You would think that NIC would appreciate an open dialog with the public on the hot topic of the Education Corridor. But no.
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Despite a thundering defeat of the levy, yesterday’s School District 271 election has two trustees keeping their elected positions. Given the apparently unhappiness of the taxpayer, the trustee’s victory makes no sense. That is, until you do some math.
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The CDA Press today came out supporting the school district’s levy, using the “it’s for the kids” argument. Your thoughts?
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Remember, this Tuesday, May 20, voters in School District 271 can vote on three things:

• The $31,000,000 SPFL
• Trustee Position Zone 4
• Trustee Position Zone 5

Surprisingly, you may not get to vote for either of the Trustees. Let me explain.
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Oversight. State law says that the City Council provides oversight for its Urban Renewal Agency. You’re seeing an example of how that works in Post Falls. A refreshing and welcome example.
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A recent article and editorial in the CDA Press describe how Democratic candidate Bev Moss will soon be replaced by another person to challenge Republican Marge Chadderdon for Legislative District 4, Seat A. Any speculation on who the mystery person could be?

Many people often quote the 2002 School District 271 levy as an example of when Lakes Middle School was supposed to be fixed. Thanks to a lack of oversight by our Trustees, the money was spent elsewhere. But what about the 2006 School Plant Facilities Levy? Get ready for some déjà vu.
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Remember the old (ugly) Library building up on Harrison? We taxpayers were promised that the building site would be sold to help pay for the new Library building downtown. That promise was broken and the old library building sits empty. But not for long.
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Today’s CDA Press contained a full-page insert from the City of Coeur d’Alene. Mayor Bloem used an interesting and telling quote from Thoreau.
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I’ve been inspired! That “You Know You’re in Idaho When…” thing got me thinking. I could write something similar for the nutty concept of the Stakeholder.

If you’ve not been around local government, then you probably don’t know what a “stakeholder” is. The term is used repeatedly by Coeur d’Alene City Hall, the LCDC, School District 271 and NIC. It dots their documents and reports.

Basically, the stakeholder is a super-citizen plucked from the muddled masses. Those who pick the stakeholders refer to them as “interested parties,” but they’re really well-connected insiders, developers, political people, and various head nodders and apologists. Given that, please feel free to help me complete this list:

You know you’re a Stakeholder when . . . Mayor Bloem smiles back at you (and it’s not forced).

You know you’re a Stakeholder when . . . all you see at the wine and cheese parties are other Stakeholders.
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