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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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And This Is How They Took Over

I usually don't say much about lousy voter turnouts. They're the rule rather than the exception. And they mean that my vote counts that much more. But 8% county wide? Now, that's appalling. And it's also the way that Tea Party hardliners have succeeded in giving this county the worst legislators in the state. I don't hold out much hope that the (mis)representation will end in Districts 2 and 3. District 3 (northern Kootenai County), the home of controversial former legislator Phil Hart, seems content with Tea Party legislators. Maybe District 3 (Post Falls area), is, too. But Coeur d'Alene is a different story. Our City Council (with 2 exceptions) and School Board are now peopled with moderate to center-right office holders. The overthrow of the School Board by conservative hardliners in 2011-13 is a thing of the past. Voters have renounced the hardliners in the last two school board elections and the 2013 municipal election. However, the district is represented in the Legislature by two women who were ringleaders in the divisive, failed recall attempt against then mayor Sandi Bloem and three council members -- Sen. Mary Souza and Rep. Kathy Sims. Souza and Sims were able to use the closed GOPrimary and/or the R after their name in the 2014 general election to win legislative races. In last year's closed and depressed GOPrimary, Rep. Luke Malek, the only sensible legislator in Kootenai County, barely held off a challenge from a Tea Party newcomer. Coeur d'Alene is too amazing as a city to be represented by Souza and Sims. However, the lack of interest from the general population, as shown in yesterday's election and the 2014 GOPrimary, provides them a chance to survive the 2016 GOPrimary and continue to misrepresent our viewtiful community. Coeur d'Alene is too good for this kind of representation/DFO>



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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