'Tis A Puzzlement

LCDC hires PR firm for $35,000. For a four month contract. Wow. That's nearly $12,000 per month. All to help solve LCDC's inability to communicate effectively.

Okay. This isn't meant to be an anti LCDC rant but I don't think they have to spend that kind of tax payer money to figure it out. First lets look at the make up LCDC. Business men one and all. Successful business men. Vice Chairman Jim Elder, if I'm properly informed, owns one of the more popular and long established restaurants in downtown. I find it exceedingly difficult to believe that Mr. Elder nor any of the other board members aren't well versed in how to communicate successfully.

Furthermore, the executive director is paid in excess of $100,000 per year. For this amount of money I would expect; no, demand he have those skills before hiring him to oversee the expenditure of taxpayer money. He apparently does not. When asked to explain why there was no bid process for hiring a P.R. firm, he claimed "there aren't many public relations firms in the region able to meet LCDCs needs." How is that known if you're hiring the firm to help you define those needs in the first place?

One cannot help but wonder if Mr. Berns is the right man for the job. He's the professional. If the city council has oversight authority yet doesn't understand the mechanisms of public relations, perhaps they aren't the right people in those jobs either.

Here's a little Friday pop quiz. Any of you recognize the names Christie Wood and Ben Wolfinger? Of course you do. Christie is the spokesperson for the police and Ben for the Sheriff's office. How do we know them? Because they are out there communicating with the community when there is a need to inform. I wager neither of them earns $12,000 a month. Does the city have a spokesperson? If so tell me the name. How many of you can name the members of city council and what their backgrounds are? How many of you know the names of the people on the LCDC or the Planning Commission?

Have you ever seen a Chinese puzzle ball where there is ball within a ball within a ball? Wonder how its done? No obvious way in or out. Could part of the problem be that there are so many layers of the ball enclosed in all things city politic that nothing gets out once its in? How many people serving today have shifted from planning commission to council to mayor and back again? How often do we see new faces and new ideas? Not very. No way in. Unless you know the secret.

Therein lies a problem. Once in nothing gets out. It was said LCDC is transparent because their meetings are televised. How often are the discussions that take place in the meetings covered by the press? How often are the topics to be discussed on the radio publicized. Radio? How many of you know where and what time they can be heard?

Transparency means coming forward before action is taken; not afterwards. It's public relations 101. Get out in front of the story. Transparency means think before you speak and speak the truth.

I know those who point out discrepancies are sullied by the powers that be. Sometimes their points are valid, sometimes not quite.  Yet they seem to gaining a foothold. One reason is they are accessible. Agree with them or not, they will respond to questions. I know that as fact. I've talked with them.

How accessible are council members? Other than on defense?  Don't send us to your web site. Not everyone has a computer. Don't send us to the press - you have no focused voice. For those of you who do speak out I applaud you.  But there are not enough of you.  And too often you're playing defense.  

Right now the best place to get information on the ins and outs of what's happening is spread between the Cour d'Alene Press blogs, Huckleberrries Online and the new OpenCDA .

I blog so I read them all. For everyone else, take your pick of where they are likely to get their news. Learn your media and how to use it. There. Another freebie from an old P.R. hack. See? If only everyone read the blogs!

But then you'd have the responsibility of sorting out fact from opinion.  Not easy.

Transitional Housing - The Line Is Blurred

Be careful what you wish for. From all the high rise condo projects in town, gated developments around the lake and multi-use facilities being built in our area it would seem the pro growth advocates are winning.

In an area that is economically depressed it is coming with a price. A wider differentiation between the haves and the have nots. Jobs that don't pay enough to support an increasingly expensive area, the accompanying stress, depression, crime. The county has been lobbying for a new jail for years. Our state prisons are over crowded. The state is in a budget crunch. To alleviate the overcrowding more and more attention is being given to transitional housing.

An article in this morning's Press warns that there is going to be more of it. That being a given, just what is it? Here's where the article has left me confused.

Okay. We are talking about parolees released from the prison system transitioning back into society. They are, for the most part, felons including sex offenders, arsonists, and other violent criminals. Who would want them in their backyard? Just what are the recidivism rates for these crimes?

The article goes on about a private, faith based company that has plans for 16 "recovery" houses in Kootenai County this year. Whoa. Wait a minute. They talk about how these homes are for ex-addicts, not ex-inmates. They supposedly exclude the more heinous offenders such as those listed above and that those who become residents are charged $400 per month in rent.

