenities they demand. To do this, the village plans to revitalize its downtown area. Ellenville needs the retail shops, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts typical of an eco-tourism venue and residents are eager to realize this new vision. However, the community will be challenged to strike a balance between maintaining the real estate affordability which makes Ellenville so attractive, with the aim of elevating the villages status enough to attract tourists and new residents.

Auerbach sees the downtown area as an opportunity for mixed use housing and fresh initiatives to attract young couples as well as retirees. In the past, zoning restrictions hindered downtown revitalization, but Ellenville hopes to use zoning to reinforce its development goals. The villages long main avenue of multi-storied buildings, currently hosting retail stores, has the potential to be a twenty-four-seven downtown that is not abandoned and desolate during the evening hours. Currently, the downtown area is zoned only for commercial use which does not allow for a mix of commercial and residential development. Auerbach has proposed amending the zoning laws in local planning board meetings to demonstrate that new development should not be limited to a suburban model, or only take place in unused open space. There has been a degree of concern that rezoning will cause density and traffic problems, but Auerbach insists that when people live close enough to walk to area shops and businesses, there will be less traffic. The downtown had been zoned for residential use in the past, but village officials changed the zoning laws because of the lack of residential recreational space and loitering. Now, the village aims to have residents linger downtown and spend their free time there. Concepts to energize the downtown include a community wireless hot spot, more convenient shopping, and building off of the Shadowland Theatres growing popularity as a cultural attraction.

Village residents are also working toward improving Ellenvilles esthetics and accessibility. The village is in the process of assessing its curb appeal and has allocated resources for a village beautification project to improve signage and landscaping. The Historic District Commission was recently created to preserve and renovate historically valuable architecture and target new ways to improve the villages visual beauty. The village currently has a high percentage of rental units with absent landlords who do not maintain their properties. Making home ownership in the village more appealing is one way to counter the problem. Additionally, there are plans to improve transportation to and from the village by expanding existing bus routes and creating a shuttle from the village to various scenic outlooksintegrating the surrounding open space with the downtown area. These kinds of improvements would not only aid residents and attract tourists, but would attract urban dwellers looking for vacation homes.

These favorable forecasts for Ellenville hinge on the communitys ability see their efforts materialize into tangible improvements. The village has allocated money for code enforcement by hiring an assistant to the building inspector. The village is pursuing their certification as a local government to take advantage of additional funding for historic preservation. Also, village officials are currently considering various proposals to create a new space for Ellenvilles municipal offices. This project is hoped to be another catalyst for improved community vitality. When asked what advice he would offer to similarly situated communities, Auerbach said that energizing and involving the community in the creation of a new development plan is vital to its successif so, the resurgence of Ellenville ought to be an interesting revitalization project to watch.

We have now identified problems but nobody has suggested anything to fix the problem. We need some constructive suggestiuons here.

Suggestion 1
Engage business owners such as Coombe Financial, Gillette Creamery, Sprague Kileen, Ace Hardware, Peters Market, Collier Motircar,Thornton Hardware, Matthews Pharmacy, ect., a and others to form a private dollar think tank not based upon "municipal crack" aka grants, to help strategically plan growth for the Village Town, 2. fire the engineers and planners who are nothing more than shills for the same old thing and let them stick to bulding projects only,
3. Study the combined Village Hall Town Hall concept only as part of a major consolidation between the Town Village that means, building departments, courts, Clerks and Boards all being mergered into an entity that eliminated duplication of services and expense, eliminate the village police as a bordered organization, instead making it Townwide, but only to serve a quality of life function leaving major investigations, drugs, ect to the State Police and Sheriff, consolidate the Ellenville, Cragsmoor Napanoch Fire Departments.

If we really want to be serious we better bite the bullet and soon, it is clear that Hydro is on its last legs, the Nevele may be a totally different business within the year, leaving us with very little to rely upon.

Ellenville Wawarsing, residents, noone is owed a job or living we have to become self sufficient, proud of our community and willing to sacrifice to make it something to be proud of. Step one is eliminating the dysfunction of both the Village Town governments asap

"THEY" isn't everyone! Certainly not ME!

An update on the above article:

Former Schrade employees and management started Canal Street Cutlery, to produce and sell high-quality collectors' knives. They are doing well and look to expand; this is a perfect example of how a right-sized business, LOCALLY-OWNED and FINANCED, can compete against foreign cheap crap. We need to develop and incubate MORE like this!

An arts initiative has begun and we hope to continue with more exhibits and attracting more artists to the area to live, work, and sell. To that end, we've already rezoned to let "artists' lofts" in areas where they can do all three in one building.

JET WAVE is in, at best, hibernation mode. Like many ideas that come in, stir up some enthusiasm, and then vanish, unless there is some PERMANENT mechanism to IMPLEMENT and manage these ideas, they tend to evaporate. A similar Gateway Study also is in limbo. A permanent town-village DEVELOPMENT OFFICE is the means to that end, and both municipalities are finally considering it.

