Arthur Bistline
Bistline
Office sought: Sandpoint City Council
Occupation: Attorney
Family: parents, Steve and Sharon (Mooney) Bistline; wife, Amy Bistline, father-in-law, Dick Curtis; mother-in-law, Dana Curtis
Website: Bistlinelaw.com
I have a monthly radio show where I talk about common sense everyday law that people should know to live in society. On that show, I discuss a lot of things, but I have suggested more than once that people should take all their negative energy they waste on things going on in DC and get involved locally where they can make more of a difference than just voting. So I decided I should put my money where my mouth is. I also have a few things I am interested in like work force housing, our embarrassing streets and making sure the council does not make it unreasonably hard for business people to do business. And I was born here and love it more than any other place on the planet.
26 years of civil litigation has created an ability to help people find middle ground between them and resolve their disputes. My temperament is ideal for building consensus among people. I am very open to any idea. I may make you justify what you are saying, but I will listen and very often change my opinion. This is a very important quality for people running government. So often they get a bone and just won't drop it no matter what.
I have litigated against Cities, counties, the State, and the federal government. All related to over reaching by the governmental agency. I think this will help me make sure that the City is not being unreasonable when dealing with private property rights.
- Work Force housing. You cannot prosper without business and you cannot have business without employees and no-one can afford to live here and be an employee.
The Idaho Department of Transportation and the railroads need to work with Sandpoint to minimize their impact on our lifestyles.
The streets and the sidewalks need to be addressed.
These are what I see now, but in office, this may change. I know the sewage treatment plant needs to be addressed, but that is likely going to have to take a regional effort.
- Work Force housing. Public private partnership to get some built and then slowly get the City repaid from the businesses that use it. Also should maybe be a county wide common effort.
The IDOT has created a very dangerous situation on Fifth Avenue and needs to change the lights on the corner of fifth and cedar. The RR needs to start thinking about under passes on Boyer and maybe a couple other places. All crossings should be no horn crossings.
The city has to stop making private citizens replace sidewalks when they build or remodel. That is totally unconstitutional. Sidewalks are a public amenity to be paid for with taxes, not illegal fees against individual land owner.
As for the streets, first I need to figure out what that problem is. Money or what.
Inform everyone that I will hold office hours at my office in town twice a month for anyone. I would then start talking to whoever about our traffic flow plan and meet with the work force housing task force.
Cannot really think of anything. We all seem to be on the same page about this stuff.
That I listen and I will be available. That I will be involved and not just sit back and wait for the city staff to come up with ideas. I will protect the private property rights of our citizens, while keeping an eye on the impacts of what people are proposing to do with their property.
A city has no direction except to provide efficient services to its citizens. Not much else they can do. Growth will occur and it cannot be stopped, just managed and we have plenty of other small towns that went through what we are now to learn from.
Not sure.
Workforce housing
Public private partnership. First get an idea of our needs to determine the scope of what we are doing. Do this by taking surveys from all businesses with employees. Then build it fast with a plan to get the City paid back. Involving all the governmental entities in Bonner Co also makes sense.
Office hours. That way we can talk, and not just them talk and the council listen.