When it comes to revitalizing Davenport's downtown, the public has been led to believe that without their hard-earned tax dollars subsidizing private enterprise, we will never grow our community. First it was the two downtown parking ramps, then it was Vision Iowa, then the TIF for Ryan/Lee Enterprises, then John O'Donnell Stadium, then the Isle of Capri boatel - these projects represent the progressive trail of do-or-die projects that taxpayers had to subsidize or we would fail to attract new investment to our community.

It's hard to imagine a six-year old legal battle with a city commission that is out to get you, especially with no substantial evidence to support its claims. Such is the case with Davenport dentist Dr. David Botsko and the Davenport Civil Rights Commission (DCRC) in Naab v.

Last June, the Davenport City Council approved a $48-million development agreement with the Isle of Capri to build an 11-story casino hotel with a five-story adjacent parking ramp on downtown Davenport's riverfront, after less than a month of formal review that included the public.

Municipalities enjoying growth tend toward comprehensive, pro-active land-use planning that prioritizes sustainability, capitalizing on geographic strengths and uniqueness, and employing land-use policies and ordinances that advocate harmony of use for a strong sense of place.