The quest for power at public expense continues in Bonner County. Commissioners Steven Bradshaw and Luke Omodt continue to show a lack of respect for the public, with Bradshaw calling public comment “debauchery and foolishness.” As reported by Shari Dovale of Redoubt News, these Commissioners are betraying the public, manipulating the situation, and making a mockery of the entire process of running a county.
By way of example, three Commissioner meetings occurred in Bonner County last week. The first was an official business meeting on Tuesday, March 21, where the Commissioners accepted a resolution from the Republican Central Committee and voted to put the question of where to put an RV park on the May ballot for an advisory vote.
The building of an RV park has been a contentious issue in Bonner County as of late, as Bradshaw, Chair of the Bonner County Commissioners, seems to have unilaterally decided that an RV park needs to be built on land long discussed to be associated with plans for expanding a legal complex near the county sheriff’s building. Both the public and the sheriff have openly opposed this move, but Bradshaw has been digging in his heels, saying he’s in charge and only he has authority.
After accepting the Central Committee’s resolution to put the matter to a vote, the Commissioners decided to hold a workshop to determine the language for the ballot measure. That “workshop” occurred two days later, where Omodt moved to delay the vote by informing everyone that he had already required the Fair Board to do a parking lot study of their grounds.
That move was unexpected and raised concerns, but then Bradshaw said he would vote for the RV park to be placed on existing fairgrounds property, removing it from the “contentious” land at the sheriff’s complex. This was odd, as Bradshaw has appeared to be the driving force for building an RV park on the sheriff’s complex.
In a 180-turn from his previous position, Bradshaw said, “Whatever it takes to get the project going. Move it to another spot on the fairgrounds, that’s fine. I don’t care.”
But then Omodt said that at the next public meeting, the public should not be allowed any comment. Bradshaw quickly agreed, saying public comment at their meetings was “debauchery and foolishness.”
The second meeting ended with an agreement to have a third meeting at which they would vote to put the RV campground on existing fairground land, and then have yet another meeting to discuss details with the fair board – but again, the public would not be allowed to comment.
Dovale’s covering of the Bonner County Commissioner meetings show that these two Commissioners have no respect for the public, that they are manipulating the situation, and making a mockery of the entire situation.
A comprehensive account of what occurred last week with the Bonner County Commissioners written by Shari Dovale at Redoubt News can be found here. Many additional articles on the Bonner County Commissioners can also be found at Redoubt News.
