[Vision2020] LEDC Board

[Barbara Richardson Crouch]

All,

Once again we cannot force people to serve on a volunteer board.  The 
mission of the Latah Econommic Development Council is to support economic 
development in Latah County.  We achieve this through the following by the 
Retaining/Enhancing/recruiting companies that pay living wages and respect 
our core values.  The core values of Moscow are not necessarily the core 
values of Deary, Bovill, Kendrick, etc.  For example, Moscow has relied 
heavily on White collar and service jobs to suport its economy for the 
past 100 years.  Smaller Latah County communities have had a resourced 
based economy for the past 100 years - that type of economy started to 
decline in the mid 1980's.  Therefore a company that is not within the 
core values of Moscow - may fit the core values of Deary or Potlatch.

Because the bulk of the population in Latah County is in Moscow, the core 
values of Moscow tend to overshadow the core values of the smaller areas.  
The LEDC hopes to work with the City of Moscow and Latah County to ensure 
that economic development happens based on the core values of the people 
it will impact the most.

Barbara


> Tom,
> 
> Perhaps not a conflict of interest but certainly a miss-named group.
> "Latah" Economic Development Council, now doesn't that imply county-wide
> representation?  But with one exception, all of these business entities
> listed are Moscow-based and Moscow-centric entities.  The comprehensive 
plan
> of the county lists agriculture as the primary industry.  If we are 
going to
> support economic development that is consistent with our county's
> comprehensive plan, then where is the representation of agricultural
> interests, like Latah County Grain Growers, the Pea and Lentil 
Commission,
> the Latah County Cattleman's Association, Mary Jane Farms?  Shouldn't an
> organization interested in economic development in an agricultural county
> have people with an expertise in expanding the development and 
production of
> products and markets for our agricultural products?  I think that we 
could
> greatly improve the marketing of our farm products from this county with
> some improved product development and marketing (my father contributed
> greatly to the economy of Southern Idaho through his innovative potato
> product development--and with the current national push for the 
consumption
> of more whole grain and legume food products, there is a great deal more 
we
> could be doing to promote and market our farm products)(we are really
> sitting on a gold mine here if we tightened our focus on the growing,
> processing and marketing of our agricultural products).  So why are so 
many
> of the business entities listed non-agriculturally based? And why, if the
> organization that has Latah County as its implied coverage area, is 
there so
> little representation of organizations outside the greater Moscow 
area?   I
> guess I just don't get it.
> 
> JW
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
> To: "'Donovan Arnold'" <donovanarnold at hotmail.com>;
> <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 5:55 PM
> Subject: RE: [Vision2020] LEDC Board
> 
> 
> > For those interested souls:
> >
> > Please correct me if this list is accurate or if it is outdated.
> >
> > http://users.moscow.com/edc/main/EDC%20Board%20members%20new.htm
> >
> > The business entities that these members represent:
> >
> > Landeck, Westberg, Judge & Graham
> > Palouse Empire Marketing, Inc. (Viola)
> > Bennett and Associates
> > University of Idaho
> >
> > Anatek Labs
> > Verizon
> > University of Idaho Press
> > Zion's Bank
> > Avista Utilities
> > Bank of Pullman
> > Gritman Medical Center
> > City of Moscow
> > Ambassador Auto
> > Dept. of Planning & Zoning, Latah County
> > Community Development Dept., City of Moscow
> > Capital Planning & Budget, University of Idaho
> > Moscow Chamber of Commerce
> >
> > In my opinion, the makeup of this board does not reflect any "conflict 
of
> > interest" as alleged by Mr. Arnold.
> >
> > Question, though:  Whose seat(s) is/are vacant?
> >
> > Tom Hansen
> > Moscow, Idaho
> >
> > A good friend will come and bail you out of jail.  But a true friend 
will
> be
> > sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
> >
> >
> >
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> >           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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> >
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> 
> 
> 
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> _____________________________________________________
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>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.   
>                http://www.fsr.net                       
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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