County Redevelopment Agency

Kudos to David Elsebusch for his My Word column that appeared in today's Times Standard dealing with the County Redevelopment Agency.

I've always had suspicions about redevelopment but, despite being a Libertarian, am not sure just what role government should have in "eliminating blight". Seems to me you can paint an old worn out building and put new carpet inside and it's still going to be an old worn out building with fresh paint and new carpeting. Kinda like the new boardwalk in Eureka: Millions are spent on the new boardwalk in an attempt to make Old Town more appealing. Problem is, Old Town still is one of the centers for the local low lifes and it doesn't take long for graffitti, vandalism and trash dumping to take its toll on the boardwalk.

The City of Eureka has installed brick round outs(?), I think that's what they're called, on a number of intersections on Wabash Avenue. Sure, they look real nice but the same people still live in the area and it will likely always remain what I consider a blighted area. So, I have concerns about government efforts to eliminate blight and really question the way the County Redevelopment Agency is set up and the way it operates.