County
Growth Pays (off) For County Officials
May 3, 2007 
If you are a developer and want to profit from selling houses in Ada County it makes sense to hire people who know the business and have contacts in local government.
Hubbell Homes has done some pretty sharp hiring in the past few months. First they picked up former County Commish Judy Peavey-Derr after she was voted out of office to run the sales team. Now they have Ada’s chief planner on board.
Today, Ada County planning and Development Director, Gerry Armstrong, announced his resignation to join Hubble as director of planning for the private development firm. Armstrong will officially leave his position May 16 and join Hubble the next day.
Earlier this year county plannerMark Pecchenino left the development services office after it was revealed he was moonlighting for Elmore County. He is currently a private consultant for developers.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Richard Cook has been named by the Commishes to serve as interim director until Armstrong’s replacement is hired.
The next few days should be interesting as those who were once regulators are now being paid by the people they once regulated. Questions or comments anyone?
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
May 3, 2007, 10:51 am
I wouldn’t think Judy Peavey-Derr could sell anything to anybody. If they won’t buy she’ll yell at them. Why do you think she was beaten by a no name spending no money in the primary?
May 3, 2007, 11:00 am
Does this mean these people now work for the folks who pay them or are they being paid by the folks they work for? Perhaps I am lost in the LOGIC.
May 3, 2007, 11:26 am
I suspect Richard Cook is the Acting/Interim Director, and that the search is on for a new Director.
May 3, 2007, 11:45 am
Just an observation: It seems that where Judy goes, so goes Gerry. First, they were both involved in the Ada County Courthouse Corridor fiasco, then he followed her to Ada County, and now to Hubble.
May 3, 2007, 12:16 pm
The old saying of get into politics or get out of business is very true and I wish the best to Gerry. He did an excellent job for Ada County.
May 3, 2007, 12:49 pm
Mr. Logic- I would phrase it as, they now ‘work’ for the people that ‘paid’ them while they ‘worked’ for the folks that they represented.
This does much to hurt the validity of our local government. Every decision that they have made while in office should be scrutinized with an independent ethics audit. They should be fined and imprisioned for any misuse of taxpayer money or trust.
It’s not surprising that Hovel (oops, I mean Hubble) Homes is the most cancerous tumor in the valley with possible inside support.
May 3, 2007, 1:12 pm
Good planners are in high demand these days. Local government just can’t compete in the salary wars with private industry. I know city planners who get job offers from the business community for twice their current wage. There are those city planners, though, who consider that a sell-out to the dark side and don’t consider it.
EDIROT NOTE–Ironic that all the GOVERNMENT public relations people come from the local media who can’t compete with government wages and benefits. Obviously money talks. Government buys off the watch dogs and the big dogs buy off the government!
May 3, 2007, 2:22 pm
What do you mean , are “now” being paid by the people they once regulated ?
EDITOR NOTE–Jim, you are such a cynic!
May 3, 2007, 4:07 pm
With the substandard home’s that Hubble Homes builds I believe they already have the officials in there back pockets. How else could they get away with building such low quality housing.
Hubble Homes should change there advertizing.
We bring future slum’s, crime and drug to your community. I do wish these X public employee’s well. Just don’t get use to the high paying job. Hubbly Homes have a reputation of not keeping there people on the pay roll very long. Use and abuse is there way of dealing with employees. Then dump them when they protest.
May 3, 2007, 4:48 pm
Robert, you make poor Hubble sound like the Wal-Mart of the home building industry. Not that I disagree mind you.
May 3, 2007, 7:10 pm
Jim Brown already entered my comment!
And, Guardian: Is Robert really ending his note talking about Hubble bubbles, or about the place you and I once worked?
May 3, 2007, 8:29 pm
I can honestly say that I have never seen so much ” out-in front” ( small time ) rot and corruption as I have observed in the Ada County Commission. I’m hoping Woods will be different but the fact that Derr,Armstrong and former county employee Pecchennino are all working for developers is more proof of the outrageous rot ( a fitting word?) for our so called representatives sitting on county council. What really rings my bell is listening to the average Ada Citizen gripe and moan about their politicos especially when you find out that the last time they voted was 20 yrs. ago,( and their proud of it.) I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the people of this area have got the political small-timers they deserve… I would advise all local poiticians to stay in idaho,however. You would be laughed out of town anywhere else!
May 3, 2007, 9:49 pm
What sharp hiring is this? Don’t they still build crap? Have they had anything approved just by hiring these losers?
May 3, 2007, 10:10 pm
I would be curious to see if Development Services/Commishes recruit within.
May 4, 2007, 12:33 am
This is not the first time there has been a stream of planner types heading to development jobs. It happened much the same way during the development bubble of the 1970s. And even when there isn’t a river of planners flowing to developers, there is a constant trickle. It may not be all money; they get to dream up fantasy pictures and present a pretty story to local government without having to answer for what they present in those public meetings when it doesn’t match reality..
And Guardian: Not all state public information jobs pay more than the local media; it took at least six years to match what our former employer had been paying.
May 4, 2007, 6:44 am
And it appears that our Judy has just had her first loss handed to her by Meridian.
May 4, 2007, 6:59 am
Rubble homes was denied by Meridian for 644 homes near Eagle Road. Of course Judy may not have been employed then or she could have pulled that one off. Meridian seems to be the real forward thinkers around here.
May 4, 2007, 8:18 am
Sara scores a point.
Risking the Guardian’s wrath by quoting the local daily; “Dressing up the front would cost from $6,000 to $8,000 per home, and that would be passed on to the buyer, said Hubble Homes Government Affairs Manager Judy Peavey-Derr. “Our buyers are interested in square footage.””
On the topic of planners switching jerseys, recent Ada Employee Mark Pechennino has been spotted under the employ of Mayfield Springs. MS is a proposed planned community in Elmore County.
Guardian readers may remember that Mark got himself into conflict of interest trouble, and fired, for helping write the Elmore County PC ordinance while working for Ada County. Now he is helping Mayfield Springs get past the ordinance he recently helped write.
That is one fat cat whose spots show no sign of changing.
May 4, 2007, 8:58 am
I do believe the time has come for a revolving door ordinance.
May 5, 2007, 9:21 am
Airman – Please clarify your Mayfield Springs comment.
Mayfield Springs is in Ada County. Right on the line (literally), but in Ada County. Does the developer also plan to file in Elmore County or has he already done so?
EDITOR NOTE–Point being the guy has worked for BOTH Ada and Elmore counties.