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July 31, 2010

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Sat Jul 31, 2010, 09:20 PM EDT

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While the board of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance has placed its faith in GKEDA director Jeb Conrad, the same can’t be said for Kokomo Common Councilman Bob Cameron.

On Monday, Cameron brought Conrad forward at the city council meeting, asking for an update on negotiations to bring an Indianapolis logistics firm’s expansion to Kokomo.

It’s not surprising that, put on the spot, Conrad confirmed that GKEDA and city administration officials are trying to land the expansion. What was more surprising was that Cameron brought the subject up at a public meeting.

We’re all for letting the public know and decide, but we’re at a loss to explain what positive end Cameron sought by letting this cat out of the bag.

It’s not constructive to ask someone, at a public meeting, with KGOV2 cameras rolling, if they’re doing their job.

But that’s what Cameron did when he asked Conrad if everything possible is being done to bring the expansion to Kokomo.

It was an unjust question. Its only purpose was to infer that somehow Conrad wasn’t doing his job.

This has been a pattern with Cameron. He refuses to call other local leaders to get his facts straight before he arrives at council meetings, but has no qualms about bringing those same leaders to the microphone for questioning.

Not surprisingly, his questions make it apparent that he hasn’t done his homework.

Economic development is a sensitive business, and city and county taxpayers have invested a great deal in forming GKEDA and in bringing in a qualified executive.

Conrad works hand-in-hand with city and county leaders to draw prospects to Indiana, and expects to be judged on results. Publicly undermining his position could very well do harm to our city’s economic development efforts.

Companies usually pit city against city in economic development negotiations. GKEDA’s task is to offer a package of incentives that is attractive to prospective employers and represents a reasonable investment for the taxpayers.

Economic development officials typically don’t announce anything before a commitment has been made, mainly because the companies considering Kokomo don’t want exposure to public pressure.

For that reason, what happened Monday could jeopardize Kokomo’s chances of luring an estimated 137 good-paying jobs. And if those jobs don’t come to Kokomo, the second-guessing of Cameron’s decisions will begin.

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