I am getting really confused here. One, where are these people going to get $400 per month? Two, it is stated addicts are considered disabled and there are laws protecting them from discrimination. Let's back the horse up to the cart here.

We're talking about two levels of offenders. The violent and predatory versus those with addictions. Those with addictions are protected. Those who are not so afflicted (if there are any) are not. Do we at the present time have facilities within the county that separate one from the other? Or are they so melded together, differentiation is, in fact, impossible? I would like to know how many of each, where they are located and what type of oversight is in place?

If the Department of Corrections, and the local agencies who share the information, want to be as "transparent as possible" make known to the community where these facilites are, who populates those currently in place and how they are monitored.

You tell us it's not just your problem, it's everyone's. Well, make it so.

Police Get A Bad Rap. Or Do They?

In an ongoing discussion about affordable housing, our city fathers are telling us it's needed for the "good people" of the area. Our college level instructors, firemen and police. Two things come to mind right off the top of my head. One, why are these professions the only ones mentioned? And two, why are we paying them so little that they need special consideration when it comes to the housing market? One gets what one pays for. In quality of public servant as well as housing.

This doesn't bode well for our area when you look at the problems the police have in neighboring Spokane. The pay scale is considerably higher than here and they still could use some quality control! If the picture of the paraplegic being dumped from his wheel chair by a shreriff's deputy doesn't haunt you perhaps memories of events closer to home will. Remember Otto Zehm, a mentally impaired janitor who was beaten, hog tied and suffocated by seven officers? None of them have been prosecuted.

Or the gang that couldn't shoot straight tasering a man threatening suicide, causing him to jump? What happened to those officers?

Or the deputy who exposed himself to a barista and is now on unpaid leave until his retirement when he can collect his pension.

"Good" people? Hmmm.

We have good police officers to be sure. Just like the Catholic church has good priests. Far more good than bad, but at times it looks like the police departments have become a haven for wrong doers much like the church has been for pedophiles. And they protect their own.

Today's headlines in the Spokesman include two more stories to add to the llitany. A U.S. Marshall posted in Spokane is promoted even after it is discovered he lied about his education, having bought a bogus diploma and transcript from a phony online University.

The other speaks of a bill working it's way through the Idaho legislature that will bar felons from becoming sheriffs! Who'd have thought that was an issue?

So when push comes to shove and I take a look around, I wonder if both our terminology and our priorities are a bit skewed.

Terror Of A Different Sort

Imagine this scenario. A large agricultural based conglomerate hiring non-citizens to do the work U.S. citizens won't. Right. All those "illegal" pickers that swarm across the Mexican border and fan out across the country like mosquitos over a stagnant pond.

Wrong. Try the citizens of the Marshall Islands swarming to a small town in northwestern Arkansas to work for Tyson Foods. Why? Because it's a better life than they had.

It's not that they as a people aren't welcome. It's what they've brought with them. Leprosy. Yep. The town of Springdale, a bit over 60,000 strong, has an outbreak of leprosy, not to mention 100 cases of tuberculosis.

How do these people get in? Politics mostly. In a nutshell, if approved for entry they may live, study and work in the U.S. for an unlimited amount of time.

Their "traveling companions" get a free ride and as I see it, the way panic and misunderstanding begins. The imagery of leprosy conjurs up thoughts of leper colonies. I shuddered at the thought. Then did a little research.

It seems the disease is more disfiguring than fatal. This is an extreme, untreated case. Though it can be spread, it is not done so easily and it it can be treated effectively with antibiotics.  The progression can be stopped, the damage can not be undone.

It is a disease slow to develop and symptoms may not appear for up to seven years after infection, according to the Merck Manuel. So here you are. The Marshall Islands have the highest incidence of leprosy anywhere in the world. The Islanders are flocking to Springdale looking for the American dream.

All concerned are living a nightmare.

Doing It Right

83858. Everyone residing within this zip code gets a free copy of The Rathdrum Star every Wednesday. It is a weekly that serves every community within its area well.

I rather like Rathdrum. It is one of the area's true and somewhat obscure small towns. It has no illusions of grandeur. Just a lot of citizens and employees who care. It is dealing with all the problems one would expect. Sometimes ugly politics, growth, resistance to it, managing it smartly. I enjoyed my involvement when former Mayor Tawnda Bromley held the reins. Now it is under the guidance of Vic Holmes, a local business man who has more energy than the "bunny".

