A poor decision

By Editorial
Published: January 31, 2010

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It is a pity Jackson County didn’t get the German solar panel plant. It’s also a pity the Jackson County Development Council chose to call a press conference the way it did.
Leaving aside the bad taste left in the mouths of the two Panama City TV stations that made the two-hour round-trip trek just to hear there was no real news, there’s also the question of how Jackson County is being “marketed.”
This is not by any means to belittle the efforts made by the JCDC, the county and others to try and obtain the solar panel manufacturing plant. A great deal of time, energy and money went into convincing the Germans to come here.
Those who made the trip to Atlanta, and who made the pitch on behalf of the county should be thanked and commended.
Rather, the problem arises in the way JCDC chose to break the disappointing news about the solar plant. A press release was sent out not just to the two Panama City TV stations, but also to daily papers in Marianna, Panama City, Dothan and Tallahassee, and the TV station in Dothan, promising an announcement on Jackson County’s efforts to convince the plant to locate here.
Don’t remember seeing that story anywhere? That’s because the press conference was called to announce ... that there was no announcement. Well, that’s not entirely true. “The building is still on the market” was, in essence, the main message the JCDC wanted to get across.
In other words, officials were looking for a little free advertising. Worse still, at least one official was more than willing to go on the record and state just that. On video, no less.
Whether the JCDC realizes it or not, it’s handling of the matter has dented its credibility. And not just with the press. If the development council gains a reputation for exaggeration, hyperbole or even bait-and-switch, how likely is it that other potential investors are going to take its pronouncements seriously?
We understand the JCDC is anxious to bring more badly needed jobs to the area. We appreciate the work it has done, and is doing in that regard.
But we caution officials to not get too carried away in their efforts. In this case, the best approach would have been to just stick to the facts — a simple press release would have sufficed.
Instead, JCDC has succeeded largely in just embarrassing itself. And that’s a shame.