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At Tuesday’s Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting, Councilman Deanna Goodlander interrupted Councilman Mike Kennedy during his motion to accept the Consent Calendar. Goodlander wanted an item pulled from the Consent Calendar supposedly to get some questions answered about delivery charges on a truck being purchased by the City’s Water Department.
There may be much more to this story, though.
The Council’s Consent Calendar usually consists of routine items that require little or no public discussion. The items are adopted by one motion to save time.
The truck purchase was item 6 on the Consent Calendar. Days before the meeting, each Councilman had received their packet of detailed information to study in preparation for the meeting. Included in this meeting’s packet was this Staff Report prepared by the Water Department to explain its purchase and recommend approval. The Staff Report was properly prepared and informative, and it simply recommended that the Council vote to accept the lowest bids for the trucks.
Having been properly recognized by the Mayor, Councilman Kennedy was well into reciting his motion to accept the Consent Calendar when he was interrupted by Councilman Goodlander. Without being recognized by the Mayor, Goodlander proceeded to offer a motion to remove item 6 (the truck purchase) from the Consent Calendar. At that point a competent presiding officer would have declared Goodlander to be out of order and would have instructed Councilman Kennedy to continue with his motion.
However, our Mayor is clueless about the duties of a presiding officer, so without recognizing Goodlander, the Mayor immediately called for a second to Goodlander’s motion. After receiving a second, she then called for discussion on Goodlander’s out-of-order motion. Goodlander then explained why she thought the lowest bid ought to be rejected in order to “buy local.”
Here is a five-minute YouTube video of that portion of the meeting.
At first glance, Goodlander’s motion appears to be reasonable. As one example of something she believes needs further examination, she asks if the lowest bid (awarded to a Mountain Home dealer) included delivery costs. The Staff Report linked above, however, states:
The State bid for the Dodge 3500 series cab/chassis with all applicable fees included was for $22,409.66 from Mountain Home Auto Ranch.
But the last sentence in the HISTORY section of the Staff report contains this very important statement:
None of the other local vendors was able to meet the lowest State Bid price which was for Dodge vehicles.
Note that the Mountain Home dealer had submitted the low bid on a Dodge vehicle. The Staff Report states that Lakecity [sic] Ford quoted an equivalent Ford F350 for $22,711.00 ($301.34 above the low bid), and Knudtsen Chevrolet quoted an equivalent 3500 series for $23,900 ($1490.34 above the low bid).
Although Councilman Goodlander didn’t specifically say which “local” product she wanted to buy, she did cite the price difference as $250-$300, which suggests her “buy local” favorite was the Lake City Ford product.
In analyzing Councilman Goodlander’s desire to “buy local,” it is worth examining her 2009 30-Day Post General Campaign Finance Report. Specifically, turn to page 3 of 3 of Schedule A – Itemized Donations. A portion of that page is reprinted here:
In particular note the $500 contribution to Goodlander’s campaign on 10/27/09 by Thomas E. Addis, 315 Clayton Avenue, CDA, ID. That is the business address listed by the Tom Addis Auto Center in its documents on file with the Secretary of State.
Note, too, the $500 contribution to Goodlander’s campaign on 11/02/09 by James S. Addis, 314 Clayton Avenue, CDA, ID. That is the business address listed by the Tom Addis Dodge, Inc., in its annual report to the Secretary of State. It is also the address listed for Lake City Ford as noted in its website.
The records clearly show that one or more principals in a major auto dealership in Coeur d’Alene were very significant campaign donors to Councilman Deanna Goodlander in her last re-election bid.
Readers can find more information in today’s Coeur d’Alene Press newspaper article headlined For a few dollars more.
Ah…Deanna is caught!
Comment by LTR — February 10, 2012 @ 2:11 pm
LTR,
They are ALL caught. They are just too arrogant to admit it.
Comment by concerned citizen — February 10, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
ROTFLMAO!
Comment by Pariah — February 10, 2012 @ 3:54 pm
Exellent work! I wonder why the crack investigative reporting staff of the local paper didn’t uncover it. Well, okay, not really. When I learned of this issue and the $250-$300 difference I wondered if the lowest bid price included delivery. If not I suppose there would be a plane trip to pick it up, employee wages, and gas. If it was not delivered, the additional expenses would make the local purchase dang near the equal equivalent.
