A Rhino, a Cowboy, and a County Commissioner
A rhino, a cowboy, and a county commissioner walk into a bar.
The cowboy hides behind a lawyer and disappears into the backroom as usual.
The rhino goes on center stage and tries to karaoke the National Anthem.
The county commissioner is the only who recognizes the people.
There may be a punchline in the future, but this is no joke.
If you haven’t attended or watched the new Bonner County Board of Commissioners in action, you need to. If you thought we would never experience tyranny in our county, you really need to. As I watched the Youtube videos, I could almost hear circus music in the background. It is an embarrassment.
Chairman Bradshaw thinks it is good to be the king, but comes off more like the court jester. He has been on the board for four years and still cannot figure out how to run a meeting and has made it clear he wants to continue the past practices of abusing executive sessions and using county attorneys as his decision-making crutch. To top that off, he repeatedly makes disparaging remarks toward another commissioner during the meeting. There is an obvious weakness of leadership.
Mr. Omodt likes to remind everyone that he is just plain better than the rest of us as he talks down to people like they were children. Maybe he can work on some humility, but unfortunately the “do you know who I am” attitude has gotten worse since the time he won the primary. So many times he preens his ego with conservative buzzwords, but his actions are inconsistent with the talk. In fact, if you make note, you will see he makes proclamations to puff out his chest, but he later contradicts them.
Commissioner Williams seems to be the only one who truly wants to represent the people. She wants to have open discussions, fights for transparency, and is willing to listen to feedback and ideas. She is also willing to call out the misconduct of the board.
You can imagine the two work together like a pushmi-pullyu, and vote as one for their own interests. There appears they have a standing rule not to second any motion put forth by Williams, therefore the motion dies with no discussion.
Heaven help this county get through the next two years when we will elect two new commissioners. Meanwhile, the people need to stay vigilant – submit records requests, attend meetings, ask questions, and spread the word.
Theresa Parker
Sandpoint
Related: Bradshaw Blocking Public Input in Bonner County
