Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

AM Hucks: “Concerned Taxpayers” Missed Details

First, you should know that ex-state Sen. Kathy Sims and sidekick Tom Macy of Post Falls are sticklers for the letter of the law. In years past, the two led an uphill battle that resulted in a ruling by the Idaho Supreme Court that Kootenai County's local-option tax was unconstitutional. Then the Legislature fixed the problem and county voters approved the half-cent local sales tax again. During the summer, Sims and Macy contacted the prosecutor's office, hinting darkly about a "criminal conspiracy" involving the way the city contributed money to the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Why am I telling you this? On Tuesday morning, Sims and Macy filed a financial disclosure statement with the secretary of state's office as reps of "Concerned Taxpayers of Kootenai County" for a color flier that hit Coeur d'Alene mailboxes last weekend. The flier made a number of claims, including that the city had spent $50,000 on downtown parties, "raised your taxes 3 % every year," and spent $9 million on John Stone's Riverstone development. The flier recommended: "Vote NO on Hassell, Reid, and Edinger: We can't trust them with our tax dollars." (Aside: Reid didn't seek re-election.) According to the disclosure report filed for Concerned Taxpayers political action committee, the flier cost $1,347 to print and $2,112 to mail. Concerned Taxpayers said it collected $3,500 from 156 individuals to pay for it. So, what's the problem with Sims and Macy here? They were supposed to file their campaign finance statement for a city election with City Clerk Susan Weathers. And they were required to file "an appointment of campaign treasurer" with the city clerk before they collected a dime. Simple stuff. The penalty for violation of this Idaho code is $50 per day. City Clerk Weathers has already turned the matter over to the legal department. Stay tuned



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.