County wants to wear down site's opponents

The letter sent by Solid Waste Director Leslie Marshall to landowners who live near the “Green Owl” collection site is a fascinating exercise in cheesy political manipulation.

By the letter’s own admission, after pressing the public to cast “votes” in a cryptic “most in favor to least in favor” quasi-referendum, the letter says “the overall result was residents do not want a site that impacts homes.”And so in response to this simple and unambiguous consensus from the public, who only cast these so-called “votes” at the county’s urging, Leslie Marshall now calls for another round of phony “input gathering” from the same people who already voted earlier — I guess she didn’t like the outcome of the first vote, did she? How many “votes” will it take until they get the result they want? Anyone taking bets?

Since it’s clear (by her own admission) that nobody wants a site that is near homes, why doesn’t she just get busy doing her job, and find a site that ISN’T near homes? Isn’t there plenty of open land around here??And do you really need a “citizens’ committee” to do this? Everyone who lives in the area already attended your first meeting, and you already know what they think!

Like the “Buffalo Jump” meetings, this is no doubt another exercise in “wearing them down;” if you have enough meetings, and keep changing the rules often enough, and play people against each other deftly enough (a Joe Young specialty), good decent people get tired of your duplicity and double-talk, and just give up. What a pathetic excuse for public service.So now the county will hand-pick the people on the committee, and stack the deck in their favor, again. Get your tickets, folks! Another round of ham-handed amateur politics is about to begin …

ROD STAFFORD

Priest River