BOCC appoints Fair Board, Natural Resource Committee members on split votes

Each board sees three new members each

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

With a pair of split votes, Bonner County commissioners at the board’s April 25 meeting appointed several new members to two volunteer boards: the Bonner County Fair Board and Bonner County Natural Resource Committee.

The first of those votes, which occurred at the BOCC’s regular Tuesday business meeting, pertained to the Fair Board, which has seen its share of contention with the BOCC as both parties, as well as the sheriff’s office, have undergone a months-long debate about the potential location of an extension to the fairgrounds’ RV campground. While Commissioners Steve Bradshaw and Luke Omodt have shown support for having the park on land between the existing fairgrounds and sheriff’s department, Sheriff Daryl Wheeler and his supporters allege that past boards intended that area as the location for a future justice facility.

Commissioner Asia Williams has come out opposed to the location as well, and advocated for community and Fair Board input on a potential location. The Fair Board has most recently advocated for keeping the RV park extension on already established fairgrounds land.

On April 25, the BOCC considered appointing Ben Wood, Tawnya Johnson and Tim Mahan to the Fair Board. Prior to the vote, members of the public questioned the process used to select the candidates.

“There was a recruitment process and then interviews,” Omodt said. “After the interviews, we deliberated and now we’re presenting it to the public as a resolution in an open meeting.”

Wood, Johnson and Mahan are not previous members of the Fair Board. Asked whether members with expiring terms had applied, Omodt said, “They did.”

Williams said she had “issues with” the process used to select the new Fair Board members, noting that not all who applied were interviewed, and that she’d have liked to have seen more consultation with the public and the existing Fair Board members during the recruitment process.

Samuels resident Dan Rose alleged an “appearance of impropriety.”

“To me, this looks like a restacking of the board to get your RV camp onto the sheriff’s property,” he said, which prompted a brief rebuttal from Bradshaw, who said he only knew one of the candidates up for appointment and hadn’t spoken to that person in more than a decade.

“This process was open, it was transparent and it was in accordance, from start to finish, with Idaho Code,” Omodt said.

While some members of the public made comments in line with Rose, others thanked the commissioners for bringing the Fair Board into compliance with seven current members. Omodt and Bradshaw voted to approve Wood, Johnson and Mahan for four-year terms while Williams voted against the motion, arguing the county failed to do its “due diligence” in the selection process.

Next, commissioners considered the appointment and reappointment of several members of the Bonner County Natural Resource Committee. Among those up for a three-year reappointment were Cornel Rasor, Alton Howell, Jim McReynolds and Luke Hixson. New appointees, up for two-year terms, were Richard Clark, Wayne Martin and Clay Nichols.

Williams said the recruitment and recommendation process for the BCNRC and Fair Board were “inconsistent,” stating that while those wishing to retain their seat on the Fair Board had to reapply, those on the BCNRC who wanted to be reinstated were simply reinstated.

There was also debate about the committee’s purpose.

“This is a specific committee that was designed with a specific purpose in mind,” Omodt said.

“It’s not [about] all of the birds and the bees and all the lakes and the wetlands and all the trees,” he added, calling the BCNRC an “interface between federal, state and the county” entities regarding natural resource-related relationships.

Williams said that the BCNRC could actually be whatever the BOCC needed it to be, whether that was a consultant on the Comp Plan or a committee capable of revisiting county wetland code.

“There’s nothing that prevents that,” she said. “That’s why, with this topic, it’s one where you want educated people that understand that ecosystem.”

Omodt and Bradshaw voted to confirm all seven members of the BCNRC, while Williams voted in opposition on the grounds of recruitment process concerns.

Bouquets: GUEST SUBMISSION:

•“Kudos to the concerned citizen who took it upon herself to help resolve the confusion caused about whether postage was required for absentee ballots. She contacted the Bonner County Elections Office but was not deterred by lack of resolution. She then contacted the Elections Office and the USPS, who were then able to come up with the solution. If an absentee ballot is mailed without postage it will be delivered.”

