Diane,
I think you have the correct interpretation. The decision of
public participation and education is viewed by some on the EDC, in part,
as a property right of the real estate owners, at least as I interprete
Larry Hodge's remarks.
Public particiapation, it is argued, is covered by the participation
of elected officials on the EDC board, through enabling action of
city and county government, through the required openness of EDC, city,
county, and P&Z meetings to the public, and finally through
the monthly EDC newsletter. A separate public education program on
the business park was not part of the process of decision making as a matter
of explicit or implicit policy of the EDC, as I understand it,
for the reasons I discussed earlier.
The press often plays a public education role in matters such as
the business park. However, to my knowledge, the press has not covered
an EDC meeting during my term on the board beginning on Aug. 1994.
Larry, Carole, Shelley, and Barry, as EDC board members or staff,
I wonder if each of you would be willing to share your perceptions and
interpretations of EDC policy on public education and
participation in general and regarding the business park project in
particular? I know this is an agenda item of the EDC, perhaps a
conversation on the server could begin to stimulate our subsequent
discussion on this issue.
Steve Cooke