The Polk County Economic Development and Tourism Committee held a meeting for community outreach. News of such events is all over the place. Wanting is an announcement of economic improvement directly attributable to an EDC.
Over in Jackson County, leadership is talking about the Economic Development Commission. Commissioner Jack Debnam is impatient because, in its third iteration, it still doesn’t appear to be doing anything. Discussion included remarks like the following from County Manager Chuck Wooten:
I try to avoid using E-D-C, it has a bad connotation or bad vibration to many people in this community.
The Smoky Mountain News provided the following synopsis of the first two iterations:
Same Tune, Different Verse?
Technically Jackson County has an Economic Development Commission. It exists in name only, however.
About four years ago a joint EDC formed by Jackson County and the four towns imploded amidst bureaucratic turf wars. The director resigned; the board quit meeting; members resigned one by one and replacements by the county and towns weren’t forthcoming.
It actually marked the second EDC meltdown in Jackson. The prior EDC fell apart in 2005 amid controversy and allegations of financial mismanagement.