ARPA Funds being Gifted to CommissionMEN Friends?
CALL TO ACTION
by Shari Dovale
The ongoing drama in Bonner County, brought about by the 2 CommissionMEN and their friend the Deputy Clerk, continues.
Business Operations Manager/Deputy Clerk, Jessi Webster Reinbold, has said that she wishes to terminate her employment with the county, but wants $72,000 payment to do so.
Comrade Chairman Luke Omodt and the Swearing Pastor Steve Bradshaw, have voted to give Reinbold this money as a “Litigation prevention’ payment.
Reinbold has filed no lawsuit. She has filed no tort claim. No notice of representation has been filed on her behalf. Additionally, as of this writing, we are told that she has not yet submitted her resignation.
Nothing.
Yet Comrade Omodt and the Swearing Pastor agreed with Reinbold that her claims that Commissioner Asia Williams was rude or unkind was worth $72,000.
Yes, that is the claim. Reinbold whined that Williams was unkind to staff, therefore she (Reinbold) deserves a full years salary as compensation for this behavior.
Let me tell you, if rudeness is enough for litigation, let me dig out my recordings of Reinbold being rude to me and others that she disagrees with politically.
Two separate external and independent investigations have found that there was no bad behavior on the part of Commissioner Williams. On the contrary, it was found that these accusations were all based on the political differences between Reinbold, the 2 lame duck CommissionMEN, and their political supporters, against Commissioner Williams and the conservatives that support her.
This is just Liberal Lawfare. We have seen this tactic used repeatedly in the 2 years that Comrade Omodt has been in office. He and the Swearing Pastor Bradshaw seem to have made it their highest priority to disparage Williams and conservatives in the county.
Where do they want to get the funds to pay Reinbold?
The only way they can is through the interest being paid on ARPA funds that have come to the county. This was also stated to be where they intend to get the funds.
There are rules and requirements on this money. I have not found anywhere that these ARPA funds are authorized to pay political friends to leave their job.
Additionally, the prior board adopted Green book, and the Green book sets standards for internal controls as well.
There are rules! Everything must be reported. The treasurer will be asked if all of this is acceptable according to law.
Let’s not forget that the legal department for the county advised the Commissioners to reject this payment to Reinbold.
Both of these CommissionMen have lost their positions in the county and are leaving. They seem to be attempting to set a precedent of allowing every county employee to demand a years salary to leave their job, and they need only claim that someone was rude to them.
CALL TO ACTION
We are asking the County Prosecutor, the County Sheriff and the State Attorney General to initiate an investigation into what appears to be the misappropriation of public funds.
The gifting of public funds is always illegal, and this has all the appearance of being just that.
Please add your requests to them. The more they receive, they better chance that this will be resolved quickly.
Here is contact info that might be helpful to you:
Attorney General:
Raul Labrador <AGLabrador@ag.idaho.gov >
County Admin Bldg
1500 Highway 2
Sandpoint, ID 83864
Phone: 208-255-3630
Prosecutor:
Louis Marshall <louis.marshall@bonnercoid.gov>
Sheriff:
Daryl Wheeler <daryl.wheeler@bonnercountyid.gov>
Treasurer:
Clorrisa Koster <clorrisa.koster@bonnercountyid.gov>
