Coeur d’Alene’s new mayor Steve Widmyer is at it again — appointing not necessarily qualified or suitable pals to City committees and commissions.
The agenda and packet for the February 18, 2014, Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting both show that Widmyer intends to anoint Nancy White to the City Arts Commission.
Attentive readers will recall that during the 2010 election contest lawsuit challenging the 2009 Coeur d’Alene City election, it was determined that Nancy E. White had registered and voted illegally in the City election in violation of Idaho Code §18-2322. She was charged, found guilty, and received a 90-day unsupervised probation with judgment withheld. For the details go to ISTARS and enter case number CR-2010-0021693 (or look up by name White, Nancy Elaine).
OpenCdA acknowledges that citizens can make honest mistakes, however we also recognize that sometimes because of a person’s occupation or profession, the person’s “mistake” drifts over the line from honest to willful.
Nancy Elaine White was a real estate agent at the time she violated Idaho Code §18-2322. OpenCdA believes that as a real estate agent, she would have a more keen awareness of city-county boundary lines. As a real estate agent, she might reasonably be asked by a prospective buyer, “Is this house I’m considering buying inside the city limits of Coeur d’Alene or will my legal residence address be in the County (or a contiguous city)?” That expectation of additional awareness, helpful if not essential in her real estate job, would strongly suggest that her own illegal registration was willful rather than ignorantly accidental. There is a significant difference between willfully doing something wrong and accidentally doing something wrong.
OpenCdA wonders if White was the best nominee Widmyer could come up with, or might there have been other more qualified and more suitable applicants? Regardless, expect Nancy White to be approved to the City of Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission by a majority of the newly-minted Sequential Headnodders on Tuesday night.
Bill,
Even as a non-realtor, you would think she would have noticed that she wasn’t paying City taxes that are assessed yearly and included as a separate line-item sent to her twice a year. Or maybe she really did think she lived in the City, but for some reason she didn’t have to pay City levied taxes. Probably not the first time a City appointee thought they were supposed to be treated “special.”
Comment by Old Dog — February 14, 2014 @ 9:28 am
I guess the Henderson, Chambers debacle was just an honest mistake. Speaking of qualifications, what special qualities does Mrs. Souza have in picking a Police Chief?
Comment by Mike Teague — February 14, 2014 @ 9:46 am
Mike Teague,
Yes, it was an honest mistake. Careless on Henderson’s part, but not willful.
Your question is a fair one to ask — about each of the committee persons identified so far. As nearly as I can tell from what the local skewspaper reports, the only person on the panel with municipal law enforcement executive experience was Leach. I would have preferred that the committee include a competent, current municipal chief law enforcement executive officer such as Dr. Frank Straub from Spokane and an experienced educator such as Dr. David Brody from the Washington State University Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. I think it would have been helpful to at least ask the International Association of Chiefs of Police (Smaller Departments Section) if it would be willing to provide a member. I would have made the same request to the Police Executive Research Forum. As for why Mary was selected, you should put that question to Widmyer.
Comment by Bill — February 14, 2014 @ 11:10 am
In as much as she was found guilty and sentenced, why speculate as to motives or what she should have known and so on. She is not worthy of serving the citizens of Coeur d’Alene because of this violation of trust.
Comment by Gary Ingram — February 14, 2014 @ 12:24 pm
Mike,
Somewhat agree with Bill regarding Straub, but would have extended the invitation to include an honorable mention for Ozzie Knezivich (sp?) The reason being that from Airway Heights and Sunset Hill on the westernmost Spokane limits to downtown CDA we are virtually a continuous “strip mall” that should require enhanced coordination and mutual enforcement goals regardless of lines drawn on a map. Criminals don’t care about the lines, why should the Mayor?
With regard to Mary–all politics, a concessionary bone which I don’t think even has marrow left inside other than the flavor of appeasement.
Gary, I didn’t mean to promote “speculation” as to Nancy White’s motivation for her illegal vote, but I will say with certain that any realtor that doesn’t know if she lives in the City versus the County is no realtor friend of mine. Likewise, I would add that any realtor who filed bankruptcy during one of the most profitable realestate booms in the last decade shouldn’t be making decisions for other realtors and/or developers–hint–the City Planning Commission has two.
Comment by Old Dog — February 14, 2014 @ 3:20 pm