This is theory and philosophy.
November 30, 2011
November 26, 2011
MAX Benefit?
Spokane County is being considered for a Boeing plant to build the new Boeing 737 MAX. If Spokane County is selected, what if any benefit would northern Idaho see?
November 24, 2011
The Essence of Public Corruption
In late 2010 OpenCdA put up a series of posts about two Prince George’s County, Maryland, public officials, Jack Johnson and his wife Leslie, who had been arrested by the FBI on numerous charges of public corruption. Prior to his arrest, Jack Johnson had been the P.G. County Prosecuting Attorney and most recently the county’s Administrator. Johnson’s wife Leslie was a P.G. County Councilwoman.
Both Johnsons are scheduled to be sentenced in December. Here is a link to the 76-page sentencing memorandum prepared by the US Attorney for the District of Maryland. It reveals just how corrupt these trusted, well-respected, highly-regarded members of the Prince George’s County community were. It reveals how Jack and Leslie Johnson betrayed the trust and confidence of their constituents and their friends. It is a primer explaining how public officials can develop a sense of entitlement, omnipotence, and arrogant disdain for their constituents and trusting friends. (more…)
November 22, 2011
Put the Wet Stuff On the Red Stuff
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Tuesday’s Coeur d’Alene Press ran an article about two local businesses who didn’t like the color of the city’s fire hydrants on their property, so they painted them dark green. The article was titled You might be able to paint that hydrant. It suggested the City Council might be inclined to let property owners paint the hydrants any color they would like.
I hope Sandi and the Headnodders actually talk with the fire department first.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that fire hydrants’ bodies, caps, and bonnets follow certain color coding standards to provide firefighters with basic information about the water pressure at the hydrant. For a great deal of information about fire hydrant design, placement, color coding, etc., see FireHydrant.org‘s ten-part series titled Designing Water & Hydrant Systems.
The hydrant in the photo to the left is across from our house. I don’t know if Coeur d’Alene City Fire Department follows the NFPA standard. If it does, the yellow body would probably indicate the hydrant is connected to the municipal water system, and the green cap could indicate the hydrant can supply 1000-1499 gallons per minute at a pressure of 20 p.s.i.
November 21, 2011
Open Session, Quiet Days
After the election and before Thanksgiving…quiet on the surface but important issues are still swirling behind the scenes. What’s your news, question or comment?
This photo is of the 1969 marble marker at the border of McEuen Field and Tubb’s Hill. The inscription says:
“This land acquired for the benefit of the people forever”
November 16, 2011
Better Late Than Never…
On November 7 OpenCdA reported the Idaho Supreme Court had ruled Lewiston’s stormwater utility fee was in fact an unconstitutional tax. Today the Coeur d’Alene Press reports that at last night’s City Council meeting, the Council decided to suspend the illegal tax collection until it could figure out a way to get around the Court’s ruling.
Embedded in the City’s press release and the newspaper article was this rather innocuous-appearing statement: “Because the City of Coeur d’Alene’s fee structure/utility is very similar to Lewiston’s, the City Attorney’s office is reviewing the court’s decision to determine its impact on the city.”
It appears that some organization puts out these boilerplate ordinances to help cities collect fees. It might be a good idea if our City Attorney actually reviewed the templates for legality and constitutionality before rushing to get them in front of our rubber-stamp Council for approval.
Kootenai County Elections Canvass
The Kootenai County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), serving as the statutorily-defined county board of canvassers and the county clerk serving as their secretary, will meet Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. to canvass the election returns for all elections within the county precincts. This public meeting is scheduled to be held in the BOCC conference room on the third floor of the Main County Administration Building, 451 Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID.
So … who cares? The election is over. Isn’t the election canvass a mere formality, a rubber-stamp action? While that is how Coeur d’Alene’s mayor, city council, city attorney, and the former Kootenai County clerk treated it in the past, the canvass is an important part of the election.
November 15, 2011
Open Session, Tuesday
Nov 26, 2010
Remember the snow we had a year ago? I’m not ready for that again yet.
With all the election hubub, maybe we need an Open Session to air out the remaining bits and pieces. Or unnoticed issues. Or new questions & observations.
What’s on your mind?
November 12, 2011
Really, Sandi?
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In the November 10, 2011, Coeur d’Alene Press article headlined Election won’t sway mayor on McEuen, Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem was complaining that Dan Gookin and Steve Adams won because of partisan support in a supposedly non-partisan election.
Really, Sandi? (more…)
What Are They Trying to Do?
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It appears that Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa and his Chief Deputy Tim Hurst are intent on making it more difficult for Idaho’s county clerks to achieve and maintain the integrity of Idaho’s municipal elections. (more…)