Many of you know this is a term used quite commonly in finance. Simply put it means the possible gain must be high enough to offset the inherent risk. A person wouldn't bet a dollar with the hope of getting only the same dollar back. Wagering a dollar with the chance of returning one hundred dollars might be worth the risk. The leaders of Poplar Grove, Caledonia, and Timberland face exactly that challenge now.
Those leaders were elected by their constituents to do one thing, protect and enhance the state of the municipalities and their residents. They can not be blamed for taking the risk-reward ratio into consideration if asked for permission for Candlewick Lake to incorporate.
I am sure they are asking themselves at this time what benefits they would gain by having another city larger than their own on their borders. I would be hard pressed to think of benefits to them but they are better equipped to make that decision than I. They know their responsibility to their citizens is to weigh the possible risks to this proposal against what appear to be non-existent benefits. Who could blame them if the risk-reward ratio does not balance? If they are put in a position in which they must answer they have the final say and that is as it should be.
Ken Dillenburg