CDA Press: Currie To Pick New P&Z Director

re: Coeur d’Alene Press story that Commish Gus Johnson and Katie Brodie are going to let Commish Rick Currie pick new planning director .

TomT: The CDA Press story was not necessarily surprising, but it sure leaves you shaking your head. Are our three amateur commissioners trying to do this all by themselves? They should have sought help in putting together the selection\ interview process. Their legal\HR department should be on the interview team. They also have many experienced department heads that could assist in interviewing. Why not invite one of the city’s planning directors to sit in on interviews? If it is true that Johnson and Brodie have decided to just let Currie pick whomever he wants, I think it is time they resigned and let Rich and Todd get started. As long as we are paying their salaries they should stay involved in making decisions. Leaving this important decision to Commissioner Currie is incredibly poor judgment. Hold on tight we are in for a bumpy two years at the courthouse.

DFO: I don’t know which way I am with this one. Certainly, Currie shouldn’t be allowed to pick the new P&Z director on his own. There should be a process — one that started the instant Rand Wichman announced he was leaving. F’shame. At this point, Currie, by default, should look for a viable fill-in — mebbe someone like Cherie Howell who has the background — name a committee and begin a legit search. TomT’s right that it mebbe time for the lame-duck commish to step down to give their successors a running start at the job. Todd Tondee, of course, has third-party opposition that might not like it.