I was totally impressed with this man while I was working with the steering committee for the skate park. He knew someone who could help with every aspect and brought them on board. I watched with awe and admiration. He wasn't mayor then.

He is now and he's doing it right. The city put out a press release reminding people to get their cars off the streets to aid in snow removal. They published a plowing schedule.

The paper reported this week that the city answered every call it received - questions and complaints. It told of the jobs above and beyond that city workers were doing. The Lakeland Basketball team and their friends shoveling out area shut ins, the Mayor helping crews move cars that were impeding the plows and keeping in touch with officials helping to pinpoint trouble spots. The Police Chief personally directing traffic at the local high school so the buses could leave safely.

Then too the letter to the editor from the Mayor thanking all the community for their hard work and their patience, explaining what some problems were and encouraging citizens to call city hall with concerns.

Here is a city administration and a paper that know how to work together for the good of the community. They are both in the business of serving the public.

There are far bigger city administrations and papers in the area that could learn a lot from Rathdrum's example.

Selective Service

It always makes me feel good when our public officials are doing their duty. Like removing cars impeding snow plows.

That makes sense, but we have had so much snow there are two problems. One, since you're not supposed to push snow into the street and you're supposed to keep your sidewalk shoveled, just where is this snow to be deposited? And two, if you are able to dig your car out, where are you supposed to move it? Okay, I know, clear your driveway, if you have one, and park it there. In many of the problem areas, however, garages are in alleys - not excessable - due to snow! Just ask the trash pickup folks who can't navigate them and instructed residents to get their trash to the front of their homes.

C'mon, give folks a break. Or enforce parking regulations all year 'round so residents know they best not get caught by the winter monster.

For example, the police spokeswoman stated 55 vehicles had been identified as abandoned. Now I'm not sure how long a car has to sit in one place without being moved for it to be so designated, but I do know that a car had been removed from in front of a school - that had been there since August! Another, in front of a private residence, had been there since June!

It's not enough when the owner of the towing company says about having to tow peoples cars, "It's not a good thing, but they should abide by the law and get them off the street in the first place."

The ordinance is on the books. Where are the police before emergency circumstances occur? Waiting for waist deep snow is a lousy time to start enforcing the law.

Oh, yeah, might I add one more time - it took reading both papers to get all the information!

The Big Dig

Things are looking much better this morning. The sky was blue, the wind subdued. The overnight snowfall was no more than an inch. Bacchus and I took our whole walk. I figured if he could make snow angels every few yards he could darn well walk for a bit.

Yesterday the community came together to help one another dig out. The Big Dig was organized by KREM 2 in Spokane to help those areas in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene really socked in, dig out.

Neighbors and strangers have been helping since the beginning of this unbelievably snowy season. A few Sundays back when we had about eight inches of snow in the drive a plow equipped truck pulled up to see if we needed help. It was wonderful to see the KREM team pull together an organized effort and in so doing give all those good samaritans some well deserved recognition.

There were the reporters, students, business owners; able neighbors helping the less able. It's what communities do in rough times. In that respect no place does it better than we do. But you know what was missing? I did not see the mayor nor one city council member nor any of our county commissioners out there helping. If they were, I apologize. But with the video rolling I find it hard to believe they couldn't be found!

It Isn't Dogs That Are Dumb...

Once again I get to point out the value of reading both local newspapers. The Press headline reads Idaho senate votes 31-4 in favor of dogfighting measure. The Spokesman reads Idaho Senate OKs dogfighting bill. This is long awaited legislation that will make dogfighting a felony with good healthy penalties. Five years in prison and $50,000 in fines.

The Press article goes on to state that some backers want to be able to target illegal gang and drug activity that often accompanies the dogfighting.

"Wow," I thought. They finally get it. Then I went on to read greater detail in the Spokesman. It seems Senator Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, feels the legislation goes too far by putting it into the ranks of a felony. He is quoted as saying, "It's not just Michael Vick and the big shots - it's what if your teenage son and my teenage son decide to have a dogfight back in the back alley?"

I was dumbfounded. He doesn't get it at all! Nor does Senate GOP Caucus Chairman Brad Little, R-Emmett, who went on to defend the bill by saying, "This isn't two kids out in the back alley that go 'Sic 'em, Rover'..."

What kind of fathers are these? What kind of boys are they raising?? Don't they realize that kids pitting their pets against one another is how it starts? I'm glad the Idaho Senate has been embarrassed into undertaking this legislation for the sake of the dogs. I'm angry that these elected officials are doing this for nothing more than political expediency. I'm embarrassed that their spoken words reveal such a lack of comprehension about what they're doing.

