In Mary Souza’s column today, she sites several properties in the LCDC’s massive urban renewal projects. She mentions the property’s taxes and the dollars that flood into the LDCD’s coffers. Click here to see a PDF file listing more information about those properties.
August 31, 2008
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we need a baracuda here. now.
Comment by TheWiz — August 31, 2008 @ 10:37 am
how soon before the attack chihuahuas start knawing on marys ankles over this one?
Comment by TheWiz — August 31, 2008 @ 10:48 am
Here’s a story I heard from Mike Patrick, editor of the CDA Press. This was a while back. People representing the LCDC came in to the newspaper office to complain about Mary Souza and her “misrepresentation of the facts.” Calmly, Mr. Patrick asked them to cite the facts that had been misrepresented in the paper. The LCDC crowd started in with this and that, but nothing specific.
Finally, after a long while, the pro-LCDC officials mentioned one item that Mary got wrong. I believe it was regarding who owned a building downtown.
One item.
That sole issue was was all they could come up with to justify how upset they were. Apparently everything else Mary wrote was spot-on as far as the LCDC could tell.
When pressed on this issue, the LCDC and their on-line apologists cannot cite anything specific that Mary has ever written that was incorrect — especially something as grossly misleading as they would have you believe. They use the word “innuendo” a lot. They claim that they’ve already discussed the specifics and are tired of repeating them. But they Just Cannot Cite Anything. By not mentioning facts, they are guilty of the exact “innuendo” they fling at Mary. It’s even worse, because these are officials who owe it to the public to be honest about their actions and respectful to the public they serve.
If the LCDC is embarrassed by what Mary writes, it’s embarrassed by its own actions. It’s up to the LCDC to change that, or for the Mayor and City Council, who have oversight.
Comment by Dan — August 31, 2008 @ 11:06 am
People talk about those of us that perfer anonymity. Well, we have families and businesses to protect. They have tried to hit many people in the pocket book by boycotting business. As you can read, these people are without shame when it comes to protecting their beliefs. They will go to any length to keep people quiet about the LCDC and how it is supposed REALLY work and how THEY are working it. Again I must point out, the people on the board of the LCDC, in their own minds, really think that they ARE and own the LCDC. They actually call it a development corporation instead of an organization to promote a healthy community.
Thank you Mary, Dan and Bill.
Comment by concerned citizen — August 31, 2008 @ 11:44 am
Please forgive me. I am not implying that I have more to lose than you. Some of us are more vulnerable than others.
Comment by concerned citizen — August 31, 2008 @ 11:48 am
I understand CC. You can especially note the arrogance when you witness one of their meetings. When the LCDC discusses the “public benefit” of any project, they do so in a quiet, yet condescending manner. There is no enthusiasm. (Then again, there is no enthusiasm anywhere in our local government.)
Case in point: The “public benefit” for the $250,000 gift to the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce is that the public can use the bathroom facilities. That’s it. A quarter of a million dollars so we can defecate in an over-designed bathroom. What. A. Joke.
Other public benefits include, of course, the ugly brick siding on the Lofts building, and the wrought iron fencing around the Ice Plant townhomes. Public benefits, all.
Now they can attack me for pointing this out, but THEY made those decisions with YOUR money. Yet they still can’t figure it out.
Comment by Dan — August 31, 2008 @ 11:54 am
I might add that the non-public benefit of the LCDC’s $250,000 gift to the CDA Chamber is allegiance.
My dictionary defines allegiance as, “loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior.”
Comment by Dan — August 31, 2008 @ 11:55 am
Where are the investigative agencies on this? It certainly seems to me that there are numerous violations of the law; fraud, conflict of interest, malfeasance, misfeasance and ethics just to cite a few. After a long career in law enforcement I am totally underwhelmed by our current Prosecuting Attorney, I’m not sure the state’s attorney general is any better. The greed, cronyism and elitist attitude of this cast of characters should be apalling to the average taxpayer in this county. It needs to end and those involved need to feel the full weight of the law. I applaud the efforts of our local legislators in trying to fix some of the abuses of the lcdc. You’d think after similar shenanigans in Boise, more legislators would take this issue on. Lets hope our new Prosecuting Attorney shows a little more interest in this issue.
Comment by Will Penny — August 31, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
If Mike Patrick and the CdA Press is so aware of the situation then why does he keep so quiet? Why do they allow Mary and others to be the investigators and the reporters? Where is Patrick’s backbone? Patrick loudly complains about the likes of DFO and the clearly biased SR but his inaction is just as bad. To do and say nothing in the presence of such abject corruption is shameful. Hagadone should be quite embarrassed by the near total failure of his home town, people oriented newspaper to provide any journalistic oversight to such glaring government corruption. Is the Mayor that powerful? Is this akin to the mafia?
