Not only no but...

Nearly 100 Kootenai County residents took the podium at the first Optional Forms of Government Study Commission public hearing, and one message rang out loud and clear.

Not only no, but hell no.

The vast majority of speakers Wednesday night vehemently opposed any change the commission might recommend. Some even pressured panel members, saying their actions could lead to retribution.

Only two suggested support to change Kootenai County's form of government. 

For the last four months, members of the OFGSC have collected research to evaluate the efficiency of the current structure. They've considered other alternatives permitted under Idaho Code 31-5001. Since starting the investigation in May, the study commission had only accepted emailed comments.

That changed in a loud way Wednesday night. Here's a sampling of the public comments.

MARK PRICE

"We the people are here, and we the people are pissed," Price said. "I've sat here and listened to you as you, Mr. Botting, shout down the voters like you're some kind of headmistress. What you and the two commissioners are doing here isn't right, and it won't be tolerated. Sometimes civil disobedience becomes a duty when we the people have our God-given rights trampled upon."

EVAN KOCH

"Democrats believe that your commission and our county government have the moral duty to respect the minority party. The (Republican Party) is a supermajority in this county. It's weaponized that majority to control North Idaho College and the county libraries. Democrats, therefore, call upon you to increase the number of County Commissioners to five or seven, and to hire county officials, and to hire an administrator to oversee them."

JUSTIN ALLEN

"We have seen a safe, small community because of the conservatives that we elect. We elect those people to represent us, not to be puppets. God made men to be free, with free choice. If you push this and take away what God intended, it might make us desperate. You may be sorry you did."

DON WARNER

"Move quickly on bringing forth a very qualified county manager, who would provide a desperately needed day-to-day continuity of corporate history, which would allow the commissioners and elected officials to focus on the big picture. The county government has an opportunity to build on what has been recommended ... and to be a model government in the state of Idaho."

DELOYD SCOTT

"Botting, I understand that you're the one spearheading this. You can expect to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Our sheriff is elected by we the people ... You guys got no authority to take our sheriff. You're a bunch of psychopaths, and you need to be reined in."

WENDY SMITH

"I listened to Bill Brooks compare voters to chihuahuas with microphones. I am not a chihuahua, and I am a voter. This is America, and we the voters want to have our say and who our elected officials are.

"I also wonder if (Dave Botting) and the commissioners are personal friends, and are already corrupt with Bill Brooks and Chris Fillios ... to gain more power. This whole thing, in my opinion, is a sham."

NINA BEESLEY

"There are only two commissioners, Fillios and Brooks, that are complaining about their job responsibilities. No other elected official or department is. This is not a structural problem. This is a problem with two commissioners."

MATT EDWARDS

"I give you all the benefit of the doubt. I respect you. And I respect that you will, if this isn't all for a show, deliberate honestly, because if you don't, you should be prepared for some shame coming at you in the community. It's my recommendation that you leave Kootenai County alone."

RACHELLE OTTOSON

"It seems two-thirds of our commissioners are counting on, or at least hoping that we the people are ignorant enough to vote to cede more power to an out of control government. We're not ignorant, and we're angry. We don't want these positions to be corrupted by accountability to the whims of other politicians."

LAURA VAN VOORHEES

"I also have studied the communist creed in this country, and I see it here in action now that people try to take over forms of government by putting people in instead of letting us elect them. I see it in the school system where they're socially engineering our children and indoctrinating them with equity. It's communism, and that's what this is trying to do, and we're not going to allow it."

The next study commission meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 5:30 p.m.