We Will Not Be Silenced
by Kathy Rose
As we celebrate our independence from an oppressive government, remember We the People. In an act of tyranny, Commissioner Bradshaw has chosen to deny public comment. There are other ways to be heard and have your questions answered.
- Continue to attend BOCC meetings, use Zoom or watch on Youtube. Get more people to attend or watch.
- Submit public records requests. You can find the county’s form for public records requests here: https://evogov.s3.amazonaws.com/media/136/media/60344.pdf
- Keep your request narrow in scope and specific. Wording is important as it can leave a loop hole for a denial. The spirit of the law is that you should receive your documents within 3 days if they are readily available such as approved minutes of a meeting. Many times the 10 day extension is implemented for requests that require review by legal or if research time is needed to find the items.
- I suggest you include wording such as “not to exceed 100 pages or 2 hours without requestor’s approval”.
- You have the option to examine records for 2 hours.
- Email the request to veronica.dixon@bonnercountyid.gov and if it is related to the commissioners, you might include jessi.reibold@bonnercounty.id.gov
- Budget hearings happen in July/August. The public rarely attends. This needs to change and people need to be there to watch the process.
- Letters to the editor in the local papers and online media. The Bee allows you 250 words and the Reader is up to 300 words. Redoubt News has no limit. Use these forums, especially if you have information worth sharing that you received from your public records request.
- Record the meetings yourself.
- Share videos and information on social media.
- Continue to support Commissioner Williams.
- Pray for our county.
If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments.