Comment by Joe Six-Pack — February 10, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
Joe Six-Pack,
Thank you. The “with all applicable fees included” phrase is almost certainly the delivered price — at least if the bid solicitation and contract was properly written. If I were a prospective bidder, I would make sure questions like that were before I prepared my bid. It should have been in the bid solicitation so no one would get surprised. The bid solicitation should contain language such as “F.O.B. Destination,” indicating the seller pays all the costs and fees up until title transfers with acceptance by the buyer. But, this is Coeur d’Alene, so …
Comment by Bill — February 10, 2012 @ 5:51 pm
I checked with the City this morning: The Mountain Home price does include delivery.
Comment by Dan — February 10, 2012 @ 8:32 pm
As we have witnessed many times, these people are supremely confident in their tyranny and really do not care ‘who’ figures out ‘what’ regarding the networks of influence they have laid. Of course having both of the regions newspapers apparently cozied-up in your corner certainly abets this behavior.
Comment by Wallypog — February 11, 2012 @ 5:59 am
Dan,
Thank you for checking that.
Comment by Bill — February 11, 2012 @ 6:24 am
Wally,
Tyranny is a very strong word. Tyranny is also the right word to label the thugocracy that has controlled the City in the recent past. Ask Jim Brannon, who was hounded from his job for standing up to them. Ask Paula Laws who was hounded out of her job for the same reason. Go back to Steve Badraun who was hounded out of his livelihood and even out of his home. Mary Souza can tell you of many more.
And yes, the press is complicit, but so has been the law enforcement community and the judiciary and the elections department. It has been an ugly chapter in North Idaho history. It needs to be exposed, replaced and then prosecuted.
Prosecuted? Yes, if the evil bastiches who have committed these crimes are allowed to skate, they will keep trying. They represent serious money. Unless there is a real price to pay for their misfeasances and malfeasances, felonies and misdemeanors, they will be back and the reign of terror will continue.
Comment by justinian — February 11, 2012 @ 7:46 am
Deanna utters yet another moronic idea. Actually Deanna, I’ll go along with you as long as the city pays the lower price and you make up the difference from your own pocket. Is that brilliant or what!!!
Comment by rochereau — February 11, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
justinian, the only price that will end the arrogant hubris is defeat at the polls. I believe it is counterproductive to the aim of this site to call names and/or accuse (anyone) of committing felonies without very strong proof that would prevail in a court of law. When one goes to this extreme, it tends to cause others to ignore the poster completely. It also gives the opposition amunition that undermines the truth.
Comment by rochereau — February 11, 2012 @ 3:31 pm
Extremes? Sorry rochereau but having seen the illegal, nasty, vicious behavior of the thugs involved, what has been said here is neither extreme nor ill advised.
I do agree that a defeat at the polls is step one. Then a full, open and honest investigation. Then a profer to a Grand Jury and an indictment followed by a fair trial. The wound needs to be cauterized. Justice demands it.
Comment by justinian — February 11, 2012 @ 4:27 pm
I am not going to hold my breath waiting for the kc prosecutor to convene a grand jury to investigate gov’t corruption. Reason? Try holding your breath while laughing so hard you cry.
Comment by Joe Six-Pack — February 11, 2012 @ 10:15 pm
Joe Six-Pack,
Here’s another example of Councilmen Goodlander’s and Kennedy’s commitment to “buy local.” Teresa McHugh, the prosecutor’s wife, received a $100,000 contract for public art from the City of Coeur d’Alene in 2009, just shortly before her prosecuting attorney husband became entangled in the Coeur d’Alene election contest lawsuit between Councilman Kennedy and Jim Brannon. Goodlander is the Council Liaison to the Arts Commission, and Kennedy was on the review commission that selected the four finalists.
Keep laughing; try not to cry.
Comment by Bill — February 12, 2012 @ 8:03 am
They keep to their own plans and agendas, who cares about the simple legalities of how it should be done, if it follows the laws or rules of small government, it will be and has been abused for years, nothing but same ole good ole Boys and their personal agendas for strictly their own benefit.
Comment by nativetocda — February 17, 2012 @ 7:14 pm