“Citizen” asks, “Looks like Jai Nelson is throwing her hat in the ring and is running against Rick Curry for commissioner. She believes the rural community is under represented. All our commissioners live in urban settings. Does anyone have any opinions on the subject?”
Here’s the link to this morning’s Press article about Jai’s announcement.
I hope the people living CdA recognize that they live in the county as a whole. It would be a comfort to the rural people if the city people cared about our attempts to preserve our way of life and protect the scenic beauty of the area.
Comment by citizen — January 23, 2010 @ 4:51 pm
Gee, looks like the CdA people on this blog have no interest in the rural area. Right? Wrong?
Comment by citizen — January 24, 2010 @ 4:39 pm
Citizen, I’m interested in County issues, after all, as you say, we’re ALL in Kootenai County. Honestly, I think that CdA, NIC & LCDC antics have been so outrageous that many people have been riveted to this more centralized location. But the actions of the County Commissioners affect us all, and our pocketbooks.
As a former city Planning and Zoning Commissioner, I can attest to the importance of Comp Plans and land use ordinances (laws). The ordinances were the reason I ran for city council back in 2005. They had not been updated, some for 20 years, yet growth was rampant and verging on out-of-control.
Switch now to the County, and the situation is similar. The Comp Plan is being updated but it’s a fairly radical rewrite. It’s much more directive and detailed than previous versions and down-zones property in certain areas. But it protects our rural areas against incompatible development that has been pounding at the door for some time. The current economic dip is a great time to get the Comp Plan finalized before the suitors come knocking at the door again.
There are two sides to all of these issues and this is a good forum for discussion. No one else is touching it.
Comment by mary — January 25, 2010 @ 8:37 am
I congratulate Jai on her announcement and I’m very glad she’s running. She’s bright, articulate, informed and highly capable. There’s also another good person ready to announce for that seat, so it will be a tough choice since either of them would be great. As we go forward, it will be important to see where each of them stand on the issues, so we can all make an informed decision.
Comment by mary — January 25, 2010 @ 8:42 am
Mary, thanks for your comments. It worries me that several of the commissioners are dragging their heels on completing the Comp Plan. I fear it may be political and that the plan may not be completed and approved until after the primaries.
Comment by citizen — January 25, 2010 @ 5:18 pm
You may be right, citzen, but I hope the commissioners will move this through, listen to people and make the necessary decisions before the primaries. If they wait, then they’d have to wait until after the November elections, which would be ridiculous.
Let’s stop playing politics, listen to the public, make the best decisions possible and explain openly why those decisions were made.
Comment by mary — January 25, 2010 @ 5:27 pm
Mary, I appreciate reading your thoughts.
Comment by citizen — January 25, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
She has a first rate website. http://www.jainelson.com/ For those who remember, she came withing 15 votes of winning the election day vote (excluding absentee ballots, where she trailed.) Rick Currie only got 36% in a three way race. OpenCda covered her two years ago here. http://opencda.com/?p=325
Comment by Spencer — January 26, 2010 @ 11:19 am
Nice web site for Jai Nelson, thanks for the link Spencer. And thanks for reminding us about the previous election. The question of a County Administrator is still front and center, along with the Comp Plan.
Comment by mary — January 26, 2010 @ 12:18 pm
Hopefully this county commissioners’ race will include a discussion of the effect LCDC has on the increased tax burden in the whole county! The commissioners acknowledge the problem but do little to lobby against the abuses.
Comment by citizen — January 27, 2010 @ 7:39 am
I went to school with Jai Nelson and think she would be a great Kootenai County Commissioner. She would definately, represent the whole county. I hope it’s not a three way race like last time; running against Curry, because I think that tends to favor the incumbent. We need fresh ideas in our local gov’t IMO.
Comment by kageman — January 27, 2010 @ 10:14 am