A welcoming city

The Moscow City Council displayed its support for immigrants and everyone living in and visiting the city by approving a resolution Tuesday night that welcomes people to the city with open arms.

“When people are oppressed or in duress and seeking refuge or even simply trying to get a chance to better their lives, the proper response is to welcome them with what we can, to act with kindness and to offer hope and inclusiveness,” said Victoria Seever, a Moscow resident. “If America is the great and powerful nation it proclaims itself to be to the whole world, then it is strong enough, it is fair enough, it is open enough to reach out its hand and heart to others.”

City Supervisor Gary Riedner said Mayor Bill Lambert approached the City Council about considering a resolution reiterating and affirming the welcoming nature of Moscow as a community.

Part of the resolution reads, “That the City of Moscow is committed to being a friendly and diverse city where all residents and visitors feel welcomed, safe and able to fully participate in, and contribute to, our city’s economic and social life, and we urge all residents of Moscow to do their part in reaching out and welcoming all those who live in and visit our community.”

Joann Muneta, liaison with the Moscow Human Rights Commission and chair of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, said one of her reasons for supporting the resolution was to strengthen the safety and legal protection of everyone — legal citizens or not.

“We’re seeing these days the spread of fear and uncertainty which no one should have to live with, especially not in our friendly community,” Muneta said.

“One thing that I want to make very clear to everybody is that we want our town to prosper,” Lambert said. “And how we prosper is welcoming basically anybody that gets here and wants to work, prosper and be productive in what they do and that’s what we’re looking at. It’s just a human right that we look at.”

In other business:

• Councilors decided to vacate 10 feet of Eighth Street public right of way located immediately east of the Harrison Street intersection after the city received an application requesting the vacation from an individual who owns the property near the vacation area.
• Councilors accepted a low bid of $2,222,500 to replace the Taylor and White avenues booster stations and Vista Street booster station.
• The City Council voted to maintain the current fee levels for the 2017 Farmers Market season and approved the hiring of an interim full-time market manager from March 1 to Sept. 30.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.