I suppose the wholesome definition of a stakeholder would be someone who is concerned. An engaged or interested party. But I don’t exactly believe that’s what the City thinks when they toss the term around.

In Coeur d’Alene City Government Speak, the term stakeholder appears to imply a politically-connected insider. One of the good people.

I first became aware of the term when the Results Group did their Police Dept. Survey. From page 5 of that study:

Provides a way to build ownership in your process by involving county
commissioners, other senior department leaders, council members, business
leaders, civic group leaders and other key stakeholders.

The above pargraph offers a small clue as to stakeholder identity, especially for the Results Group survey. They are all key players, government officials and insiders, siding with the status quo. I wonder what kind of data, nay results one would get from that group?

While they surveyed the general public, they did four surveys of those so-called stakeholders.

The City of Coeur d’Alene hired PR firm Rich and Associates to create the Comprehensive Parking Plan. In it you’ll find two surveys, one of the general public and one of the special stakeholders:

Public input was a key factor for Rich and Associates to understand the background
of Coeur d’Alene. There were several stakeholder meetings, on the following dates:
* Kick-Off meeting with steering committee, June 18, 2007
* Group stakeholder meetings (eight), June 20 & 21, 2007
* Phone stakeholder interviews July-August 2007

You get a hint as to who this stakeholder person is on page 35:

Rich and Associates reviewed proposed and potential developments with City Staff,
various downtown developers and stakeholders.

Hey! I don’t fly in those circles. Granted they did interview the public and hold public meetings. But when you read the entire document it’s easy to come to the conclusion that they paid more attention to the stakeholders. Who are these people? The report doesn’t say. My guess is that they’re hand picked individuals sympathetic with the City. Of course, that’s a guess, but if you were Mayor Bloem who would you pick as a “stakeholder”?

From the November 13, 2007 report, “City of Coeur d’Alene Consolidated Plan, FY2008-2012, and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice” again it shows that there are public focus groups and then special stakeholder meetings:

Many organizations and stakeholders were consulted during the development of the Consolidated Plan. The City held three public forums to gather information about the City’s greatest housing and community development needs, including the needs of special populations. Twenty-six organizations/stakeholders were represented at these forums. In addition, a focus group was conducted with housing and community development professionals during the development of the Plan. This was attended by 7 stakeholders.

Who are these people? The report does not say. The City uses the term stakeholder with great familiarity but never ‘fesses up who is a stakeholder and how exactly they qualify.

Now when someone does have special qualifications, such as an affordable housing expert, then why not just mention that they were included? If you’re discussing something like plant selection for a public park, then bringing in a horticulturalist would be keen, and worth mentioning, but would you call that person a “stakeholder?” Why be secretive when the stakeholder could bring value to the process? Or are the stakeholders not bringing value and simply stacking the deck?

Presenting the stakeholder. The SuperCitizen. A superior class of individual, better than a normal taxpayer. The Übermensch.

In my view of Openness, there is no such thing as a stakeholder. Either we are all stakeholders or we aren’t. Classifying citizens is wrong. We are citizens. We are taxpayers. And we are tired of the special privileges doled out to the few, the wealthy, the big developers, the political insiders, and the well-connected. Again, they just don’t get it in Coeur d’Alene City Hall.