Is the city of Redding running against itself?

You might easily think so from reading the financial disclosures of the Shasta Alliance, a business-oriented political group.

Those forms show that the Economic Development Corporation of Shasta County, which receives some $140,000 a year in city money to promote job growth, contributed $1,500 to the Shasta Alliance. That group has hectored the city government about a number of issues this election season and paid for ads advocating a slate of pro-business candidates (Rick Bosetti, Jay Gibson and Dave Rutledge) to the Redding City Council to replace incumbents John Mathena and Mary Stegall. Similarly, Shasta County is giving $54,000 to the EDC this year, and the Shasta Alliance also touted supervisor candidate Norma Comnick in an ad over her rival, Les Baugh.

Both groups say the money was not spent for political advocacy but to analyze the proposed Shasta Ranch gravel pit off Balls Ferry Road. EDC President Jim Zauher stresses that the organization spends public dollars on specific, contracted services, and that only money from its private-sector investors (which include the Record Searchlight) went to the gravel study.

Even taking Zauher at his word, it's difficult to separate the public and private spheres in the EDC. A huge chunk of its budget is taxpayers' money. It is a key partner in such public projects as the Stillwater Business Park. Shasta County and its three cities are permanent members that appoint directors to the EDC's board.

There's nothing wrong with the EDC getting involved in business issues, even controversial ones. But it should studiously shun even the appearance of taking sides in elections.

Ironically, the biggest problem with mixing public money and election campaigns is usually that incumbents will exploit their control of the levers of power to engineer their re-election. We can't accuse Mathena and Stegall of that.