STONE: Attack on Nilson unwarranted

In a My Turn column Ron Nilson explained Idaho State Code for Urban Renewal Districts. LCDC is Coeur d’Alene’s URD. He lists The Good, Bad and Ugly. He addresses the issues honestly with facts, figures and restraint.

In recent letter, John Stone of Riverstone development provides his version. But he does not address URD’s facts and figures. Rather he attacks Ron Nilson personally. This is argumentum ad hominem, a logical fallacy. It is a claim that rejects an argument based on irrelevant facts about Ron Nilson. John Stone’s letter attacked Ron rather than LCDC-related issues.

John writes that Ron received a $500,000 grant from Post Falls. With this and personal funds, Ron created Ground Force Manufacturing; he created good paying jobs. Note that this is a Post Falls grant that resulted in success. There was no cost to Coeur d’Alene taxpayers and no relevance to LCDC. John referred to that grant as a “lack of transparency” on Ron’s part.

John Stone uses LCDC funds. The LCDC website; http://lcdc.org/districts/lake-district/lake-district-projects/riverstone offers this information:

The LCDC committed funding for infrastructure such as roads, streetscaping, sewer and water lines, and traffic signals to get Riverstone off the ground. The Urban Renewal agency and developer John Stone constructed a $3 million, 10-acre park and pond that was “gifted” to the city of Coeur d’Alene. So Coeur d’Alene taxpayers paid $3 million for a park and pond, then we gave it to ourselves as a “gift!”

Riverstone is a public/private partnership project. LCDC investment for project-related public improvements = $9 million. The final project value = $90 million. (Not a “gift.”)

John wrote, “I believe Ron Nilson intentionally failed to share this select bit of information…” (the $500,000 grant).

Based on logic and a bit of checking, “I believe that John Stone intentionally failed to share this select bit of information…” (the $9,000,000 he got.)

Argumentum ad hominem raises red flags with me. When I process letters through my fairness and logic filters, I see an attack on Ron Nilson because John Stone cannot honestly justify LCDC as it currently stands.

VERN WESTGATE

Coeur d’Alene