HYDROS: Calling all supporters
My name is Paul Plummer, and I am a “local” Coeur d’Alene resident who is writing on behalf of the local motorsports contingent in the Coeur d’Alene/Spokane area regarding H1 Hydroplane racing and what appears to be an abuse of power by our elected sheriff, Mr. Ben Wolfinger. I am also a self-employed business owner in this community, not tied to the local political landscape, the Chamber of Commerce or any other group with a stake in H1 Hydroplane racing. My business will not benefit in any way from this event so I am writing from a pure fan and local taxpayer perspective.
For those of you who do not know, H1 Hydroplane racing is contested worldwide, and is the granddaddy of all boat racing. These boats reach over 200 mph and are spectacular to see. You do not need to be a fan of motorsports to appreciate the risks that these drivers take and how masterfully they navigate the race course without incident. It is awesome!
These events are sanctioned and contested on a world stage (think Ironman on steroids) and televised internationally. Anyone who would stand in the way of bringing a world event such as H1 to our local community, which by the way generates most of its revenue from tourism, would have to have an IQ somewhere between a box of hammers and a three-toed sloth!
The event is contested Labor Day weekend, the last major tourist weekend of the summer in which many local business owners are already starting to see a decline in tourist traffic. It inconveniences a relatively small number of people in the community when compared to an event such as Iron Man. It does not impact shutting down the downtown area nor does it place street vendors all along Sherman Avenue that compete with local downtown business owners. Oh, and by the way, some of these H1 operations are multi-million dollar entities — i.e. lots of money falls out of their pockets right into hotels, restaurants, taverns and gift shops in the hosting community. Are you getting the math?
Chamber of Commerce members, you need to get off your butts and support making this event happen. You need to contact your local city and county officials to make sure that an elected county sheriff “whose job is only to enforce the law” does not “assume” the authority to dictate what is or is not best for your livelihood or our community by making up his own rules. To the best of my knowledge, there is no law requiring that the business case for an event be presented to the sheriff prior to issuing a permit, nor does his opinion matter whatsoever. His job is strictly to enforce the existing laws. If H1 has 30 days to obtain a permit then that is what they should be bound by only! We do not need a loose cannon in this important position, we need a servant of the people sworn to uphold and enforce the law, period.
As a motorsports enthusiast, this is the coolest thing that we could ever hope to have come back to this community. It is steeped in local tradition, and I am confident that once the initial kinks are worked out, which for anyone in business knows can take a few years, that this event will only gain in popularity and become profitable for years to come. All motorsports enthusiasts need to call, email, or send letters to the editor or county sheriff telling these guys to become part of the solution to bring H1 to Coeur d’Alene permanently. Come next election, I will be definitely casting my vote for elected officials who are part of the solution vs. ego maniacs who find pleasure in putting up roadblocks to our local economic prosperity.
I am officially in to fight the good fight on this issue to make Diamond Cup a reality — please feel free to contact me and let me know what I can do to help!
PAUL PLUMMER
Coeur d’Alene