As I listen to and read all the dialogue taking place since the original recall filing, I feel the need to explain why I signed on. Cd'A is my home. I'm here because this community is still one of the very best examples of quality of life available. I expect my mayor and council to take actions that respect this heritage, working to foster development that honors our small town atmosphere and natural environment, doing so in a manner that doesn't degrade this value system.

The mayor and council need to act with credibility and effective leadership to develop a strong sense of "community." I define "community" as people. From the homeless to those living in penthouses. From children that deserve a safe place to live and learn to seniors looking for safe streets and open spaces to enjoy the natural beauty of our surroundings. Effective leadership builds bridges rather than erecting roadblocks. Notice that I didn't mention "business" at all. Yes, business is important to our quality of life. There is nothing wrong with profit and development, but in Cd'A I believe it should be pursued with support from our city council and mayor as profit generated from private risk taking and development that conforms to the heritage and sense of "community" I already defined.

I believe the Cd'A Press is incorrect when it characterizes the Recall as all about McEuen and The Vote. Many of those I have talked with have deep concerns over leadership, credibility, wrong vision for Cd'A, and creating rifts between community members by the mayor and council through their actions and words. I acknowledge and honor their service to Cd'A, but "Yes" I have deep disagreement with them over their vision for Cd'A, including the methods they have used to pursue their agenda.

McEuen development and The Vote are just the last in a list of actions taken by the mayor and the three council members that prompted my recall support. My concerns go back several years starting with the Memorandum Of Understanding signed between the Council and School District 271 to make a seven acre parcel out of Persons Field for a new Lakes Middle School. When I discovered the existence of the MOU and confronted the mayor and council with it during a council meeting, I told them that by not involving the local members of the community around Persons in a discussion before making this agreement, they displayed a lack of interest and concern for how the neighborhood felt. Yes, we elected them to conduct city business, but not behind closed doors nor without involvement of affected/interested residents. I have voted for these folks in the past, but I told them that by their actions I was being put on notice that I would have to pay more attention in the future.

In a recent council meeting there was a discussion of where to put Legion ball on a temporary basis while 15th Street was being developed. Out of the blue council members Goodlander and Kennedy started discussing Persons Field. When it was asked if neighborhood members had been contacted, it was said, "No." I was going to give council members and the mayor the benefit of the doubt: they knew full well how the neighborhood felt about developing Persons as a neighborhood park, including all the negative involvement they had had the last time a run was made at using Persons to satisfy other parties' interests. Councilman Kennedy's reply about "Breaking a few eggs to make an omelet" if Persons Field were used, put me on notice once again that there was a bigger agenda at work here.

The efforts of all involved, including these four folks, at getting a new library, an education corridor, and the Kroc Center are worthy of recognition. My issue is not with what was done, but rather how it was done. "Breaking a few eggs to make an omelet" while not said directly concerning these three projects, did involve the mayor and council pushing through community resistance, creating rifts rather than finding ways to be effective leaders. "Leaders" investing their time in building acceptance ... if not outright support ... and resolving conflicts. While not approving a $39 million park project, just the fact that the mayor and council were willing to entertain such a proposal ... at a time when community members were working so hard to pay the bills, provide good education for the children, and keep their homes ... was a reach too far. Wise, effective leadership would have understood and led us forward in a manner that built consensus around what made sense during difficult times.

While I didn't agree with The Vote, it was not difficult to see that pushing forward with an agenda that was so divisive to our community was the wrong solution. A vote would only confirm what we already knew, adding fuel to a fire that needed to be put out ... not fanned. I expected the mayor and council to respond to The Vote as wise leaders, reaching out within Cd'A for people to step forward to help them find ways to bridge the differences. They did not. It is not a badge of courage to say that," I was elected to make decisions even if people don't agree."

I personally support upgrades to McEuen that are in conformance with a vision more in keeping with the one I mentioned above. One that is reasonable in what it asks from me as a taxpayer. If changes are going to come to McEuen as currently proposed, moving boat parking to the south side of the admin building makes sense to me. Asking the boating public to walk five blocks is not unreasonable. Leave existing parking for other vehicles where it is and don't build the parking garage. How the mayor and council overcome the "equal or better" idea is a credibility issue to be sure, but they built that box for themselves. Yes, I understand that this all involves more changes, more meetings, more expense , and more effort on the part of the mayor and council. Healing rifts and building broader community support would speak volumes about what Cd'A means when the talk is about "quality of life" issues.

According to a recent article in the Cd'A Press, Post Falls officials apparently decided against moving forward on an expensive project and also shutting down a urban renewal district. This created a fund balance that was distributed to other taxing entities served by the same kind of tax dollars. This is the type of leadership and vision appropriate to hard economic times. My wish for our community is for elected leaders that provide credible, effective leadership, coupled with a vision for our residents based upon our heritage, natural environment, what's best for all our residents, encouraging business development that supports and enhances these values. The elected officials involved in the Recall have stated their views and taken actions that indicate the vision and direction they are going to pursue with all haste. Waiting until the next election will only cause more harm through the pursuit of unwise and divisive tax revenue expenditures while rifts grow between members of our community. It isn't going to change without external pressure. It's a matter of accountability.

Bruce MacNeil is a Coeur d'Alene resident.