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The wording of the Official Ballot, Kootenai County, Idaho, School District 271 Supplemental Maintenance & Operation Levy Election has drawn criticism from many voters. Some voters felt the wording was clear, while others called it confusing. Some even called it deceptive and manipulative. Was the problem in the wording or in the intention of those who composed the ballot measures? (more…)
This info was just sent this afternoon from the Kootenai County Clerk’s Office: A Short History of the Cd’A School Levy Ballot
The Coeur d’Alene School District developed the March 8 ballot language, not Kootenai County’s Elections team. County Elections’ staff discussed the implications of the ballot language with school district personnel numerous times in the last six weeks.
“For the School District to say we did not understand their intent is disingenuous” said Kootenai County Clerk Cliff Hayes. “We confirmed their intent several times.” (more…)
I just returned from voting in person in the Coeur d’Alene School Election. My polling place was Woodland Middle School.
After the poll workers carefully checked my photo ID and they were going through the poll book to find my name, I saw what looked like the words “Absentee Ballot Received” had been stamped in red ink in some elector signature blocks. I don’t recall seeing that before, but it would be a positive measure to minimize the chances of someone voting absentee and then being able to also vote in person at his polling place.
Do you think the delay was justified? Do you think Steele could have received a fair trial in Coeur d’Alene? Why or why not?
I’m curious about the first paragraph of today’s full page Press ad in favor of the CdA school levy. Did you notice it? After the title and subtitle of the ad, there’s a section, in bold letters, that says this:
“An anonymous group is trying to paint the picture that our school district is a fat cow with an “insatiable appetite for spending”. Not True! Funny, this group is backed by an organization out of Spokane Determined to rid Idaho schools of funding. Doe we want Spokane influencing how we choose to support our children’s education?” ……………………..Thoughts on this? What do you think of the levy?
Voters tend to pay attention to national elections first, then local elections for mayor and city council. Other elections often get little attention, because voters assume that the “no-name” elections for library trustees, community college trustees, and school district trustees don’t matter as much. After all, in many communities, these “no-name” positions are often filled by volunteers who receive no pay.
No pay means no opportunity for self-enrichment, right? No, as this Los Angeles Times investigative series about the Los Angeles Community College District shows, there is profit in obscurity and voter ignorance. The series is titled Billions to Spend.
After you’ve read the Times series, go back and read Mary Souza’s OpenCdA post on February 18, 2011. Over $6,000,000 in public money was paid by the North Idaho College Board of Trustees to the North Idaho College Foundation, Inc., for “prepaid rent” on land the College owned. It has yet to be refunded, and it doesn’t appear to this writer that anyone is trying very hard to get it back..
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This FBI press release captioned “Former Upland Mayor, Second City Official Indicted in Federal Corruption Case for Demanding $70,000 in Bribes” caught my eye for several reasons. First, it was yet another example of a small-town mayor trying to cash in at the expense of constituents. Upland is just east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. Upland has a population of about 75,000. Second, by today’s dollar amounts that usually don’t get our attention unless they’re followed by seven or more zeros, this seemed like a comparatively small amount. And third, it was investigated by the San Bernardino Joint Corruption Task Force made up of the San Berdo Prosecuting Attorney’s Office , the US Attorney’s Office, and the FBI. (more…)
There were two Letters to the Editor this morning about problems at the Kroc Center. Did you read them? Two upset patrons of last weekend’s swim meet at the Kroc were venting their frustration at the severe restrictions and policies of the center, and what they claim was a dismal lack of customer service. You can read their letters here and here. Any thoughts or comments on this or any other topic?
Yesterday morning I attended the meeting the City Council had with the volunteer Steering Committee and the paid Team McEuen, which is made up of the architects, engineers and landscape folks. It was in the conference room at the Parkside Tower on the 3rd floor, and was well attended. I bet there were 40 meeting participants around the table and about 25 members of the city staff and public off to the side in chairs–we could only listen.
Team McEuen ran the meeting. They showed slides of the public questionnaire results (you know, from the flawed survey form that didn’t ask about the boat launch or the ball fields). They reported high approval rates for most everything proposed, but Team McEuen admitted that some features should be reconsidered. The items on the list for reevaluation are: (more…)
Here’s the Press Release sent to us from the County Clerk’s office. The cover letter said something quite interesting:
“We’re sending this out to you directly because the mainstream media has chosen to disseminate nothing on our division’s recent progress, and Cliff promised transparency during his campaign for this office. We plan to issue press releases monthly.”Kootenai County Clerk’s Progress: Serving Customers & Increasing Internal Controls
Six weeks into office, Kootenai County Clerk Clifford T. Hayes is cautiously optimistic. “We’ve taken several steps to better serve customers”, Hayes said. “We’ve met with taxing district representatives, learned what they want us to do better, and agreed to supply them with more information. We’ve extended work hours to include Saturdays from 9AM to 2PM to serve County Assistance clients and to process passport applications in the Recorder’s office, starting March 5.” (more…)
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