Comment by Wallypog — August 31, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
It will not escape too many people’s notice that Mary and Dan use facts to establish their points, whereas the LCDC has to use $30,000 taxpayer dollars to miss making its own. Maybe the LCDC could learn something. Verifiable facts, properly presented, are far more effective than paid flacks without facts.
Comment by Bill — August 31, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
Believe me, I’ve spoken to Mr. Patrick about this. He’s very sympathetic. But you can help both of us out here: How do you sell this complex issue to the public? Where is the bumper sticker slogan?
It’s easier for the opposition to label people like Mary and smear her personally. That averts the attention of anyone who may be mildly interested (though it piques the curiosity of people like you and I because we wonder why an all-powerful agency like the LCDC sees Mary as a threat). Eventually this issue will resonate loudly. But to get people to read something in the newspaper you need arrests, death, or a sex scandal. Sad, but true.
Besides, don’t you think Mr. Patrick’s stinging string of editorials on the LCDC, Education Corridor, and other key topics aren’t enough?
Comment by Dan — August 31, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
someone needs to find the smoking gun violation of the law. then they need to sink their teeth and and drag that smoker all around the town square.
maybe the goodlander land deal?
Comment by TheWiz — August 31, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
cc you are wise to stay anonymous. the powers that be will work to hurt anyone who disagrees with them in any way. ask steve badraun for one.
Comment by TheWiz — August 31, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
TheWiz,
Trust me, I already know what they can do to a person, business and family. It almost cost me my marriage! It is amazing how many people think that WE are the crazy ones. The amount of pull these people have in this town is incredible. The people that stand behind them even knowing what they are doing is wrong. Capitalism at it finest. Make the sale/profit no matter the cost. Just because something is questionably legal does not make it morally or ethically right.
Comment by concerned citizen — August 31, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Capitalism at it finest
no, statist corruption at its worst. the market isn’t criminal, these petty little tyrants are. the market use persuasion these thugs use force of government.
Comment by TheWiz — August 31, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
Dan,
Journalists idealize themselves as being advocates for the public good. Often gov’t corruption is first found and reported by a newspaper (see Watergate). The few editorials printed by the Press have barely scrapped the surface of these people and events. If they just printed a flow chart depicting the interrelationships of all of these stake holders that alone would be useful and informative. The Presses under reporting is further compounded by the intentional white washing delivered by DFO and the SR. There are exposes and big bold headlines just begging to be printed. Why aren’t they Mr. Patrick?
Comment by Wallypog — August 31, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
I believe, like many of us, reporters are also worried about their livelyhood. Everyone of these people involved in the LCDC and cityhall are business owners. They could pull their advertising or have their friends pull their advertising at any moment. Look at the pull they had with Hagadones garden project.
Comment by concerned citizen — September 1, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Dan, Mary, Bill, can one of you give a little background on how, why, and when LCDC got started here? I’m a fairly recent transplant from Oregon and not up to snuff on all of it.
Some things I’d like to know:
– What would it take to get it closed down; is it even possible?
– Are all the LCDC board appointed by the mayor? Does City Council board vote on their appointment?
– Do they serve for a pre-set term or forever?
I guess that will do for now. Thanks for your help. Maybe we should all go en masse and protest in the streets.
Comment by reddy — September 1, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
Complex questions, Reddy. Let me answer them in another post.
Comment by Dan — September 1, 2008 @ 3:26 pm
reddy
it’s easy just log onto http://www.wambooli.com/LCDC.pdf, velli intestling.and good reading too!
Comment by casper — September 3, 2008 @ 6:47 am
oops i guess dan will have to show you the path to that part im not that computer savvy perhaps there is or should be a link here to dans onfo page.how bout it dan?
Comment by casper — September 3, 2008 @ 6:51 am
Fixed. The http://www.wambooli.com/LCDC.pdf link is to my LCDC report, which is old; the figures have changed. I’ve been meaning to update the report with the latest figures, but haven’t gotten around to it. Still, the basic information in the report is accurate, though the figures have gotten larger.
For example, county residents see their property taxes raised by 4.5% now, not 3%, due to all the urban renewal districts in Kootenai County. In the City of Coeur d’Alene, your city property taxes are increased by about 8% by the LCDC. The report explains how this works, which is complex, but it’s good to know if you plan on understanding how urban renewal is funded.
Remember: Urban Renewal is always sold on a pain/gain basis. The question public officials must ask is this: Is the short-term pain worth the long-term gain of urban renewal? In the case of the LCDC, where there term is 24 years and the gain is unknown because they lack a plan, the answer is ambiguous.
Comment by Dan — September 3, 2008 @ 7:39 am