Wal-Mart debate may not foretell council action

College debate team offers pros and cons on Wal-Mart coming to New Ulm

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The college students in Monday night's debate about Wal-Mart got loud, approving knocks on several points they made during their arguments at Martin Luther College.

But don't expect tonight's New Ulm City Council meeting to have the same tone.

While city councilors are considering a moratorium on "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart, the discussion will likely deal more with the legal issues that revolve around such a ban rather than the pros and cons of having Wal-Mart in town.

Nonetheless, close to 120 people came to the debate in the auditorium at MLC's Wittenberg College Center to hear four debate club members from rival Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato square off in an academic, English parliamentary-style debate about Wal-Mart and its potential impacts on New Ulm.

The crowd consisted mainly of senior citizens and college students. A few members of the New Ulm City Council and the New Ulm Economic Development Corporation also attended.

The debate began with some comments from Dr. Ann Vogel, of New Ulm, who said she felt this city would be well-served to have more information about the various arguments for and against the U.S. retail giant.

MLC Professor John Nolte politely reminded the audience that the debate was supposed to be an academic exercise and each participant was given a role to play regardless of her personal views "so as you leave, please don't stone them for what they say."

The four students' arguments received several approving knocks on the armrests of the auditorium seats on several points. (The audience had been instructed to use the knock reaction before the debate began.)

The students who argued against Wal-Mart received several loud knocks when they argued that little of the sales taxes a store generates come back to New Ulm, criticized Wal-Mart's expected job growth by saying it would come at the expense of small, local businesses and railed against the company's use of cheap foreign labor, its civil rights record and low pay.

The students who supported Wal-Mart got lots of loud support when they replied by noting that sales tax money will come to New Ulm, that New Ulm "can always use more jobs," that small businesses "have to learn to adapt to change," hat Wal-Mart helps families afford quality goods and that while Wal-Mart uses cheap foreign labor, it didn't create it and the lawsuits represent individual cases instead of the entire company.

More loud knocks came as the opposition argued that Wal-Mart would get from local businesses the money it needs to keep its store open, that it doesn't have the personalized touch of a local business and that a Wal-Mart in New Ulm doesn't save very much time.

The pro-Wal-Mart students' response just as much support when they countered by arguing that some of the money spent in Mankato could be spent in New Ulm, that foreign countries have lower prices on goods than the U.S., so workers don't need as much money and that Wal-Mart "has bad leaders, but it's not a bad corporation."

A few audience members asked the students some questions from a open microphone in the middle of the auditorium after the debate finished. Many of the questions -- such as "Does the number of businesses increase or decrease once a Wal-Mart's in town?" -- the students weren't able to answer, But some questions, like "Has Wal-Mart given any indication that they're coming to town? Is there any research in Hutchinson or Mankato?" got an answer.

Nolte said reiterated Wal-Mart's earlier announcement about its interest in New Ulm but wasn't sure of how serious the company's intentions are. Vogel added that younger people in Mankato were more excited to see Wal-Mart, while older generations were less enthusiastic.

After the debate, City Council President Dan Beranek said he thinks tonight's city council meeting will probably deal with what he called "the mechanics" of a moratorium, which can last for six months and can be extended to 12 months if it's passed, rather that the politics that took center stage at MLC.

"I thought it was good for those who don't deal with it every day. It brought up lots of points," said New Ulm Chamber of Commerce President Chris Hiller, who was in the audience. Hiller said an Chamber opinion survey of New Ulm business about Wal-Mart is set for release on Thursday.

The MLC debate will be re-broadcast on public access from Friday to Sunday this coming weekend, next Tuesday and next Saturday.