EDITORIAL: Rating/Vetting giant casts tiny shadow

When the curtain hiding the all-powerful Kootenai County Republican Central Committee’s Rating and Vetting machine was pulled back Sept. 20, a magnificent, multi-nuanced galaxy buster was not revealed.

There was just a little ideological clunker sitting there, wheezing and gasping.

New precinct committeeman Marc Stewart was the curtain puller. Having endured the five-hour dog and pony show and come away both disappointed and determined to shed some light for voters on the shallow, flawed Rating and Vetting process, Marc decided to put his observations in black and white.

Here’s Marc’s column in case you missed it: https://shorturl.at/LxV8e

What local GOP officials have been telling you about the exhaustive, trustworthy process behind picking and promoting their preferences is mostly myth. Unless somehow you can stretch your imagination and credibility muscles enough to accept that sufficient rational thought and healthy debate went into the process to recommend candidates for voters to support, you must question the R&V committee’s questions.

As Marc noted, candidates for North Idaho College’s Board of Trustees were asked if they’d ever voted for a non-Republican. They were quizzed about their interpretation of the purpose of government. 

Before you take the R&V clunker’s word that trustee candidates Greg McKenzie, William Lyons and Michael Angiletta have earned your vote, consider the questions they were not asked:

What is the role of a trustee?

What is the value of accreditation? 

What are your thoughts on higher education reform?

What experience has prepared you to tackle complicated institutional budgets?

What are your specific qualifications to serve in this nonpartisan office?

With support from many other new precinct committeeman, Marc called KCRCC on the fact that it endorses and financially supports candidates in nonpartisan races. 

Once upon a time, when more constructive, conscientious heads prevailed, political party leaders would stay out of nonpartisan elections. 

They also honored the time-tested practice of not endorsing one Republican over another. Their full-court press began only after voters made their primary election preferences.

Both of those precepts died a decade or so ago in Kootenai County, and since then, many of the wrong people have been elevated to public service roles they’re not equipped to handle.

Republicans, when you get your KCRCC Rated & Vetted flyers in the mail, examine it with healthy skepticism. 

Take the advice of many of your precinct committeemen to do your own research and reach your own conclusions, which will be much more than the alleged Rating and Vetting group did.

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A good starting point is the NIC trustee forum held last Thursday night. Go to cdapress.com and click on Meet the Candidates.