A rose by any other name

To the Editor:

Eighteen months ago, the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors established a new Economic Development Department to replace the discredited TCEDA. Several months later, when they realized it was impossible for local government to create private-sector businesses, they came up with a clever sounding name — Innovation and Business Assistance Department (IBAD). Its new mandate is to give advice to local businesses suffering from government-mandated COVID shut downs, but to also continue attracting new businesses to the county.

After viewing the past five IBAD presentations to the board, I wonder now about the “innovation” part of the new title. Innovation is “any significant positive change that creates a new idea, product or service.” It is something one works toward solving important problems in society where peers call the outcome innovative. So, is IBAD an innovator? Maybe in name only?

We know our county government has no discretionary funds for helping industry create new innovative products or services. IBAD does not have the legal authority or practical means to help businesses with hiring staff, marketing, sales, finance and so on that are needed to bring innovative products or services to market? So, what are IBAD'S goals and objectives relative to innovation, including measurable results? A rose by any other name means that what matters is what something is, not what it is called.

The new county supervisors — David Goldemberg, Jaron Brandon, Kathleen Haff — need to answer these questions: What are we getting for IBAD'S $170,000 per year annual expenditure? Should taxpayers continue to fund IBAD when so many local businesses are shutting down and laying off employees? This includes county employee layoffs.

What's in a name? Innovation by any other name… In the end, it's all spin.

Ken Perkins Sonora