COEUR d'ALENE - Denny Davis was appointed Tuesday night to his third five-year term on the board of Lake City Development Corp.

Barely.

But the votes against Mayor Steve Widmyer's recommendation - which passed 3 to 2 with Councilman Ron Edinger absent - were not because of Davis' performance while serving as chairman of the board, which oversees the city's urban renewal agency.

Councilmen Steve Adams and Dan Gookin voted against the re-appointment because, Adams explained, of the length of time Davis already has served on the board.

"I don't know what the process here is," Adams said. "It seems like just a carte blanche and these same individuals just get recommended without any sort of process that would get some fresh blood in there."

LCDC Executive Director Tony Berns told The Press that when a member of the board wishes to be re-appointed to a seat, he or she canvasses other board members to ensure there is support. If there is unanimous approval for the re-appointment, which was the case with Davis, LCDC brings that recommendation to the mayor.

"Denny wanted to be re-appointed to the board and told us he felt that there was a lot more work to do and he wanted to be involved in that work," Berns said. "But it's the city's call - they ultimately decide who is on the commission."

He added that the nine-member board of directors has seen 17 different people serve since the corporation was created in 1997.

In a phone interview with The Press, Gookin echoed Adams' opinion.

"It's the same old names and the same old faces," Gookin said. "The message is very clear - the city doesn't want new people serving on its committees."

Widmyer told The Press that when the city needs to fill openings on its committees and boards, there is an announcement of the vacancy followed by an application process. Once applications have been submitted, the committee members decide which applicant they want to suggest to the mayor - who then brings the matter to the city council for a vote.

"But it's not like people are lined up in front of my door hoping for an appointment," Widmyer said. "Often times when there is a vacancy, the heads of these committees have to go out and recruit people to join."

City Council President Woody McEvers told The Press he thinks the selection process for appointing individuals to boards and committees is an open one. McEvers served on the city's Planning and Zoning Committee for seven years and said he always felt, during that time period, that the re-appointment process was fair.

"We're always looking for new people to step up and be a part of it," McEvers added. "But there's some real commitment there. What's the point of being on a planning and zoning committee if you can only be at every other meeting?"

Gookin disagreed with that assessment. He said he believes the reason people aren't applying for positions is because the city consistently chooses the same people.

"We've got some people who serve on five or six committees," Gookin said. "Our committees are weak because they don't have a good cross-representation of the city."

But there's an added benefit, McEvers argued, of having consistent members serve on the city's committees and boards.

"I'm grateful for the guys that do step up and do this because it's my opinion that the longer you do it, the better you get at it," McEvers said. "On committees you want to be productive and keep moving forward. It can take years to learn the language and get a feel for what's going on. "

Berns agreed with McEvers on the benefits of having board members seek re-appointment, particularly due to the learning curve involved with understanding how LCDC operates.

"There's value in our organization having continuity because of the legacy of information they learn over time," Berns said. "We are always pleased when a board member seeks re-appointment."

McEvers added that he believes the issues raised with the appointment are less about the opposing council members' feelings that the process isn't open enough and more about their feelings toward LCDC.

"The way they look at things is that if it's anything to do with LCDC, it's bad and the people who do it and make the decisions don't treat people right," McEvers said. "I've heard it over and over again to where we don't talk about it anymore. We disagree and that's OK."

When giving his rationale for voting against Davis' appointment, Gookin said there was a discussion during a city council workshop with LCDC and the Midtown Neighborhood Association, that the only power the council had over the corporation was in board member appointments.

"To show my appreciation for what the people of Midtown have done - and I think they've done a great job - and my disapproval of the way they've been treated by LCDC, I will be denying this appointment," Gookin said.