— By Jean Gerth

Barbs:

•When I heard that Fox News had parted ways with its star pundit Tucker Carlson, I felt an immediate sense of relief knowing his wings were finally clipped and his era of shoveling nonsense talking points and flat-out disinformation onto the American public was over. Sure, he’ll be back in some form or fashion, but his days of being a powerhouse are in the past. We can’t undo the years of brainwashing and seething anger that Carlson has injected into about a third of our country, but we can move forward with the knowledge that actions have consequences, even in today’s post-truth world.

•The Bonner County Republican Central Committee just issued a press release giving District 1 Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, a “no-confidence” vote, which means exactly nothing to anyone but the closed-minded members of this group of fearful rubes. Led by Sen. Scott Herndon himself, the BRCC also tried the same tactic with former-Sens. Shawn Keough and Jim Woodward in an attempt to “punish” any lawmakers who don’t fall lock step into the BCRCC’s embarrassingly narrow ideology. Lawmakers who think critically are a benefit, not a hindrance. I’d bet a dollar that 90% of District 1 voters don’t care one iota about what the BRCC has to say about anything. Perhaps they should stick to banning books and taking rights away from women, because that’s where they truly excel.

A Highway 2 proposal…

Dear editor, I have not yet seen a plan for the Couplet, but in reading comments others have made about a five-lane updated Highway 2, I wanted to add my two cents worth.

I drive into Sandpoint daily on Highway 2, and have been doing so since 1989 when we moved out to Wrenco. There are definitely problems that could be addressed without constructing a superhighway. First, people who say there is nothing wrong with the existing highway do not spend enough time on that road.

When heading west from the Boyer stop light at Dub’s, there are often numerous drivers who want to make a left turn, and when they are waiting for an opening to turn, sometimes it takes quite a while! Everyone behind them has to come to a complete stop.

It isn’t just when school traffic is at its worst, or the noon hour when everyone leaves work to run their errands. When the summer tourist season gets busy, the stream of vehicles in both directions is nearly constant. Good luck trying to turn left.

What about a three-lane option? That would at least give the leftturn drivers a place to wait and let everyone else keep moving.

I hope we get to keep Dub’s Drive In.

Marie Warren Dover

‘More for less money’...

Dear editor,

Since 2016, most of the taxes for county services have increased up to as much as 72% (including hospital, county government, schools, ambulance). But the library now uses 2% less of our county taxes than they did seven years ago. How is this possible?

A large part of the credit goes to Library Board Member Susan Shea, who is running for another term. Susan has an extensive background in finance and has led the successful effort to keep our library fiscally conservative while adding services such as a new bookmobile, STEM backpacks, sewing machines, outreach to seniors, a summer reading program and a community garden with a seasonal gardener.

It’s possible to reduce the library budget in other ways: ban books, stock fewer of them, get rid of diverse materials, bookmobiles, computers and after-school programs. You could save money by cutting the heart of the community out of our library.

If you want more for less money, vote with me on May 16 for Susan Shea for East Bonner County Library Board.

Or apply for an absentee ballot on the state government website by 5 p.m., Friday May 5: tinyurl.com/IDabsenteereq.

For more info call the Bonner County Elections Office: 208-265-1437.

Nancy Gerth Sagle

Dear editor,

An open letter to Idaho Gov. Brad Little: I don’t understand why you don’t understand why an Idahoan might want to move west to Washington. Take a look at just a few of the important differences in our two states that affect our everyday lives: For example, Washington has:

1. No sales tax on food.

2. No income tax.

3.A higher minimum wage — Washington: $13.69; Idaho: $7.25 (Department of Labor).

4.Higher teacher salaries — Washington: $82 million (ranked fifth in nation); Idaho: $54 million (ranked 39th in nation, only $7,000 more than bottom state of Louisiana) (Department of Labor).

5.Higher funding for schools — Washington: $43 million per student (ranked seventh in nation); Idaho: $20 million (ranked 51st in nation).

6.Higher overall economic strength: Washington ranked 11th in nation; Idaho ranked 38th.

