Post Falls’ Future Rests In Good Hands

Post Falls officials finally confirmed the worst-kept secret this summer: Barring the unexpected, Jim Hammond will resign as mayor next month and become the city’s third administrator in three years.

When he does, Post Falls finally will have the right fit for a role that two nondescript bureaucrats have tried and failed.

Hammond will excel in it.

He will bring to the job qualities no career outsider can: a pre-existing love for Post Falls, an intimate knowledge of how River City works, and support from its movers and shakers. Plus, Hammond - who recently quit as principal of East Farms Elementary School in the Spokane Valley - will add the fresh-clover enthusiasm that comes from a midlife career change.

Councilman Clay Larkin, who shares our enthusiasm for Hammond’s decision to tackle city government full time, acknowledged the hand-in-glove fit: “It’s in the best interest of the city to have somebody local (who) is qualified, respected and knows everybody who works with the city.”

If you’re curious how far Post Falls has come in the 15 years Hammond has served as a councilman and a mayor, drive along Interstate 90, from the State Line.

You’ll be greeted by the Centennial Trail, a symbol that ties Post Falls to neighboring Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, three vibrant Inland Northwest communities challenged by growth. Despite a recent trail-funding flap, Post Falls’ donations and attention to the trail made the midsection possible.

Next, Riverbend Industrial Park and the Factory Outlets loom into view. A progressive agreement between the city and the Jacklin brothers last decade extended city sewer lines westward, prompting the commercial and light-industrial development at the Pleasant View exit.

Then comes Harper’s furniture manufacturing, lured to Post Falls by tax-increment financing. Billboards along the freeway announce the presence of Bob Templin’s resort, in midtown next to the Spokane River. You’ll see subdivisions sprouting everywhere. Finally, the Highlands Golf and Country Club and the ritzy development around it, east of city central, crowns Post Falls amenities.

A decade ago, the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, Hammond and others publicly burned a bed, signifying they no longer wanted Post Falls to be known as a bedroom community. Since that time, Hammond and community leaders have expanded the tax base by working successfully to bring new business and industry to town.

Today, Post Falls is a booming community some believe eventually will contain more people than neighboring Coeur d’Alene. Its city limits now extend from just inside the state line eastward to the Huetter rest stop.

Hammond learned from the best, cutting his teeth as a councilman under the progressive leadership of former Mayors Frank Henderson and Kent Helmer, who went on to become Kootenai County commission chairmen. In his five years as mayor, Hammond has carved his own niche.

Now, he will have the freedom to do even more.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board