Eco-tourism would be an excellent PART of such an overall development strategy, which should also include alternate energy, organic agriculture, natural resources, bio-diesel fuel, workforce and housing development, business incubation, recreation and hospitality, websites, arts and theater, networking infrastructure.

Here's an outline I proposed to the town and village, and addresses the "plan" to pursue:

"The economy begins in our heads." -- economist and author Michael Shuman

"Economic Development is not just a real estate marketing effort to entice businesses to relocate into a community. Today, economic development is truly about enhancing quality of life. It's about increasing per capita wages, training a workforce, and enhancing infrastructure that in turn protects and enhances our area's natural resources."

Today, economic development encompasses not only business attraction, expansion, and retention - it also addresses tourism, community development, workforce development, and environmental protection.

Economic development is the process of improving the economic health of a community by bringing together its assets, resources, and political action into a strategy to bring wealth and prosperity to that area, or to keep the wealth and prosperity from leaking away to non-local, outside ownership.

The greater the percentage of locally-owned and run businesses, the greater the multiplier effect, meaning more money is generated and stays circulating within the community. Every product or service that can be created locally and diffusely for local consumption reduces the need to import products or services, reducing their ultimate cost and making the community more self-reliant and self-sufficient, which improves its stability and immunizes it against market swings and dependence on one or two large businesses. Hence, every effort should be made to support Local Ownership Import Substitution (LOIS) businesses.

The Wawarsing-Ellenville community is attempting to address the issue of Economic Development in order to:
Maintain and Increase wealth and prosperity within our community
Ensure job opportunities for all community citizens
Expand the tax base for local government to better serve our citizens and for our school system to support education
Improve the quality of life of community citizens by increasing the standard of living through enhanced employment opportunities
Ensure a bright economic future for our community

---

We have also rezoned, as mentioned, the downtown Canal Street to allow for upper-story accessory apartments. This will bring more people in, particularly to renovate storefronts, as this will finally bring in income from the WHOLE property, or let employers live on site, as in the new Eastern World Market, or let key employees do so.

I'm still pursuing getting FREE wireless into the village.

Hundreds of thousands have already been secured in grant money, and have been or will be soon spent, for tree planting and storefront renovation. Grants for the Shadowland will make it more functional and increase its off-season usage.

The village has passed several laws to crack down on absentee landlords and others who let properties slide, and have some more in the hopper now. We HAVE had the code enforcement assistant in place, and are already reaping the benefits, with new software and more violation write-ups. And we have seen much new and renovation permits, indicating new residents and businesses, and those who wish to stay and improve.

Study money up to $1 million has been set aside to address a transportation hub in the village.

We did pass the certification for historic preservation, so that means more money and capability for restoration work.

We bought the 20,000-plus sf bank building for village offices, at $1 million a bargain, as a new building would have cost 4, 5, 6 or more times that! We should be in there this summer.

---

Now, NOTHING in all that suggests that a Wal-Mart OUTSIDE the village would help this process! Indeed, it's MY opinion it would HURT the process and UNDO much that has been accomplished! It would DRIVE traffic and sales AWAY from the downtown, as it has in other similar communities, as I've demonstrated in several studies posted in these forums and elsewhere, and kill-off businesses and their jobs, and hardly be something to entice new residents, artists, entrepreneurs, or tourists to our village!

Funny, but nothing in the above suggests the need or desire for a big box store OUTSIDE the village as part of this revitalization! NOW that the mayor has "seen the light" (and he's the attorney for the property owner where Wal-Mart is looking to move to, don't ya know!!!) and wants to have ALL villagers buy "necessities" outside the village in Napanoch, so that we can fill the village with "boutiquey" (his word!) little stores (to sell what to whom?), I wonder how much of this plan is going to be pursued?

February 25, 2007

Wal-Mart starts city campaign in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) - Baggy clothes and Mexican CDs line the aisles. Catfish bait and automobile decorations sit on the shelves. A local restaurant serves up fried chicken near the checkout stands.

After blanketing rural America, Wal-Mart is pushing into big cities with a new strategy: catering to local shoppers -- in this case, black and Hispanic customers in a West Side Chicago neighborhood -- while making efforts to help other local businesses survive.

There is a lot riding on Wal-Mart's success at this store that opened last September, both for the struggling neighborhood and the company.

Chicago is the biggest city Wal-Mart has entered, but only after a long battle over worker pay and benefits and concerns that it would crush local businesses -- the same issues that have dogged it for years and prevented it from cracking New York City and other markets.

The retail giant has long been criticized by union-backed groups that claim the company pays poverty wages, runs small businesses out of town and pushes employees onto tax-funded public health care. Wal-Mart denies those allegations.

'Wal-Mart has to show that it is willing and committed to forming a true relationship with that (Chicago) community that goes beyond a big retailer that sells socks cheaper than anybody else,' said Steven Silvers, a corporate reputation management expert with consultancy GBSM Inc. in Denver.

