Monday, August 06, 2007

Why Full Disclosure and Transparency Matter

An Orlando area newspaper columnist recently railed against further government support for the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. She cited exaggerated claims the organization made concerning its role in the location of several companies to the region. Unfortunately, some of the businesses subsantiated the columnist's claims that the MOEDC had little, if any, involvement in their relocation.

The result: damage to the credibility of the organization regardless of how inaccurate the claims may be. The organization should plan a swift, proactive response that is authentic and completely tranparent. They then may earn an opportunity to educate the public on how their efforts contribute to economic growth regadless of their level of involvement with a particular relocating company.

I am sure the MOEDC is a valuable development organization for the region. Unfortunately, it has allowed itself to be measured (and thus, judged) on jobs and investment, two measures any EDO has little control over. We need more realistic metrics that are both comprehensive and measurable to better reflect the true value an EDO brings to a community. Read the opinion column here.

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