CCDC
CCDC Chief To Get $114,000 Retirement Bonus
May 16, 2011 
CCDC Pays Arid Club Dues
March 14, 2007
A recent tip to the GUARDIAN confirms our worst fears about Boise City’s urban renewal agency operating without oversight or accountability to the citizens.
The CCDC (Capitol City Development Corp.) is funded by property taxes and income from publicly owned parking facilities in the downtown area of Boise. In short, the funds come from taxes on new improvements and appreciation to privately owned real estate within the urban renewal district. This is called the TAX INCREMENT.
The GUARDIAN thinks it is simply inappropriate for taxpayer dollars to be spent for membership in the exclusive private ARID CLUB for CCDC Director Phil Kushlan.
MAY 16, 2011
That post of four years ago pales in comparison to the latest tip: Phil Kushlan is about to retire and get a $114,000 “golden parachute” for a one year consulting contract at the CCDC. They may have taken away his Arid Club membership, but it cost taxpayers $114,000 in the end.
Under terms of the CCDC-KUSHLAN agreement, “the Parties seek to memorialize CONSULTANT’S retirement from his employment with CCDC after twelve years of exemplary service as CCDC’s Executive Director and agree to the terms of CONSULTANT’S provision of administrative services to CCDC on a consultive basis for a specified term to assist in the selection of a replacement Executive Director and in the transition of the replacement Executive Director hired by CCDC, to fully engage in those activities.”
In a press release quoted March 31 by the STATESMAN, CCDC board chairman John May said, A committee of CCDC board members will search for a new director, with the help of a national search firm. “We anticipate that the CCDC Board will select and announce Phil’s replacement prior to his July 8 departure,” May said.
Seems the agency is so poorly (or craftily) managed they had to wait for the director to retire before looking for a replacement according to the golden parachute agreement, but they say it will take not only a committee, Kushlan’s $114,000 services, but ALSO a national search firm. Pretty intensive search for someone to supervise a staff of 12!
Kushlan was making $128,000 in 2007. These days his salary is $144,200. The agency’s website shows an annual budget of $13.4 million and a dozen employees. For comparison, Boise Police has a budget of $48 million and a staff of 388. The chief is paid about the same as Kushlan’s 2007 salary.
The terms of the deal are so loose, Kushlan doesn’t have to do anything more than send the CCDC a monthly bill….”CCDC agrees that it will have no right to control or direct the details, manner, or means by which CONSULTANT accomplishes the results of the services performed hereunder. CONSULTANT has no obligation to work any particular hours or days or any particular number of hours or days. CONSULTANT agrees, however, that his other contracts and services shall not interfere with the performance of his services under this Agreement. CCDC agrees to coordinate project schedules, respective commencements and deadlines with CONSULTANT.”
Records also indicate this golden parachute deal is totally apart from his retirement pay.
The names, photos and e-mail addresses of the board–all appointees of Mayor Dave Bieter–are on the CCDC SITE.
The agreement was duly posted in the four hundred pages of documents sent to board members in the April 25 agenda packet. It is unclear if the board, Kushlan, or one of his 12 staff presented the agreement which was obviously drafted by legal counsel.
One can only wonder how the legislature would have viewed recent bills if they had been made aware of this golden parachute prior to voting on measures aimed at more accountability for urban renewal agencies.
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Comments & Discussion
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May 16, 2011, 9:37 am
OUTRAGEOUS!
May 16, 2011, 11:23 am
The good old boys nails em again!
May 16, 2011, 12:52 pm
CCDC has outlived its usefulness. I’ll give them credit for revitalizing a broken downtown core in the late 70’s and 80’s, but today, the “end” doesn’t justifiy the means. Granted, we are in the worst economic situation since the great depression, but a few of CCDC’s more colossal failures started well before the downturn. Look at the residential projects listed on their website. Links to 4 of the 7 condo projects are dead. The other 3 projects are pretty much on life support, awaiting the arrival of hospice. The notion of “if you build it, they will come”, just doesn’t work any more. Of course, how can we forget our famous hole in the ground, which should have been one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the northwest. It has almost become a tourist attraction. Some out of town friends wanted to see what was behind the cheesy murals last week. Like the two-headed cow at the fair, I told them that it was not worth the peek.
Note to Mayor Beiter: Want my vote for re-election? Drop kick CCDC, give it up on the streetcar to nowhere, and I’ll be there for ya at the ballot box.
May 16, 2011, 2:29 pm
John B. – Urban renewal of the 70’s managed to rip down great historical buildings, so I don’t agree that they did such a great job during that era. They may have revitalized downtown, but they did not have to be so heavy handed about tearing away history – for what are still parking lots, just paved over, not even built up. I still miss the old Pinny Theater with it’s grand staircase up to the balcony. But as far as CCDC goes – dump it (but too many people who know people are involved for Mayor Beiter to chance dropping it (if he wants to continue living in this town! And his streetcar is a joke.
