With the approval of the Coeur d’Alene City Council at its meeting on Tuesday, May 3, Mayor Steve Widmyer has officially been given the go-ahead to begin soliciting donations for a water feature in Coeur d’Alene’s McEuen Park.  Widmyer and  retired Coeur d’Alene police officer Christie Wood will co-chair the fund raising.  The water feature is represented to be a police-themed memorial to deceased police sergeant Greg Moore.

Council member Dan Gookin offered this motion:  “Mr. Mayor, I would like to make a motion to approve the preliminary design and to direct the Mayor to proceed with fund raising efforts and to report back to Council when fund raising is complete.” [emphasis ours]  Council member Edinger seconded the motion.  The motion passed on a voice vote.

In his eagerness our giddy Mayor Widmyer didn’t even bother to  ask if there were any ‘nay’ votes, declaring the motion passed after only asking all those in favor to declare ‘aye’.  However, given the comments by several Council members before the vote and expressing their intention to write donation checks themselves, we doubt many of them had the inclination to fulfill their duty to constituents to seriously and publicly question the project’s merits, let alone vote against it.

McEuen is a public park built on public land.  Public funds will be spent to maintain the water feature.  OpenCdA thinks the Council acted hastily and irresponsibly.  In spite of the emotional appeal and public sentiment to honor SGT Moore, there were and are nevertheless some legitimate questions that needed to be discussed publicly at the Council meeting.  Here are some we wish had been asked. (more…)