Rand Wichman didn’t elaborate much about why he resigned his job as Kootenai County planning and building director.

When pressed, he commented only that the demands of the high-profile job had taken a toll and it was time to do something else.

Since 2001, Wichman has been the equivalent of the Dutch boy who held back the tide by putting his finger in the dike. The Dutch boy in the folk narrative saved his town by his quick thinking. In Wichman’s case, the tide of growth in Kootenai County, which some view as uncontrolled, has found other routes over and around him, as he’s battled for good planning among officials who seem indifferent. Maybe Wichman lost heart that his good work on behalf of the county made a difference and he surrendered to the rising water as many elected officials in Kootenai County and its growing cities have.

As Wichman holds off his departure until county commissioners find a replacement, one thing is certain: He tossed in the towel at a terrible time. In their minds, developers already have carved up the Rathdrum Prairie greenbelt that separates the communities of Post Falls, Rathdrum, Hauser, Hayden and Coeur d’Alene. Growth pressure is building on hillsides and along the waterways where county regulations are ignored regularly. While Coeur d’Alene is busy redeveloping its downtown and guiding upscale growth along Northwest Boulevard and the Spokane River, Wichman’s department is short-handed.

The worst of it? There’s no sign that county growth will slow down in the next 20 years. By 2025, the county’s population is expected to more than double to 250,000 residents. For some reason, however, that fact doesn’t appear to concern current commissioners or motivate anyone who truly believes in controlled growth to run against them. No Democrats filed for either commissioner office on the ballot. And Republican primary opponents for the two jobs haven’t made land-use planning a major issue. Is it possible that most Kootenai County residents are also satisfied with the current pace of growth and inadequate planning?

Wichman certainly was not content with everything he had to do. He was known as a planning director who spoke his mind and sometimes took his lumps when political decisions on planning and zoning requests didn’t follow the recommendations of his staff. In a speech to Kootenai Environmental Alliance members last week, he mentioned that things go easier for bureaucrats who don’t speak out, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press. In the past, he’s been uneasy that there might not be enough opportunity for the public to comment on the county’s rewrite of the comprehensive plan.

Fortunately, the county has hired former Planning Director Cheri Howell to help prepare the new comprehensive plan, the foundation document of all land-use decisions. She has the skill to guide the process, even without Wichman’s help. Still, with building permits keeping pace with the record number issued last year, the county will be hard-pressed to find a replacement for Wichman while trying to keep from drowning in a tidal wave of for sale signs.