May 16, 2011, 3:16 pm
Here it comes. Nothing is safe from the government crooks.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/16/government-hits-debt-ceiling-treasury-urges-lawmakers-reach-budget-deal/
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StS: So many more of those old buildings will fall in the next moderate quake. We should not be dumping money into such tired old energy-inefficient structural hazards.
May 16, 2011, 4:45 pm
Is there anything that has actually come to fruition with regard to the efforts of CCDC in the downtown core during the last 10 years?
May 16, 2011, 7:56 pm
I just want to know what happened with the third party audit that Shealy requested 3 or 4 Yates ago.
May 16, 2011, 8:27 pm
Outrageous!
May 16, 2011, 8:38 pm
Oh, lets all just whine online and do nothing about it. If the guy is smart enough to pull it off, and we aren’t smart enough to do anything about it, he deserves to walk away with all our money.
May 16, 2011, 9:49 pm
When they’re done messing up Boise they can work for the feds: http://www.usdebtclock.org/#
May 17, 2011, 7:52 am
“Is there anything that has actually come to fruition with regard to the efforts of CCDC in the downtown core during the last 10 years?”
Banner Bank Building and Bodo had CCDC help.
May 17, 2011, 9:33 am
Mr. Guardian . . . I don’t think you read the Agreement correctly. Actually Mr. Kushlan will be paid $114,000 and additional $9,500 a month for 12 months for out of pocket expenses. “CCDC shall pay Nine Thousand Five Hundred Dollars
($9,500.00), which includes all costs and expenses (which shall cover general out of pocket
expenses, including long distance telephone charges, copying expenses, travel-related expenses,
and the like) to CONSULTANT each month for 12 months.” Total diamond parachute amount $228,000. I believe that Mayor Bieter had a falling out with Mr. Kushlan and Councilman Eberlie executed the Mayor’s plan to remove Mr.Kushlan. You might want to check to see how many years remained on Mr. Kushlan’s contract with CCDC. This Agreement is buyout of his employment contract with CCDC, but is disguised as Professional Service Agreement. What a bunch of BS . . .”after twelve years of exemplary service as CCDC’s Executive Director” Mr. Kushlan never accomplished anything relevant in the past 12 years, except several parkiing garages. BoDo fell into his lap. Evidently, Mayor Bieter recognized Kushlan’s fiddle farting performance and desired the change because CCDC dropped the ball on: the Street Car named DESIRE; the Downtown Multi-modle center, the Pit, the expansion of Urban Renewal Area to 30th Street, and the Legislature’s beating on Urban Renewal Agencies, which was caused by Kushlan’s abuses of the existing law.
EDITOR NOTE– Our read matches the numbers when you divide the $114,000 by 12. Perhaps Bieter can explain this at the state of the city address tomorrow. If CCDC is an “independent body, corporate and politic” with no legal oversight by the city, why is the city meddling in this private quasi agency?
May 17, 2011, 9:37 am
CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR!!! And tell them about this situation and tell them it is time to MAN UP during the next session and kill urban renewal districts.
A new district is now in place in Kuna and it is ONLY going to benefit 4-5 people who own a majority of the property there. In fact some landlords are demanding to see renters books so they can raise rents based on the revenue of the renter!!!!!! This has to stop!
The landlords now do not care if renters move out becuase they think the urban renewal district will bail them out – or in fact pay them more than the renters. Urban renew has to STOP.
EDITOR NOTE–Kuna rushed the URA in to beat the July 1 deadline for the new law that requires voter approval to create a district. Word on the street is most people oppose the district.
May 17, 2011, 9:43 am
Cynic, were those projects financially assisted by CCDC? I believe both of those projects would have been accomplished without CCDC’s help. I am sure they assisted with grants and such, but it seems to me that they haven’t done anything that couldn’t have been handled by city hall. (If we had one that was worth a damn.)
EDITOR NOTE– The BoDo parking garage was worth $8 million and 1/3 is dedicated to the Hampton Inn.
May 17, 2011, 10:19 am
I think you misspelled Chief I think Thief would be more appropriate and aiding and abbetting for his accomplices
May 17, 2011, 1:31 pm
Urban renewal in the 1970’s managed to get the mall, with it’s big stores, built out in the middle of nowhere instead of downtown, to the everlasting shame of urban renewal agencies everywhere.
May 18, 2011, 7:57 am
So, while we have witnessed tremendous retail turnover in the downtown core,CCDC’s solution was to build a parking garage???
And all this while we debate a new / remodled convention center? Who the hell are they kidding?
If this wasn’t so important, it would be comical!
May 19, 2011, 6:10 pm
The deciders have all sipped kool aid from the chalice of the convention center rainbow cult. Even unicorns couldn’t talk them out of it.