McEUEN: A rare opportunity

We have all heard jokes about a project done by committee, like the animal that looks like it was designed by a committee, the elephant or the platypus?

Similarly, deciding by public vote what to do with a rare opportunity to redevelop a property on the waterfront in a downtown location, or whether to do it at all, is not only bad for planning, but bad precedent. So much so that courts and the legislature have frowned on, if not ruled against, taking public votes on matters that boards, commissions and councils have been elected to decide.

It takes a vision backed by strong, confident leadership to stand up to sometimes uninformed and in some cases self-serving comments that are often more publicized than the opinions of the citizens the councils serve. It is not unusual for a majority of potentially benefited citizens and members of the public to refrain from speaking out on issues such as these.

It is important to note that, with a population of about 45,000, only around half are registered voters and, with a turnout of 6,300 who voted in the last council election, something over 4,000 voted for the winners, with a variety of issues to consider. That is less than 10 percent of the population voicing an opinion, not a majority, as stated in the paper. Many citizens have stated they are for an improved waterfront park and redesign of the surface parking, but not necessarily the whole park plan, and aspects of the cost would need to be worked out in the estimation of quite a few. Nonetheless, the question of a new park design, or no change, is not the real issue, and it is clear the council represents far more citizens than those who voted in the election.

Many were too young to vote, and there were many who chose not to due to misinformation and confusion caused by various positions, news articles and letters to the editor for both sides. Deciding this type issue and designing and developing public projects by a vote is a path to mediocrity under a do-nothing cloud. It diminishes the chance this community has to bring a higher use and purpose to a wonderful piece of land.

It is said that we don't own the land; we are only the current users. Making changes to the design concepts is fine to have a better plan, but we as a community and our elected leaders owe it to our future citizens, the children and grandchildren, to do the best we can for them with properties like this downtown waterfront park when the opportunity finally comes.

J.A. ‘SANDY' EMERSON

Coeur d'Alene