Wednesday, January 30, 2008

What Ketchum can learn from dieters

---

Dieters and government bodies have one thing in common: They start every new year with high hopes and big plans for change. Like dieters, some government bodies succeed and some don't.

Ketchum city officials were enthused in their discussions about potential community housing and street projects with the fledgling Community Development Corporation last week. In particular, they liked the idea of development of community workforce housing on a piece of property the city owns near River Run.

Enthusiasm is a good beginning for any project, but it would be well for the city to notice that what experts say about dieting and exercise applies to city projects as well: Success depends on establishing a realistic plan and then—sticking to it.

Ketchum has been enthusiastic about developing affordable housing before. Mayor Randy Hall and a prior group of council members claimed to be hard at work on developing plans for two projects, one on Leadville near Giacobbi Square and one behind First Bank of Idaho. They told the public that plans would be unveiled "soon."

Neither project ever saw the light of day, in part because the mayor and council members blinked when they confronted the risk inherent in development. Their enthusiasm ran headlong into the realities of development and finance—not to

• viagra
• acheter viagra
• comprar viagra

mention local politics.

Those realities shouldn't stop the city from addressing the housing difficulties faced by middle- and low-income workers—and their employers.

The city can minimize the risk it must take if it is to successfully return long-term working residents to Ketchum. Risk can be minimized the same way it is in the private sector. Buyers must be pre-qualified for lending and pre-committed to buy housing units.

The city will have to overcome negative public perceptions as well.

The ongoing national sub-prime mortgage scandal and economic corrections going on in the private real estate market will inevitably tarnish any workforce housing proposal. The city will also have to overcome public doubts created by both the glacial speed of local progress on workforce housing, missteps by the Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority and a common belief that the housing solution lies only in Carey and Shoshone—both an hour away.

While the city must not fail in its quest for workforce housing, it also must not become frozen with fear of failure.

Every dieter knows that the first 50 pounds are the hardest to lose. After that, it's just a matter of sticking to the plan.