Commissioner Crosses the Line and Should Be Censured
by Shari Dovale
Commissioner Steven Bradshaw is the Chairman of the Bonner County Board of Commissioners, and as such he has the authority to set the tone for the county. He is the example for which all employees of the county look to for their decorum and behavior towards the public.
You cannot hold any employee accountable for their poor customer service skills and behavior if you cannot hold their leadership to the same standards.
Chairman Steven Bradshaw has crept closer to the proverbial red line each week that he has attended, and chaired, an official regular business meeting. There are weeks that the stress of the meetings have obviously hit close to home for him, such as last week when he practically ran from the meeting before they had even finished the agenda.
But this week took the cake.
Steve Bradshaw is a pastor, and if he chooses to talk from the pulpit to his parishioners like this, it would be up to them if they accept that shameful behavior from him and continue attending that church. I know that I would not.
Bradshaw is married to a very nice lady. If he should speak to her the way he spoke to the people of the county then I would have to do some hard praying for her. I know many husbands would be out on their ears if they treated their wives this way.
This self-appointed pastor not only belittled the people of the county, speaking cuss words like “Sh*t” in the middle of a meeting, but he then told an elected official to “grow a pair” and violate the 1st amendment rights of a citizen.
This has nothing to do with whether or not I have heard these words before. I have heard worse during the years I spent around Naval personnel.
This has to do with respect for his coworkers, especially the two ladies that sit to either side of him. It has to do with respect for the other elected officials in the county. It has to do with respect for the people he is supposed to represent.
The primary directive of a public servant is to serve others.
Bradshaw has forgotten what public service is about. His job as Commissioner has the potential to affect every citizen in the area. At one time he wanted to make a positive difference to the people of this county. That can no longer be true. Certainly not by the behavior he has displayed since he has taken the leadership position on the Board.
Bradshaw deserves to be censured!
Public service is a public trust. Effective public servants must have a sense of duty that compels them to behave with integrity. Ethics demand that you put forth an honest effort and a semblance of decorum.
However, the people of Bonner County do not have this, and we deserve better.
I have heard that there is a growing hostility in the workplace since he has taken the leadership reins. It seems that it is not a nice place to work. This is the example set for all of the employees of the county.
Every person in this county, both employee and resident, deserves a public apology from Steven Bradshaw, and then he needs to step aside from the Chairmanship. He should step down from the job if the pressure is too great for him to remember basic manners.
The commissioners need to get back to the business of the county and stop this abusive behavior.
