Oct. 10. 2001
 
 We would like to clarify something about the Kevin Bell debacle at city hall Oct. 9. The media sort of painted a picture reflecting a groundswell of support for Mr. Bell’s housing project, but that’s inaccurate.
 
 Actually, as the newspaper reported, 8 people spoke. However, the public needs to know that the 8 included Kevin Bell - who was really heartwarming in his comments, we have to tell you - and two people on his payroll. So what you really had was three people speaking for the project, and two against.
 
 The public should also be aware that while only two city residents spoke against the project, many people from the 4th Street neighborhood had made their feelings known at another meeting arranged by the Mayor between neighborhood residents and developer Kevin Bell several weeks earlier.
 
 Plus, people from the neighborhood presented the Mayor and City Council with a petition against the project that had approximately 500 signatures on it.
 
 If there was a groundswell, it was from the other direction.
 
 However, three people did step up to the plate and support this thing - Terry Bowman, the building trades head, reiterated what he said to the officials at a previous work session.
 
 And John Balch, chair of Greater Cumberland, stood up and called this project “economic development,” noting that by letting Kevin Bell build a low income housing project here we would be showing the world that we are “business friendly.” Mr. Balch also claimed that Mr. Bell might be renting to people who work at CSX or the Mexico Farms Industrial Park, even though the vast majority of those people are homeowners who might not want to sell their houses to go live in a densely packed apartment building with inadequate parking. Just a thought.
 
 However, as this project “keeps with the strategy of Greater Cumberland,” Mr. Balch thinks it’s swell. Makes us wonder about Greater Cumberland’s strategy, not to mention why an organization consisting of business owners and chief executive officers would consider low income housing “economic development” - what is THAT about? If our business leaders really believe that, we’re in worse shape than we thought.
 
 Note to Greater Cumberland: hey guys, Cas Taylor couldn’t keep a tavern afloat that had legal tip jar gambling - he might not be the one to follow on this whole economic development thing.
 
 Anyway, the third supporter was Jim Combs, the same Jim Combs who is probably still hoping to get that taxpayer boondoggle deal Lee Fiedler tried to set up for him in which he would receive about $90,000 in taxpayer money - half an outright “gift,” the other half a no-interest loan - to lay infrastructure on a piece of land he owns so he can sell building lots. And make twice as much as he would if he had to use his own money, like every other developer in the world. (Developers NOT building low income housing, we might add.)
 
 Mr. Combs thought 4th Street was a swell idea too.
 
 Quite a line-up Mr. Bell had there.