Mary Souza’s Newsletter
The election last week gave us some great positives and some seriously depressing negatives. I’ve been brooding and celebrating and brooding some more. But let’s talk about it, and we’ll start with the good stuff: (more…)
November 16, 2012
November 5, 2012
An Awkward Moment
Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
NIC Trustee Mic Armon, who is running for re-election, showed up last Thursday for his first time at the Republican Women’s lunch meeting. When he was given 2 minutes to speak, he tried to assure the audience that he really is a Republican, and then he added a very awkward statement: Mic told the crowd, as he gestured to where I was sitting, “I was Mary Souza’s next door neighbor for many years.”
While it is true that we were neighbors and we can have a cordial conversation about our kids, I do not support Mic’s election. Mic’s comment seemed opportunistic; a way for him to use me to influence people in the room. He must be worried. (more…)
October 31, 2012
Do You Trust the Commissioners?
Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
That’s the bottom line on the changes proposed by Kootenai County Commissioners Dan Green and Todd Tondee. They would like us to give away our right to vote for the Assessor, Treasurer, Coroner and Clerk, which will remove many of the checks and balances built into the current system.
Commissioner Green said, at the debate on this topic which was held at the library last evening, that our quality of government depends on who is in office; if we have good people, we’ll have good government. The flip side of that, of course, is that if we have inadequate/bad/corrupt people, we’ll have terrible government. (more…)
October 24, 2012
YES, YES, YES…!
Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
Why does this title make me think of that old movie, “When Harry Met Sally”, when she’s sitting in the café…? Ok, stop laughing now and let’s focus. This is serious.
Education has always been a top priority in our family. My husband was a 4th grade teacher when I met him. I’ve been a clinical nursing instructor. And between our two families, we have almost 10 current or retired teachers. We love teachers and we believe in the power of education.
So we applauded the courageous effort of Superintendent Tom Luna’s Education Reforms for Idaho last year. And we are now appalled at the inaccurate information being pushed in TV ads and mailings paid by the National Teachers’ Union. (more…)
October 19, 2012
Save Person Field!
Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
Tuesday night’s CdA City Council meeting was high drama, complete with last minute add-ons, sudden teamwork and surprising unanimous agreement.
It also contained frustrations, accusations, dirty looks, calls for staff dismissal and much, much more. But let’s start with the positive stuff: (more…)
October 10, 2012
Is Anyone Telling Us the Truth?
Mary Souza’s Newsletter
Mayor Sandi Bloem made a big, bold announcement at last Monday night’s workshop. She declared that “There is absolutely no intention on the part of this council to build a boat launch at Silver Beach.” And she also stated, “We are keeping the Third Street launch.”
An audible wave of incredulous, skeptical murmurs and chuckles came from the large crowd present to hear about the possible take over of CdA Lake Drive from the Idaho Transportation Dept (ITD) Looking none too pleased about the negative feedback, the Mayor reiterated her statements. (more…)
October 7, 2012
White Elephant Action Alert for Monday!
All of you living in CdA and those out in the Silver Beach area of the County will want to pay attention to this meeting tomorrow., Monday, Oct. 8th. Here’s what the city’s web site says:
“The Coeur d’Alene City Council will be holding a workshop with the Idaho Transportation Department on Monday, October 8th, at 5:00 p.m., in the Library Community Room, to discuss the proposed transfer of Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive from the ITD to the City of Coeur d’Alene. The city will present facts about about the proposed transfer and hear comments, concerns, or questions from the public.”
The key points about the meeting are that they will listen to public comment, which they will not often allow at their “workshops”, and that they say they will present “facts”. But will they present all the facts? (more…)
October 3, 2012
It’s Go Time!
Mary Souza’s Newsletter
I’m back after a busy summer, full of important family events. My husband and I then had a chance to get away for awhile, returning last week to the news of bubbling anger from some of the Anti-Recall group, only this time they’ve targeted the CdA school board with their name-calling and vitriol. (more…)
August 1, 2012
Wheat Belly
Mary Souza’s Newsletter
Dear Newsletter Readers,
This summer has been incredibly busy and fun, but I thought a quick newsletter was in order right about now. I will warn you up front that most of this letter is not about local or political issues. My mind for those things is on vacation, though I am tracking several issues like the possible 3% raise in our property taxes, the contract bids for McEuen requiring a 5% fee from contractors submitting bids (has anyone ever heard of that?), and the city ready to spend $65,000 per year for a public relations person. Let’s wait until September to talk about them, unless there’s some pressing reason to do so earlier. Summer is too short to waste on such frustrations. We all know the next city election in 2013 is our target, so let’s enjoy the gorgeous weather while we can.
At our house we just said goodbye to seven family members from Hawaii who came up to help celebrate my wonderful husband’s 60th birthday. They were joined by our children, a large group from my side of the family and a number of friends as well. We had a houseful! It was fun from start to finish and included a great party, a three day jaunt to Glacier–the Hawaii folks were so impressed!–a wet & wild day at Silverwood and several trips to Cabela’s. (Go figure) (more…)
June 22, 2012
The Recall is Over
Mary Souza’s Newsletter 
Yes, it’s over. The Recall is done but it’s been a busy week anyway. We’re continuing to check on the laws and the propriety of the signature certification process, and we’ve discovered some information you’ll want to know about. (more…)