Letter to the Editor: Lyle Roggow

June 11, 2024

Submitted to Duncan Banner for inclusion in 6/11/2024 edition.

To the Editor:

For the last 30 years, the citizens of Duncan have entrusted the Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation (DAEDF) with sales tax proceeds to add jobs to and improve the quality of life of our area. For the first 20 years, the entire one-half cent sales tax was distributed to DAEDF. In 2014, DAEDF agreed to split the half-cent with City of Duncan for infrastructure needs at the request of the City of Duncan due to the City’s inability to pass sales tax or bond issue measures on its own.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, two entities were working separately to promote economic development - the Duncan Economic Development Corporation and the Duncan Industrial Foundation. In 1993, approximately fifty business and community leaders, representing both entities, came together in a meeting room in downtown Duncan and put their differences aside, agreeing to work together thereafter. DAEDF was formed in 1993 from that agreement and was intentionally set up as a non-profit foundation for the express purpose of keeping governmental entities (cities and counties) out of managing the day-to-day affairs of economic development. That same model had already been used successfully by our community in the formation of Duncan Regional Hospital and the Simmons Center and has been and remains a cornerstone of the continued success of all three organizations.

DAEDF is a strong supporter of the Duncan community, including the recently established Duncan Heart and Soul initiative, which is in the process of formulating community-based goals and objectives for improving the quality of life in the Duncan area.  Once that process reaches a point of community consensus, DAEDF stands ready to support Duncan Heart and Soul and other community stakeholders in formulating an appropriate funding strategy, to include a possible sales tax initiative.  However, that process is ongoing and has not yet reached any sense of community consensus.

The current one-half cent sales tax which supports both DAEDF and the City of Duncan expires July 31, 2024.  DAEDF’s president and board members worked tirelessly this spring to reach an agreement with the City of Duncan, but the city was intent on taking DAEDF’s name off of the new sales tax ballot.  Regardless of the outcome of the election and for the first time in thirty years, this means that none of the sales tax dollars will be set aside for DAEDF and its mission of economic development for the community of Duncan and surrounding areas. 

This dispute isn’t about DAEDF’s track record - DAEDF has a long history of recruiting new business and industry that speaks for itself including the recent relocation, financial investment, and workforce addition of Model1 to our community. The voters should ask themselves why the City of Duncan would make the decision to remove a proven economic development organization from the ballot.  In determining that answer, the voters need to be aware that in October 2021, Mayor Robert Armstrong and former City Manager Kimberley Meek tried to pressure the executive committee and board of directors to spend sales tax proceeds to benefit a company and individual with existing fraud and breach of contract judgements against it at that time. As of today, this company and individual continues to have various lawsuits pending which does not align with either DAEDF’s goal to guard against the misuse of economic development funds or the community of  Duncan’s vision overall. 

Since that time, DAEDF has been subjected to a campaign of false information in an attempt to discredit DAEDF and its president.  The City of Duncan has also brought lawsuits against DAEDF seeking to acquire title to DAEDF’s land and buildings.  The initial judgment in the first of those two suits has been rendered in favor of DAEDF and against the City of Duncan.   

DAEDF regrets that this contentious relationship exists, but DAEDF’s board of directors and staff are committed to preserving its assets and continuing to fulfill DAEDF’s mission to foster and enhance economic development and the quality of life in the Duncan area.  DAEDF simply asks that the voters be fully informed in determining how to vote on the June 18^th sales tax ballot.

Lyle Roggow, President

Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation