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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Letter: Thanks For Expense, Brannon

In a letter to the editor of the Coeur d'Alene Press, Lou Soumas of Coeur d'Alene writes in part: "In these fiscally tight times it is prudent to examine the cost of (Jim Brannon's) litigation. I estimate defendants legal cost will be, county -- $30,000, city -- $40,000 and Kennedy -- $50,000. The city and county get their money from us, the taxpayers; their costs are our costs. I would hope that before this is over Councilman Kennedy's cost will be borne by our city. If not, what does this say to anyone seeking public office in Coeur d'Alene, 'Proceed at your own risk and expense?' This case will cost the taxpayers at least $120,000. Thank you, Mr. Brannon, for helping keep my taxes low." More here.

Question: How much do you think Jim Brannon's lawsuit will cost the taxpayers (via legal expenses to Kootenai County, the city of Coeur d'Alene, and Councilman Mike Kennedy, who's now footing his own bills)?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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