7.Protection for pregnant women who might need emergency medical care.

8.No threats of loss of license and fines to medical professionals who dare to give assistance to pregnant women in a time of crisis.

9.No keeping citizens prisoner in their own state if they need emergency medical care during pregnancy.

10.No threats of large fines to libraries and librarians if there are books available that someone might find “unacceptable.”

11.Ban on assault weapons: “The weapon of choice among young men responsible for most of the country’s mass shootings.”

Just sayin’... these are just a few of the reasons why Idahoans might want to “go West.” So, Mr. Governor, maybe we could learn a few things from our neighbor and make life better for our own citizens here at home. Think about it, please.

Maureen Graham Sandpoint

Dear editor, The First Law of Holes: If ever one finds themselves in a hole, the very first thing one should do is to stop digging.

Obviously the GOP leadership does not comprehend the essence of that simple rule. A review of GOP actions and legislation over the past few years reveals that obvious truth. They have at every level — from county commissioners to the U. S. House of Representatives and judicial benches — screwed themselves with anti-abortion rulings, anti-individual rights actions, anti-voting rights legislation and extremist judicial rulings.

Never have so few done so much harm to so many.

It all really started with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but it was decades in the making. If future elections were limited to females of Gen Z, there probably wouldn’t be enough GOP representatives in any currently Republican-dominated state to fill a mid-size SUV on that issue alone.

The much ballyhooed “Red Wave” of 2022 was reduced to a ripple on almost every front at the polls. This ripple forced McCarthy to kowtow to the miniscule Freedom Caucus just to reach the speakership — concessions he’s sure to regret.

I keep waiting for the rational GOP to come back. Will it ever?

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

Dear editor, I attended the candidate forum for the East Bonner County Library Board of Trustees. One candidate was thoughtful, measured and clearly has the best interests of the library at heart. That candidate is Susan Shea.

Susan Shea has been on the board for six years, during that time the library has offered a wide variety of services while not raising the budget for the last five years, saving taxpayer dollars. Her background in finance has kept the library on a strong financial footing.

The mission statements of the library and the American Library Association are the values that Susan Shea brings to the board. She is a strong believer in the First Amendment and our freedom to read, write and view books, movies and art of our choice. She does not believe we should live in a community where a small minority decides what everyone else can or cannot

Susan Shea is against censorship, banning and secluding books. She believes it is up to individuals and parents to choose what is appropriate for themselves and their children.

Susan Shea is thoughtful when considering the needs of the community and the library. She will not narrow the focus of the library to appeal only to a minority of the community. She will continue to advocate for a broad variety of activities and materials in the library that will appeal to, and be available to, the whole community.

Vote to keep our library intact. Re-elect Susan Shea on Tuesday, May 16.

Sheila McNulty Sandpoint

Dear editor,

Last week’s moderated library board candidate forum in Sandpoint, in which each candidate was given the opportunity to answer carefully phrased questions, was an eye-opener. The incumbent candidate knows that a public library is meant to be a repository of informational materials that can be freely accessed by all community members. The challenger candidate believes, among other things, that certain materials and activities should be banned from, or restricted within, our public libraries.

Incumbent Susan Shea stayed on track with her message about a library’s duty to serve the community and its interests in a fiscally responsible manner, and to respect every person’s First Amendment rights.

Challenger Stacy Rodriguez descended the rabbit hole of the library’s supposed “political” and “obscene” materials, advocating restricting/banning such materials to “protect children” — effectively turning the library into a facility to police children for parents who abdicate their parental rights and responsibilities.

Ms. Rodriguez made many statements — about obscenity laws, drag shows, the head of the American Library Association, the values held by “most of Bonner County voters”, etc. — that were partly or largely incorrect, and, in some cases, totally irrelevant. That a highly educated, experienced, former prosecuting attorney would make such assertions without regard for facts or evidence was, frankly, astonishing.

Both candidates are intelligent, capable and passionate. It would be wonderful to see Ms. Rodriguez