Question

Read the excerpt from an article. Lewis Township officials have been publicly—and loudly—quarreling for what seems like forever over what to do with the 20-acre lot of land on the north side of Main Street. It seems to me that the decision is easy. A big-box retailer will bring Lewis hundreds of jobs—jobs desperately needed here. What is the writer’s primary purpose for writing this article?

Answer 1

From the excerpt you posted it looks like the writer's primary purpose is to persuade the audience to share his point of view.

This can be seen in phrases like "it seems to me that the decision is easy", where he implies that he has enough knowledge to see something that the Township officials are not seeing.  

Answer 2

The primary purpose of the author in this excerpt is to convince the audience to support the construction of a big-box retailer in Lewis. The author tells us that there is a 20-acre lot of land on the north side of Main street in the town of Lewis, and that township officials have been arguing about what to do with that land. The author tells us that a retailer of this nature will bring jobs to the city, and therefore, he wants the audience to support his point of view.