Once again I find myself wondering what I'm doing in what too often resembles Appalachia west.

Snow Job

What, you may be asking, is that photo supposed to show? Ha! Our driveway marker. What's still visible.

Okay, we've had upwards of 100" of snowfall already this season. We're due for another blast tonight into tomorrow bringing another 6 to 8 inches. And even more coming Saturday and Sunday.

I imagine parents are beginning to get weary of snow days. Even Bacchus has retreated from his favorite snow bank to the comfort of the living room couch.

Spokane County has run through its plowing budget and if Kootenai County hasn't, they must be close to it. The roads are terrible. People who choose to live here are bearing the burden with relatively good humor. But I've got to laugh. You've got to love officialdom.

In Coeur d'Aelne many residents have their garbage containers and recycling bins in back alleys. Waste Management wants them moved to where workers have easy access to them. First of all, wading through knee deep, or deeper, snow to get garbage to the containers is a chore unto itself, what's more getting them out from an alley to a convenient street location!

And of course that only works if the sidewalk or a drive has been cleared so there is a place for the receptacle if you can get it there. In the spirit of clearing one's sidewalk there is a problem as to where to put the snow. Some residents were pushing it into the streets so the plows could move it on. This was supposedly obstructing traffic for the one or two cars that ventured out in the first place. So in Spokane you get can slapped with a "disorderly conduct" charge.

Let's see. Police are asking you to not go out unless absolutely necessary. The roads are virtually impassable because they're not being plowed in the first place. You're required by law to keep your side walks clear; you have to get your trash cans to the street and yet you can't push the snow into a public roadway.

We are knee deep in it, that's for sure. I found that out when I made my way to my bird feeder this morning. But for some poor residents it ain't just snow they're knee deep in...

Why I Read Both Papers

Coeur d'Alene is no longer the sleepy little lakeside community it used to be. It's growing like topsy, at least in the building department, and as comes growth comes increased crime.

I do have to read both our local papers, however, to get a good picture of just what is happening. On Monday in the Coeur d'Alene Press is Marc Stewart's column Blotter Fodder. As the title would suggest it is a column rather than a list of statistics. It does make more interesting reading.

Today he reports a conversation with the Sheriff as to whether or not law enforcement gives preferential treatment for friends and community leaders. If he meant that as a serious question, or merely conversation, I'm not sure. If he felt the need to ask the red flags are up!

That being said, the Sheriff assured him the days of looking the other way or helping a buddy are long gone. I'm not sure that's totally accurate; I recall an incidence last summer when a boatload of inebriates came ashore from a Hagadone lake cruiser and were allowed to hit the highways without nary a murmur. Especially since the law was on the dock because of someone allegedly having gone overboard.

Okay, now on to the Spokesman Review. They have a section on their editorial page entitled In their words. The top item this morning was from a local magistrate defending the fact he released a 40 year old man on his own recognizance following arrest on an accusation of domestic violence! His reasoning? The man's father was a long time crony.

If I were law enforcement I'd be pretty upset. So might the victim of the alleged abuse. And so might the rest of us who depend on not only the police, but the judges, to keep such off our streets!

Two papers, two stories. One issue.

Gifts That Keep On Giving

One of our most vocal community activists has resurfaced. Mary Souza. Former planning commissioner and Coeur d'Alene Press columnist. She was dismissed by both just after the fall elections because she dared not to be politic in questioning certain activities undertaken by the CDA city council and it's urban renewal agency, the LCDC.

I will admit I occasionally took her to task on this blog for not giving thorough backup for her statements. She did, however, provide a valuable service to the community by pointing out discrepancies. She got hammered for it from the powers that be and those aligned with them. It always made me think she was hitting pretty close to home from the strong reaction.

Now she is back. She will be sending out an e-mail newsletter to anyone who would like one. It will be in conjunction with a web site where, hopefully, civil and factual discussion from all sides of the political spectrum will occur. The jury is out on that one.

Ms. Souza is a polarizing figure. Criticism or questions are not particularly welcome. She has a knack for making council members and former council members show their best side. Take for instance what newly retired council woman Dixie Reid said about her, "She just doesn't get it. I feel sorry for her. I think she's kind of a lost soul that desperately, desperately needs attention."

