People who support the building of a Wal-Mart supercenter in Ashland say that the store will bring more jobs, better roads, free enterprise and a larger selection of products at better prices.
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Sharon Mckinley, town resident
...I like the one-stop shopping, 'cause my life is very busy.... I can go in and get it all at one place....
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Franklin Jackson, a town councilman
I would love to see Wal-Mart come in. I think it will bring a variety of products...and create more jobs for younger teenagers and middle class people....
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Bobbie Parker, member of the planning commission
...If we don't rely on proffers from developers, where is the money coming from to alleviate all of these problems that we have?
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Jay Weinberg, lawyer for Wal-Mart from Richmond, Virginia
Annual tax revenues, after expenses, will exceed a net of $110,000 per year for the town....
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Wal-Mart shopper
...It's hard to believe that a town doesn't want more prosperity.
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Those who oppose the building of a Wal-Mart express concerns about increased traffic, a loss of higher paying jobs, decreased revenue to the city and destroying the historic downtown and unique character of Ashland.
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Mary Leffler, head of the Pink Flamingos, Ashland's anti-Wal-Mart citizens' group
The money our business generates sits in our local bank, and is recycled. It buys Ashland homes, Ashland cars, it finances education and it serves local businesses....
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Ned Stiles, town resident
The $4 million, whatever it is, that they are proffering for internal roads, will build a nice new road to their front door....
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Anthony Kitts, town council member
I'm concerned about the congestion in terms of traffic, the number of people....
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Bill Artiglia, carpenter
The jobs that Wal-Mart's going to bring are going to be replacing better-paying jobs that we've already got...
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Wilma-Jean Carpenter, town resident
We don't need another Wal-Mart. You can go to Wal-Mart 10 minutes in any direction...
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