LCDC: Agency grade is C-

The “My Turn” commentary on Oct. 11 by Tony Berns (LCDC) is self-serving and almost solicitous at best. Tony takes great pride in scoring his management and the success of LCDC as an “A,” but the track record and overall results only rate a score of a C-. Yes, LCDC is needed, but what could have transpired since 1997, and what actually has transpired, leaves a great deal to be desired.

Compare LCDC’s results with a comparable urban renewal market like Twin Falls and we come up far too short. With almost all of LCDC’s revenue being generated by ALL the property taxpayers in Coeur d’Alene, it would only make perfect sense that everyone equally benefits from LCDC’s efforts with good paying job growth and business development at the top of the list. Clearly, that is simply not the case. Job growth and true economic development would, and should, benefit all of the community. The investments made by LCDC have not been evenly distributed, and a minority of the citizens and businesses have reaped a disproportionate percentage.

So, if LCDC was as well managed as Tony Berns would like us to believe, and if LCDC had kept itself focused on job creation and economic development rather than creating an ad-hoc jobs committee only last spring, we could have been much further ahead. Kootenai Health and Jon Ness have done a great job in growth and development, but LCDC has done nothing to contribute to this growth and success as is intimated in the article. Many businesses have, throughout the years, begged for support in educating our citizens and students to support higher paying jobs within their industries. But, only last spring LCDC finally takes action? These are the types of support measures that should have taken place long ago.

Threatening the “what if LCDC was terminated?” routine in his article only continues to point out the focus of funds being “downtown” and not fairly benefiting “all” the taxpayers equally. I think Tony feels he has a captive audience that has no choice but to “stay the course.” Clearly this attitude promotes incredible job security and dependency on LCDC.

Using a great deal of our taxpayer funding on projects that don’t create the highest rate of return for our city, and its citizens, is a management issue and I don’t score LCDC very high. Maybe we should put LCDC to a public advisory vote to see how it, and its management, would score?

JAMES E. DOTY

Coeur d’Alene