Maybe; though such a statement by Ms. Reid makes me wonder just who it is in desperate need of attention.

Here is why Ms. Souza's efforts are so valuable. She stated in her newsletter that the LCDC is "making financial plans to spend 10 million public dollars on a piece of property for the proposed education corridor."

Tony Berns, executive director of the LCDC, refuted her statement by stating, "I don't have any plans, LCDC doesn't have any plans..."  Then he added that he expects LCDC will have partners in the project.

If there are no plans, why would the LCDC be anticipating partners? That indicates a plan to me. Which is it Mr. Berns?

Thanks Mary.

Why Controversy Flourishes

The longer I in live in this area the more bewildered I become.   A headline in the Press this morning reads Grant application hits red light. Wow. A red light for a red light.

What makes this controversial is the fact it concerns a traffic light for access to the Kroc Center. When the city began the process to bring the Kroc Center to Coeur d'Alene, I would have thought they would have done traffic studies as part of site selection. I'm wondering, why, after the city was granted the Center budgeting was not done for the installation of the light plus any other improvements to the roads that might be needed.

It would seem from the article they were depending on a grant for funding. Grants are tenuous at best. It does not seem to me to be a prudent way to plan for public safety issues when there is a concrete need; not a tenuous one.

The cost is $350,000 dollars. The Salvation Army, who owns the Kroc Center is putting up $100,000. This seems a disproportionate amount since the improvements are for their facility. Since the grant was for $247,000 the City now has to find that amount. Where?

While I think the traffic estimates are an "in your dreams" figure, the light is necessary. The need has been made known to LCDC, the urban renewal agency. They have already given $500,000 of tax payer money to a project that wasn't to cost the tax payers a dime.

Wisely, LCDC has told the City to exhaust all other funding sources before returning to them. If a return is necessary, however, is this the proper use of LCDC money? To bail out bad planning and budgeting by the City? I think not. But watch out folks. You've got the controversial Kroc Center and the controversial LCDC bubbling in the same cauldron once again. 

Be careful or it may boil over.

The Escalation Of Arrogance

As we've been watching the political process on the national level slide down the slippery slope of negativity, all for the sake of power, I find myself wondering if it starts at the top and trickles down or does it start at the bottom and increase with each step up.

Locally, it has definitely started at the bottom. There is a small patch of land with approximately 100 residents squeezed between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls. In the recent election the mayor and two incumbents were voted out. It would seem however, in the interim between the election and the swearing in of the new officials, a remaining council member resigned his seat, the defeated mayor resigned and the old council voted her into the vacant city council seat. The newly elected were unaware.

The newly elected are partially at fault, perhaps because of inexperience and perhaps what would appear to be a naive trust. In most places the newly elected mayor would have the privilege of filling the seat. All manner of reasons were given for this end around and none seem to sit particularly well. I would suggest this appears to be a play on the part of the ex-mayor to hold on to as much power as possible. At least that would seem to be the perception from the reporting of the story.

Now let's move over to neighboring Coeur d'Alene. The LCDC, our urban renewal agency, has re-elected the long time chair, who has held the position since the inception ten years ago, and vice chair to another term. Same-o, same-o. What is questionable to me is his request that the board begin mentoring and training a new director. His reason is urban renewal initiatives "require thoughtful dedicated community members who are willing to volunteer their time and talent to make this community to be an even more special place for all of us to live."

My perception? Pompous self-importance. By that criteria, should not the planning commission, even city council have a mentoring and training program for potential members? Well, actually they do. They hand pick candidates and support them to the detriment of those who run and are not in lock step. That is the nature of politics in this community.  Perhaps any community though I should hope not.

With LCDC; they have an executive director who earns more than our governor, who should have the ability to guide the board through the intricacies of making good and legal decisions for the use of tax payer dollars.  If he cannot, he should not hold the position.

Public officials, on the local level, as well as the national, would be wise to give some forethought as to how their statements and actions will be perceived by the public. It isn't so easy to act wantonly as it used to be. The press does report and bloggers blog. And you know what? People do still read.

All Thumbs!

A new law has gone into effect in our neighboring state of Washington. No more text messaging while driving. The problem is the law is a "secondary" law; you cannot be pulled over for that alone. If you run a red light and it's found you've been text messaging then you're in trouble!

Why this has gone into effect before the no talking on a cell phone while driving law slated for July is beyond me but if it too is slated to be a secondary law, why bother? Hub tells me it's all the legislature could get. If true I suggest each and every member be tested as to their ability to do either well. If the majority pass, well I guess I have no argument.

