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Remember the Coeur d’Alene Press editorial on Sunday, April 15, 2012? It was titled “All eyes on recall“, and it contained this pledge: “Our purpose today is not to pick sides in this fight but to define some Opinion page rules as the recall effort proceeds. And No. 1 is, facts rule – yes, even when it comes to opinions.”
Take a look at this letter to the editor in today’s Press. The letter’s inflammatory headline says it all: RECALL: Clear example of fraud. Except the headline as well as the information in the letter are both factually inaccurate.
An examination of the County’s Rejected Petition Signature Report for each of the four officials has only Bloem’s showing registered qualified elector ODENTHAL, KRISTIN apparently rejected as a petition signer. The reason in the report was Address Invalid. ODENTHAL, KRISTIN does not appear in the Rejected Petition Signature Report for Goodlander, Kennedy, or McEvers.
Because the County’s Rejected Petition Signature Report is based on information from the officials’ petitions, I examined the online scans of the Bloem petitions returned to the City by the County and did not find any of the petitions were signed with the name Kristin Odenthal. However, there were four petitions (see pages B-204, G-204, K-204, and M-204) signed with the name Kecia Odenthal, and all four of them were rejected as invalid. None of the County’s Rejected Petition Signature Reports for the four officials reflect rejection of any petitions signed by Kecia Odenthal. Follow this link for a graphic summary representation of this information.
So to summarize, I can find no evidence that the name “Kristin Odenthal” ever appeared on the recall petitions as Kristin Odenthal asserted in her letter, nor can I find any evidence that anyone fraudulently signed the name “Kristin Odenthal” on the petitions as Kristin Odenthal asserted in her letter.
Other than ignoring those obvious and easily verifiable facts, Press Publisher Jim Thompson and Editor Mike Patrick were right on the money when they cleared Kristin Odenthal’s letter to be published.
ADDENDUM 07-02-2012 at 07:27: Excerpt from IdahoVotes.gov
Bill – it’s the media in all of it’s wisdom and most likely it will never change because – “This is Idaho.”
It took someone like yourself to investigate the incorrect information or most likely, most of us would have swallowed it as fact. One more reason I prefer to read sites that are not considered “mainstream” – you get more of the story.
I have some stuff over on my site from your favorite reporter! 😉 You might find it interesting, if you are not already aware.
Comment by Stebbijo — July 1, 2012 @ 12:00 pm
Stebbijo,
Thanks. I practically burned out my eyeballs looking at every signature on every one of the Bloemster’s petitions, and Kecia was the only Odenthal I found there. To be completely thorough, I could have looked at every signature on all the others’ petitions as well, but that would have been just too much.
One of the other laugh lines from the April editorial was also, “Our purpose today is not to pick sides in this fight…” Yet Press Publisher Jim Thompson is on the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors which, of course, came out early and often against the recall.
I had to laugh at the composition of the Technology Committee. Judging from the list, I’d expect to see a resurgence of the vacuum tube industry. Why do I get the distinct impression that some favored contractors for equipment will soon be receiving a lot of Idaho money for outdated ideas and equipment?
Comment by Bill — July 1, 2012 @ 12:23 pm