CDA: It's ward time

According to the last article I read in the Press, the only ones running for the city offices (council members) are the incumbents! Are you aware of this? Did you ever have one of our council members (with the exception of Steve Adams when he was on the city council) return your call? Since they are elected “at large,” one unhappy citizen causes them no heartburn!

It appears that our city council members think the city of CDA runs from Coeur d’Alene Street south to Front and from Northwest Boulevard east to about 9th Street! It is time the rest of us get representation and we could have that by changing the city charter/government to a ward system.

If you have never heard of a ward system, it is quite simple. The town would be divided into wards/sections. The city council would be made up of one councilperson from each ward. The council person has to live in the ward they represent. Only those people living in that ward can vote for that council position. Since the council members will live in the ward they represent, the interest of the entire council will now encompass the entire city instead of just downtown. As residents of the ward you have direct access to your own council person. If the council person for a specific ward does not address the issues of that ward, those residents can vote them out of office and elect a new council person at the next election.

I love Coeur d’Alene but I think our entire city deserves equal representation in our city council.

DICK GARDNER

Coeur d’Alene