I listened to the people on the street interviews. There were the usual rants about one more "civil right" being denied us. Then there were the comments by the young. It's an old folks' problem. Seems we're so electronically deficient we just aren't able to text and chew gum at the same time. We can't handle a faster paced life anymore. Sluggish reflexes, don't you know.

I've a slightly different take on it. My reflexes are just fine thank you. Much better than the person whipping out of a side street or parking lot happily chatting away and totally oblivious to the fact someone else is on the road and actually has the right of way.

I think it's more a sense of invincibility. The young are full of it; we more mature types realize with each passing day we are not. For the young this sense tends to peak around graduation time. Drinking, driving, talking, texting - they all take lives. If drinking and driving is primary why not texting and talking?? How many more youngsters would live to begin life as an adult?

Anyone who rides in a vehicle on a roadway is at risk without the added distractions of talking and texting. If you're a victim of an accident because of it I doubt you'll think the offense "secondary"!

T'was The Night Before...

I can't begin to count how long it has been since Hub and I stayed up until midnight to welcome a new year. This year was no exception though the neighbor's fireworks did cause me to stir and pat the pup.

For those younger than Methuselah, however, I'm sure there was ample revelry. I will be interested to see how many drunk driving, or worse, arrests occurred. You see, a vital program for merrymakers was not available this year. In past years the downtown bars and taxi companies joined together to provide transportation for those who over imbibed. Both liked the program, and with over 1000 rides provided, deemed it a success.

So what happened? According to a representative from the Licensed Beverage Association, as reported on KREM 2, they couldn't get "cooperation" soon enough to apply for grants from the beer distributors to make the program a go for 2007. I assume the grants provide funding for the expenses incurred by the taxi companies.

Here's a question. If the bar owners like the program and the taxi companies like the program, who did they not get cooperation from and why?

In the "spirit" of civic responsibility, I'd really like to know. I will give kudos to the one cab company, Sunset, who said they would do what they could anyway. Now that's civic responsibility. Thanks.

Wishful Thinking - One Paper Would Do

Out of state developers have discovered our little corner of the world and are constantly coming forth with grandiose plans for fancy gated golfing communities for the rich and famous. The latest that has been making headlines is Chatueu de Loire.

A French themed golfing community strikes me as a bit hokey though the developer is from Las Vegas so maybe that explains it. Trouble is I have visions of the "Paris" Hotel and Casino smack dab in the middle of our little mountain communities. That aside, a citizens group has been holding both the County and the developer's feet to the fire and, I believe, rightly so. As a result the three Commissioners denied the most recent revision of the plans.

Whether or not this is justified is not the point. What is, is how differently it was reported in the two papers of which I seem to be picking on of late. The article in the Spokesman Review was written by a reporter whose name is unfamiliar to me. It was a good overview of what the proposed development was to be, some generic reasons why the Commissioners denied it and the frustration felt by the developer.

The Coeur d'Alene Press story took it a bit further and therein lies my problem - with the Commissioners. The story included comments from the developer including the fact that many of the concerns had been addressed in the report had they read it. One Commissioner took exception with that assertion, but went on to say "Did I read every page? No, I didn't, nobody can."

Excuse me? Yet you passed judgement?

He continued, "Did I study it? Yes. I stayed up until 1 a.m. reading it."

How long before the hearing was the report in hand?

On the other hand, another Commissioner said he had read the file. Says he, "We read everything we get."

So which is it? No one can possibly read it all or we read everything we get?

One wonders how many other decisions have been made in this manner? This makes me very uncomfortable. First they listen to the county hearing examiner who is responsible for the mess that is Government Way in Hayden; second, the alternative will likely be more five acre plots such as we have here on the prairie and we all know how attractive that can be.

It takes me back to the idea that perhaps it's time for some professional management on the county level. By someone who has time to read the files before making decisions.

If it had not been for the article in the Press this information would not have been available to me. And I can't help but wonder what would have been in that paper if the project was slated to be withinin the city limits. I suspect the city fathers would have passed it in a heartbeat. They like high tone - even if it prices the workers they need right out of the market.

Press Pass

We have a bit of a newspaper war in out area. The local paper,The Coeur d'Alene Press, versus neighboring Spokane, Washington's Spokesman Review. Recently the Spokesman has been slashing and burning staff due to budget concerns and northern Idaho has taken the brunt of it. More and more one must turn to the blogs for local news. This seems to be the trend of the future and the entity that remains the strongest.

