by Janet Blanding

The controversy over development on the isthmus is heating up, with battle lines being drawn and opponents facing off at public forums, in the Letters to the Editor section of the Olympian, on the internet, and with signs, stickers and pamphlets distributed around town. In one corner is the developer, Triway Enterprises, along with his allies the current City Council, the Olympian, and the “grass roots citizens group,” Oly2012. In the other corner is Friends of the Waterfront, led by former Olympia Mayor Bob Jacobs, the Washington State Capitol Campus Design Advisory . . .

Bonnie Jacobs presents the waterfront view she’d prefer to see at a public forum.

A projected view of Olympia post-condo obliteration.

by the WIP News Service

Written into the 2/11/08 Minutes of the Olympia Land Use and Environment Committee is a disturbing statement: “We already have the vision for downtown. To appeal to the public, we need to move from strategy to tactics.” Present at this meeting were Councilmembers Karen Messmer, Rhenda Iris Strub, and Joan Machlis, as well as City staff and assorted guests, including former councilmember and Triway Enterprise employee Jeannette Hawkins, and Russ Meixner of Rocky Mountain Development Company, a big contributor to several councilmembers’ campaign funds (see graphic).

The Top 10 donors to the City Council, categorized