Another urban renewal question mark
Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency can’t afford missteps. Because it’s being scrutinized like never before — not just locally, but by Idaho legislators as part of a statewide urban renewal gut-check — even the appearance of foul play or bad investments erodes the public’s trust.
Plenty of eyebrows arched Thursday when Press readers learned that Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency has given $15,000 to an organization that is linked to a member of the Coeur d’Alene City Council. Kiki Miller, who began her council term in January 2014, helped convince the urban renewal agency’s board in public meetings to donate $15,000 of the public’s money to a nonprofit education and employment website in which she’s involved.
Speaking with reporter David Cole on Thursday, Miller said she receives none of the money from the website. According to Miller, in addition to the urban renewal agency’s $15,000, two private businesses pitched in $15,000 apiece; North Idaho College, University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark State College donated a combined $15,000; and Avista and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe contributed $3,000 each, while more funding is being sought. Miller said the money is needed for website operations and promotion.
When asked why the physical address given for the website is the same as Miller’s own company, Kagey Company, she said that’s because the website is managed from the same building but is not part of her actual business. Miller told Cole that once the website officially launches next month, some of the funds will be spent on promoting the site. Miller’s business is based on advertising and promotions, which invites some degree of scrutiny or even skepticism when she’s soliciting public dollars for a project that she says won’t financially benefit her in any way.
The very appearance of a city council member asking the city’s urban renewal agency for money is at best awkward. Even if the council member won’t profit in any way from the investment, the perception that she easily could should have signaled a loud warning to the agency’s board.
Critics who say the agency strays too far from the mission of renewal with public funds now have another $15,000 item to add to their witness list, joining the recent expensive name-change and advertising campaign. Trust that was precariously low now sinks a little deeper.
Because of the big investment of public dollars, we encourage Miller and operators of the website, edinfocentercda.com, to provide all financial records for the site and verifiable site analytics when called upon by the media. Even that won’t completely dispel the shadow of doubt this latest transaction has cast.