The two papers are very different from one another as is their readership. The Press is the hometown "feel good" paper. It is owned by the one time "town boss". While people with the ability to wield as much power are making their presence felt, he still owns the paper and his influence is clear.

The Spokesman, as one would expect, focuses on Spokane but when they had a north Idaho edition we got good coverage by good reporters who knew the community and the players as well as the Press reporters. During that time one could read both papers and get a fairly good handle on what was going on regardless of editorial slant.

For news other than local - well, if the AP goes out of business neither paper will have enough copy to put out a week end nor Monday edition. Back to the blogs where we all blather on about our own take on things with varying degrees of accuracy. I have and still do maintain that in it's present state, blogs do not fill the void left by a diminishing newspaper presence.

Perhaps this is where a vocal community advocate got herself into hot water. While serving on the Planning Commission, an appointed position, she was relentless in her criticism of how the city conducted it's business. Whether the scrutiny was warrented or her conclusions correct is moot. She was merely a columnist stating her opinion. In that respect she was no better nor worse than a blogger. Because her column was in print, though, the perception was different.

I can state my opinion here and if anyone reads it they can agree or disagree and move on and that's pretty much the end of it. Somehow a print columnist seems to be held to a higher standard. It's in the newspaper; people expect facts that can be confirmed. Right or not that's the way it appears to me; my opinion.

The problem, now, turns to the politicizing of the press. The local, hometown paper gave her the column. She bashed city government; those who agreed with her assessments and challenged the incumbents lost. Shortly thereafter she was dismissed from the Planning Commission. The reasons don't matter as much as the action.

Worse, however, is the Press also dropped her column. To date there has been no explanation. Poof. Just gone. Whether one agreed with her or not, whether you liked her style or not, she did bring a perspective now lost.

When a blog drives a participant away it's an opinion driven action. When the press takes away a voice it's censorship. Not the conventional way where government censors what the press can say. Or maybe it is if the publisher/government are so joined at the hip one can not tell where one ends and the other begins. Then too, maybe worse, the press censoring what a private citizen can say.

I read the lady's column. Sometimes I agreed, sometimes not. I commented to those who knew her that she needed to tighten up her writing with substantiated sources if she was to be taken seriously, or at the very least, escape the beating she took from the opposition. No matter, however, I would have continued to read the column. If the subject was of enough interest to me I would have taken the time to dig more deeply.

No more. The column has been pulled. The Press has denied it's readership one of it's voices. It creates a whole new can of worms. Do people in the community no longer have the right to question things that bother them or that they don't understand? Does the press or it's ownership have the right to dictate? Does the press or its ownership have the right to silence the public? If the press used this woman's intent to promote the ends of their management, this community is in deep trouble. Where does one go if not the press? The blogs?

If I'm to be considered a sheep I'd guess the press is on the right track. The wool is being pulled over my eyes, intentionally, deliberately and I am not to question why.

This Is More Like It...

Housing, education tops LCDC's list read the Friday morning headline in the Press. What followed was quite good coverage of a meeting held Thursday between community leaders and the LCDC.

Without it I wouldn't be able to comment on some of the thinking prevalent to the community and why I feel coverage by the press is so important.

Item - there are enough $13 -$20/hour jobs for 100 welders but not enough people trained to fill them. Is that really the case or are those 100 welders living here and working across the border in Washington where wages are higher? By the time you subtract essentials for living from that base wage; food, clothing, housing and utilities, not to mention transportation and fuel, there is little if anything left to sustain a family. Even at $20/hour. Do the math.

This is an example of why agencies, employers, employees and government entities need to communicate. The problem here extends far beyond the purview of city government and the LCDC. Once that is recognized and addressed progress can be made. With the press pulling all sides together I would expect better communication among these entities to become the norm. At least I should hope so.

Item - The mayor told board members they needed to "market" the urban renewal agency. And just how would this be paid for? More tax dollars? I'll give you a piece of free advice from a one time P.R. hack. To the press - keep the coverage coming. Every meeting, every issue. To the LCDC - conduct your meetings openly, be prepared to answer questions, encourage scrutiny by both the press and the public and you'll be just fine. No "marketing" necessary. It could do you more harm than good if you try to put a "face" on it rather than let what you are and why you are and how you do business stand on its own merit.

