MY TURN: Start at bottom of ballot to fix mess

Dear Kootenai County Republican voters, 

Your right to vote is my No. 1 priority, and has been for many years. But those voting rights are severely weakened right now, and are at risk of disappearing if we don’t make some important changes in our Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC).

The KCRCC has been moving in disturbing ways over the past few years, to limit your voter information. Here are just two of many examples:

A long-respected tradition in the Republican Party is that the Central Committees do NOT choose favorites, nor donate to any candidates in the primary election. They are only to distribute the campaign materials of ALL certified Republican candidates and encourage voter turnout. 

The idea is “trust the primary voters” to choose the candidates who will represent them in the general election. But this respect for voters is gone now. 

Under current leadership, the KCRCC not only donates to their favorites in the primary, they distribute campaign cards for only their chosen few. How do they choose? That is my second point:

You have probably received multiple cards listing the KCRCC’s “rated and vetted” candidates. They mail them to every Republican voter in Kootenai County, and they pass them out, in person, at the polling locations, whether you want one or not. 

So does this system of rating and vetting produce better candidates than you could choose? NO. Just look at the three “rated and vetted” NIC trustees who have caused havoc for the college and have put the school’s accreditation at great risk, all while wasting huge amounts of taxpayer money on unnecessary legal fights. 

The rated and vetted trustees are three out of the five members of the board so they are the majority for all these decisions. “The 3” are now planning to increase NIC’s athletic budget from $2 million up to $6 million. They intend to pay all the expenses for 152 athletes at the school, which will cost $40,000 each. This is taxpayer money! Are these conservative Republican values? Not in my book.

From 2015-22, I was the Republican State Senator for Coeur d'Alene. It was my great honor to work for you during those eight years. While it was my plan to stay retired and write columns for The Press, the dangers from the KCRCC have motivated me to file as a candidate for Precinct 407 Committeeman. Changing the makeup and leadership of the KCRCC is the only way we can return sanity and conservative principles to our Idaho Republican Party.

Just recently, my opponent in the precinct race withdrew his name, so I am running unopposed. That was a great surprise. He was the attorney hired on the spot by the three “rated and vetted” NIC trustees without a professional services search, for a price half-again-more per hour than the previous, respected attorney of many years. 

This is not good governance and it is not good for our community. In order to change the KCRCC, we must change the precinct committeemen. Please vote for a change in your precinct committeeman so we can redirect our KCRCC. Your vote will make a difference. 

NOTE: On your May 21 Republican primary election ballot, please start at the bottom! That’s where the choice for your precinct committeeman will be listed, and please, tell your neighbors and friends about the importance of the precinct race at the bottom of their ballot.

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Mary Souza is a Coeur d'Alene resident.