Francisco Soto worries whether such a relationship will happen -- or whether so many customers will go to Wal-Mart that he's driven out of business.

Soto, who owns Midwest Audio, less than a block from Wal-Mart, said that during the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart sold TV-radios for $25 less than he paid for them.

'That's my bread and butter,' Soto said. 'I don't know what my future here holds.'

But Wal-Mart insists it can help both businesses and residents in this community where the unemployment rate is in double digits, noting that 15,000 people applied for 400 jobs there.

To prove it wants to be a good neighbor, the store caters to local residents and says it has a plan to help other businesses.

It carries a wide selection of items such as clothing, music and foods favored by blacks and Hispanics, who account for 90 percent of the customers, manager Ed Smith said.

The aisles are wider than in many other stores because people here often shop in large family groups, said Mia Masten, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman in Chicago. Signs for various sections of the store are in both English and Spanish.

The Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken restaurant is another nod to the neighborhood, Masten said.

'We were the first store to open to have a local restaurant from the neighborhood come into our store,' Masten said.

The restaurant was one of the first things Patricia Wright noticed when she walked inside the new Wal-Mart. 'The fact you have an Uncle Remus here, you wouldn't find one ... in the suburbs,' said Wright, 44, of Chicago.

The store, included in the 'Wal-Mart Jobs and Opportunity Zones' initiative announced last April, bought ads in local newspapers for two hardware stores, a bakery and other small businesses, and will produce ads for the same five businesses to be broadcast over the in-store radio feed. Last week, Wal-Mart announced the program would expand to nine more stores in other cities' economically struggling areas.

'We want to work with them in partnership to revitalize their business,' Smith said.

Critics say the program is simply a publicity stunt.

'The idea that a giant company is going to teach small companies to compete with it seems ridiculous,' said Nu Wexler of Wal-Mart Watch, a union-backed organization.

Others, though, say the program is the kind of thing Wal-Mart needs to do.

'Wal-Mart knows there are enough people who don't go there because if its reputation,' said Silvers.

Although Wal-Mart said it would hold seminars for Chicago businesses, Smith said he doesn't know if that has happened yet. And the store has not begun selling products by local vendors, as officials promised before the store opened; they say applications from local vendors are being analyzed.

Author Charles Fishman said Wal-Mart must be careful to deliver on its promises.

'If they don't, rather than helping the community they simply increase cynicism,' said Fishman, who wrote the book, 'The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works and How It's Transforming the American Economy.'

Just how the new Wal-Mart and its strategy will affect local businesses in Chicago remains to be seen.

A handful of businesses have closed or are in the process of closing, but they are primarily clothing stores that barely were surviving before Wal-Mart opened, said Pete Schmugge, executive director of the North Pulaski-Armitage Chamber of Commerce.

'Wal-Mart was basically the final push,' he said.

Top Line Fashion, a tired-looking store a few blocks from Wal-Mart, is about to close.

'The economy (has) not been good the last year,' said owner Chung Yoo, adding she knew her store was finished when she walked into Wal-Mart and saw for herself that prices there were lower than in her store.

Even those whose businesses aren't in immediate danger are worried -- including some who got free advertising from Wal-Mart.

'It scares me,' said Norman Delrahim, who has owned BS Hardware for 25 years. 'But I'm happy to get those ads. Hopefully they're going to help us.'

Meanwhile, Emma Mitts, the alderman who successfully pushed for the Wal-Mart to be built in her ward, said there are signs Wal-Mart is encouraging other business to come to the area.

'I can see the retailers and developers want to come in,' said Mitts.

Various companies -- including Starbucks, which Mitts said will build a coffee shop in the area -- say they don't comment on reasons for locating in particular areas. Starbucks did confirm it is looking in the Chicago neighborhood.

But anybody who has been to the store, particularly on the weekends, can't miss the traffic jams out front and packed aisles inside. The fact is, said Silvers, Wal-Mart is a well-established anchor tenant, and smaller companies don't agree to build in an area until such a tenant is in place.

'That was the attraction for them,' said Camille Lilly, executive director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce on the city's West Side. 'They wanted to have an anchor such as Wal-Mart.'

What happens now will be of interest far beyond the city limits, said Fishman. When Wal-Mart wants to 'move into urban area where it hasn't been or encounters resistance, city officials will immediately say 'How's that Chicago store doing?'' Fishman said.

For Soto, the question is whether the other retailers will experience the same kind of traffic -- and shoppers -- that Wal-Mart has now: the kind who pass them by on their way to Wal-Mart.

Shoppers like Josephine Gatling.

'I don't have to be going to all the stores,' said Gatling, who lives five blocks from the store, as she wheeled her cart through Wal-Mart. 'Everything I want is here.'

Soto isn't waiting to find out whether his store dies or survives.