For those who consider themselves watchdogs, perhaps it's time to put the pitbull image to rest an let a more likeable image take its place. For both sides, it's the perfect time to de-emphasize the "war" and emphasize the "civil".

Resume versus Performance Review

This post is an attempt to point out how information gets skewed. It concerns a letter to the editor of the Coeur d'Alene Press this past Sunday from Bill McCrory and an answer to it in today's Press from LCDC director Tony Berns. It is neither pro or con Planning and Zoning nor LCDC. It is neither pro or con the authors.

It is an example of how the intent of one is interpreted by the other and the impression with which you are left. Let me make an assumption here. The subject of both letters is Brad Jordan, the vice chair of Planning and Zoning and a board member of the LCDC. The current chair of P&Z has recently been elected to city council. The assumption is that Mr. Jordan, as vice chair, is the heir apparent to the chair of P&Z.

Should this assumption be correct, Mr. McCrory brings to our attention the fact that Mr. Jordan's attendance record has been less than stellar over the past several years - on either commission. He cites from minutes from both P&Z and LCDC. Planning commission minutes show that from October 2005 to October 2007 Mr. Jordan missed 12 of 29 meetings; a 41% absentee rate. The LCDC minutes show he missed 12 of 30 meetings, a 40% absentee rate.

Suggested in this letter is that due to his high absenteeism and tardiness rate, he has not lived up to responsibilities he assumed by accepting the appointments and therefore has not served either commission as intended and may not be the best choice for either the positions he now holds nor an elevation to a higher one.

Mr. Bern's letter takes Mr. McCrory to task by "paraphrasing" the opening paragraph of his letter. It changed the entire meaning.

Had he quoted it, it would have read, "As responsible adults we are expected to regularly and consistently participate in organizations and activities for which we have volunteered. If we can't fulfill our commitment by regularly attending meetings and performing the duties required, we should resign so our position can be filled by someone who can. The value of our contribution is directly proportional to the amount of time we spend preparing for and attending meetings and participating in activities. If we are not preparing, if we're not attending, if we are not participating, we are not contributing."

The paraphrased text reads, and I quote, "...if volunteers of an organization are not prepared, if they do not attend meetings, if they are not participating in the organization, then they are not contributing to the community".

Mr. Berns implies that Mr. McCrory asserts Mr. Jordan is not contributing to the community. It could be read that Mr. McCrory was referring to lack of contribution due to the duel absentee records as a member, specifically, of both P&Z and LCDC.

Mr. Berns goes on to list a plethora of meetings Mr. Jordan has attended and activities in which he has participated though he verifies none of them. Mr. McCrory has verification of his claims, the minutes from the meetings.

If one has a job here and now one should be judged on doing that job, not what may have happened throughout ones life. That may be important on a resume; indeed it is. But the question here is job preformance; it applies to how well Mr. Jordon is doing in the jobs he now holds. Nothing more, nothing less. Not what he may or may not have done in the past.

Boiler plate versus statistical fact.

Two takes on a single issue. Actually, three. I guess I've put myself in the mix.

In The Lane Snow Is Glistening

The road to recovery reads the headline in the Press this morning. The story tells of the fight for survival the businesses along Government Way have faced since the city of Hayden, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to try to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

What brings this to mind is the first snow fall of the season, about four inches, and how the plows were able to negotiate the newly revamped street. Take a good look at the picture. Yep. Those are center islands dividing a two lane street. And yes, this is northern Idaho. Unlike the local television channels, we who live here realize snow is an annual occurrence. Lots of it for long periods of time.

It has been bad enough for the three seasons the construction has been going on. There are actually businesses on that stretch of Government Way we try to patronize. One way traffic through ruts as deep as your bumpers was bad, the drop offs into parking lots worse, but we lived with them if our businesses did.

Now, with construction finished, we're wondering if the business owners are going to bring their lots, if they have one left, up to grade. The center islands come close to blocking many of the entry drives. If you drive a large SUV or truck, turns are almost impossible unless you run over a curb.

Buildings are empty, businesses are closing or have closed due to a lack thereof and too many unpaid bills. It has been a mess. Now, as luck would have it, we have an early winter.

Ah, Hayden, chin up. If any town can survive this you can. After all you survived Richard Butler and his neo-Nazis and a Chamber of Commerce who thought it could run an air show and couldn't. As I understand it your Community Development Director is out playing hearing examiner on other projects around the county. Maybe that will give you some breathing space.

Besides, a friend who lives in Hayden told me they don't plow the streets there anyway!