Out of Thin Air

Folks ask me periodically whether I miss the news business. My answer is always the same---nope. Until now.

The looks on the Spokane City Council members’ faces would have make great TV last week when Mayor Mary Verner asked them to put a $41 million bond issue on the ballot to pay for several new public buildings. Can you imagine sitting there when Verner walked in, trailed by her staff, and out of the blue suggested to the Council that the City needs a new street department building, an animal shelter, a new police shooting range and evidence storage building? Would have been a hoot to watch were it not so sad that there was absolutely no preparation, groundwork, communication or public outreach prior to Verner dumping the issue into the Council’s lap.

We may actually need the new structures. Who knows? Certainly not the Council or the public at this point. Paving the way for capital projects generally takes time, effort, lots of information and political savvy. But instead of creating a well thought out, robust and persuasive case for new taxes that 60% of the voters might support Verner pulls this initiative out of thin air just a couple of weeks before the deadline to put it on the November ballot. That leaves little time for the Council to evaluate the need for the new buildings or determine if Verner’s numbers are right. And has any research been done to gauge whether voters have an appetite for a large tax increase to pay for things that only benefit city employees?

Persuading community leaders, decision makers and taxpayers to support large bond issues can be done. I was a consultant on last fall’s successful campaign to pass a $42 million bond issue for Spokane’s parks, pools and playgrounds. We worked hard, raised a lot of money and had a compelling argument for the tax increase. But dozens of people spent long hours evaluating the issue and laying the groundwork before asking the Council to put it on the ballot.

That didn’t happen here. I also suspect the Mayor has no plan to organize a campaign to push the issue if it gets on the ballot. But don’t worry---this won’t be the last time this administration forgets that communication is a key component to running a city. Which means I will also have more opportunities to miss being on TV.

Lessons Learned

Second place is nice but it’s not exactly I had in mind---and I guess I have to take the blame. My client Pacific Raceways finished a close number two in the selection process to become the interim operator of the former Spokane Raceway Park. Congratulations to Post Falls based Stateline Speedway who nipped us at the finish.

Here’s where I went wrong. I suggested to my client that a robust application should be submitted to the five member committee appointed to make a selection. Sound advice---as far as it went. We made a solid application and were clearly a front runner because PR is bigger, has more employees, has more racing days and has more experience. But I should have recognized that we had a disadvantage coming from Kent---that Cascade Curtain effect---and been more forceful in explaining to the client that we had to do a much better job than the local folks.

We made it to the interview stage but then I compounded my mistake by not communicating more clearly and persuasively that a stellar presentation was required. We had a plan to operate the track, answered all the questions quite well and were ready to get Spokane Motorsports Park back up and running. But I learned a few days later that the Stateline boys’ material and presentation looked better than ours---Stateline was rewarded for the extra effort.

A consultant’s job is to come up with ideas, recommend a course of action and, when necessary, insist that the client follow that advice. My friends would never accuse me of being a shrinking violet but I acquiesced too easily in this case.

Definitely a lesson learned. But at least I’ll know what not to do next time around.