Want a Hayden mayor who's OK with explosive growth?

This is my response to the Coeur d’Alene Press Editorial dated March 25, 2022, titled; “Only one was ready to lead Hayden.” This is a lengthy response but a complete response is warranted in order to inform Hayden citizens. I am not going against the age old saying: don’t get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. This is not a fight: rather it is the unreported other side of the story.

On March 22, 2022, the City Council voted to appoint Councilman Saterfiel as Hayden’s interim mayor to serve until the November 2023 General Election. The interim mayor will guide Hayden’s path on how to deal with the explosive residential growth which is the No. 1 issue facing our small town. I voted not to appoint Councilman Saterfiel as interim mayor for the main reason that he is OK with the explosive residential growth.

The explosive residential growth has overwhelmed law enforcement, fire protection, ambulance response time, schools, traffic, recreation opportunities and medical services. These are all critical in having a small town quality of life, which is paramount for the health, safety and welfare of our citizens.

Hayden’s City Council is not “drifting aimlessly since Mayor Steve Griffitts resigned a month ago,” as suggested in the editorial. In fact, our Council with two newly elected members has reacted responsibly to his resignation. Mayor Griffitts should have given the City Council and the city staff the courtesy of a two weeks resignation notice. He did not. Mayor Griffitts has stated numerous times via media outlets that his resignation was due to potential litigation, although the city is not currently involved in any litigation. No one is irreplaceable, not even Mayor Griffitts.

Our city’s future is in great hands with an experienced city administrator and competent staff. The sky is not falling. The streets are being maintained, intersection lights are working, parks are being groomed for the upcoming season, work is being performed at Honeysuckle Beach, the recreation department is humming, building inspections are being performed and yes, you can still flush your toilets.

Another quote from the editorial: “Roetter bumbled backward with no mayor and no clear plan forward.” During the City Council meeting, I proposed an eight-step path forward for appointing an interim mayor, since Idaho Code is silent on the process. The proposal is being reviewed by our legal counsel and will be voted on during a special city council meeting on April 4, 2022, at 4 p.m., at City Hall. The Council is pursuing this clear path forward.

Also from the editorial: “The way he cross-examined Roger Saterfiel, the only person qualified and vested to run the city, you’d think Roetter was trying to waylay a Supreme Court nominee.” I did ask Councilman Saterfiel some specific questions before voting took place. That is the process for being an informed elector. It is imperative the Council and citizens know Councilman Saterfiel’s positions on critical issues facing the city. Notably, he is OK with the explosive residential growth in Hayden. Councilman Saterfiel is a bureaucrat having worked at the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department for decades and served on Hayden City Council for about 11 years. Experience is not the only one qualifier in selecting a mayor. Where a potential mayor stands on issues helps explain how he or she will guide the city.

If municipal government experience is the main qualifier for being appointed interim mayor, then Mayor Griffitts should not have been elected Hayden city mayor. Mayor Griffitts held no municipal governmental elected position before being elected mayor. The voters did not care he lacked municipal experience. Many elected governmental positions are held by individuals with no prior experience. So why is Councilman Saterfiel, as quoted in the Press, the “only one was ready to lead Hayden?”

At our last City Council meeting, newly elected Councilman DePriest made the motion to elect Councilman Saterfiel to be interim mayor, Saterfiel made the second. The vote ended in a tie 2-2, the motion failed. Saterfiel was not elected interim mayor. I am shocked that Councilman DePriest voted for Councilman Saterfiel since Saterfiel is OK with explosive residential growth in Hayden. The city of Hayden cannot keep up with the explosive residential growth. We cannot afford to pay for it. Personally, I do not want to pay one more cent in increased property taxes so more people can move to Hayden.

In 2019, Councilman Saterfiel voted yes on doubling property taxes paid to the city of Hayden. Additionally, he was opposed to disclosing to voters that Hayden’s Urban Renewal Agency would receive additional property taxes above and beyond the doubling of property taxes. That is not government transparency. Seventy percent of the voters voted no to the increase. If the increase had passed, it would have been the largest property tax percent increase in Idaho’s history. He is out of touch with the public.

The record shows that Councilman Saterfiel is in favor of spending tax money on public art. He voted yes to spend tax money on the art Clown Face located at the Hayden Library which cost around $100,000, for the art Dragon Flies for approximately $35,000, and for the art bike rack for $17,000. What about spending tax money on public safety rather than art?

In 2021, Councilman Saterfiel voted to approve a $12 million contract awarded to a corporation owned by the chairman of the Hayden Planning and Zoning Commission for regulatory upgrades to the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Plant. This is the largest single contract approved by the City Council in the history of Hayden. Councilman Saterfiel is also a board member of the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board. Councilman Saterfiel saw no potential conflict of interest; in fact he favored the contractor.

In 2021, Councilman Saterfiel voted against having a Hayden Town Hall meeting to discuss Hayden’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. He did not want to hear from the citizens of Hayden. However, an unofficial meeting with attendance over 200 was held at the McIntire Family Park which featured Sheriff Norris and Northern Lakec Fire District Chief Pat Riley to discuss the explosive residential growth impacting public safety. Councilman Saterfiel did not bother to attend the meeting. He does not wish to hear from the public.

Late last year, Councilman Saterfiel presided over a City Council meeting as Council president. Toward the end of the meeting he read from a prepared statement accusing me of lying about Hayden’s explosive residential growth. He then refused to let me respond to any of his accusations and ended the meeting. That is not leadership; it is censorship.

On March 28, 2022, Mayor Griffitts resigned at a Council meeting. At the same meeting Councilman Saterfiel walked out of the meeting without an explanation, which is in the meeting minutes. Why would someone who wants to lead our small town as mayor just leave an important meeting without reason? His response to a problem is to walk away from it. That is not leadership.

Councilman Saterfiel can run in the 2023 mayoral election and then the voters will decide if they want his leadership based on his past voting record. Saterfiel does have plenty of experience trying to raise property taxes and spending tax money on art. If he does run, I will again vote no. In the meantime, you can send an email to me at mroetter@cityofhaydenid.us, if you agree or disagree with my vote not to elect him. Unlike Councilman Saterfiel, I do want to hear your concerns about the explosive residential growth in Hayden.

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NOTE: This My Turn is not the opinion of the Hayden City Council but rather of Matt Roetter, resident of Hayden.