As supporters of open government, we at OpenCDA are often criticized for not getting our facts straight. We try. But our job is made nearly impossible when the government we investigate fails to supply us with consistent information. Take for example — and an obscure example — the City of Coeur d’Alene’s current property valuation.
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You’ve probably been to those web sites, but wouldn’t admit to such a thing in polite company. It goes like this: The site is named “Rate My Whatever.” And then you’re shown pictures of various whatevers. You can score the whatevers from 1 to 10 and review how others have scored them as well. That may seem like a silly exercise, and it is a common diversion. Then there’s the Rate My Cop website.
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Great article in the Wall Street Journal about the glut of condos being built across the country. Just looking around, you can see the same thing happening here, especially in downtown CdA. It’s been the goal of the Mayor and the LCDC to attract part time, condo-dwelling gentry to the area to improve Coeur d’Alene’s economic conditions. Bad move.

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Yesterday a theory of mine was proven true. I have often said that the LCDC exists as a pot of money — a privy purse — that the Mayor and City Council can use to pay for things without public scrutiny, input, or approval. With the LCDC’s funding of the City Park Police Bunker, that assumption has been proven true.

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Call it the vision thing. Every city should have one. Politicians love talking about them. The question is whether that vision, that written master plan required by the State, is actually followed or brutally ignored.

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Last week, 4th District Representative George Sayler spoke out against HB616, the anti-shoestring bill before the Idaho House. I admit that Mr. Sayler made an impassioned plea against the proposed law, which would have added accountability and openness to Idaho’s Urban Renewal Agencies. He spoke out twice against it, and appeared to be the legislation’s main opponent. George did a good job in defeating the bill. Now let’s look at some key political contributions to his 2006 campaign.
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Funny, but I thought that a “Chamber of Commerce” was about promoting business.
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The of City of Coeur d’Alene is a government agency; it should not be run like a business. That’s because the “business” of government is to do those things that the people cannot do for themselves. Put another way, when the job can be done by business or a charity, then government should step out of the way. But in our humble home town, City Hall appears to be run like a business with a profit motive. Case in point: The City will soon be raising your water rates.

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