Rules for thee and not for me

“Do as I say — dot as I do” is alive and well within the Kootenai County government. Rules, procedures, etc. put forth upon the public at large, are sometimes being ignored by our government officials themselves. This should not be happening and needs to be pointed out.

March 24 the public was granted a hearing before the BOCC, regarding a questionable PUD expansion. After 19 persons spoke against the request, and only the applicant’s representative spoke in favor, the BOCC took a vote. Commissioners Brooks and Fillios voted against the request for the PUD expansion, and Commissioner Duncan voted in favor.

Duncan began to grumble about the vote, Fillios asked what she was unhappy about, and she brought up a speculative thought that had previously been discussed and dismissed. Fillios asked David Callahan of the Planning Department what he thought, and wisely Mr. Callahan stated “a decision has been made.”

Out of the blue, legal counsel to the BOCC Pat Braden, who was not in attendance but on a Zoom call, interrupted the discussion and suggested a “reconsideration vote” could be requested and taken. Duncan immediately jumped on this, made a motion to reconsider the vote, another vote was taken and now the vote was one against the request, and two in favor — Fillios changing his vote. This whole confusing and illegal situation can be watched at youtube.com/watch?v=Lpuxgxza01M.

Those present were shocked. Not being naïve to county ordinances, procedures, etc., we knew what we had quietly witnessed was a breakdown in the procedural rules of Kootenai County. We didn’t scream at anyone, we didn’t jump up and yell or hold signs to display our disgust, we didn’t walk out yelling about the unfairness of it all, as some citizen groups are doing; we stayed in our seats until the meeting was adjourned, then politely left knowing we had witnessed a breakdown in county procedure.

Within a couple days, we filed a formal complaint with the county, providing a copy of the county’s own ordinance on procedures for “reconsiderations,” sending copies of all documents to each of the County officials involved in this issue, including Barry McHugh. Days later, a polite call from David Callahan took place, but still no legal justification, which we had asked for.

Another letter was sent to Barry McHugh asking for legal validation of the action in question; finally on April 19 an email from Pat Braden was received giving us a very unsubstantiated explanation. When checked, we found that his statements as facts were wrong, and his email only validated what we had formally complained about was indeed, a procedural breakdown. The second vote on this issue should never have been allowed, as Commissioner Duncan was not on the prevailing side of the initial vote and ergo, was not allowed to ask for a reconsideration.

This merry-go-round of emails and excuses regarding our initial complaint is ridiculous. The county followed poor, inaccurate legal advice, and the citizens who pay their salaries get shoved aside like bothersome mosquitos, even though they provided truthful facts to substantiate their complaint. We see it nationally, now it has also come to Kootenai County … Rules for thee and not for me. No wonder some citizen groups are becoming louder, rude and aggressive.

Our government on all levels, and I’ll direct this specifically now to our local decision makers, needs to keep in mind a quote from Winsome Sears, Lt. Governor of Virginia — “Our Government is We the People — not we the politicians, not we the elite.”

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Bev Twillmann is a Harrison resident.