At the Coeur d'Alene City Council meeting Tuesday night, RecallCDA organizer Frank Orzell of Coeur d'Alene, pictured, said (according to the rough draft of City Clerk Susan Weathers' minutes) “… that he had received complaints of intimidation.  John Montandon, 6269 E. French Gulch Rd., commented that he allowed the recall group to use his parking lot and as a result he received calls from clients stating that they were going to stop doing business at his store and believes that this is a form of intimidation.  Mayor Bloem noted that this is a very personal time for her and the Council being recalled and their families.  She respects the right for citizens to shop where they want, but she does not condone any threatening or intimidation.” Stop the Recall organizer Jennifer Drake commented later that she and other members of her group have been intimidated, too. She reportedly turned to Montandon in the audience and apologized to him for feeling intimidated for anything that was happening.

• You can read Susan Weathers' rough draft of the council meeting here.
• You can read the prepared statement made by Stop the Recall organizer Jennifer Drake here.

Thoughts?

Item: Recall drive hits 3,700: Group needs 4,311 valid signatures from voters/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: RecallCdA said Monday it has about 3,700 petition signatures seeking the ouster of four Coeur d'Alene officials. The group needs 4,311 valid signatures from registered Coeur d'Alene voters to issue a recall election against Mayor Sandi Bloem and council members Mike Kennedy, Deanna Goodlander and Woody McEvers — all of whom supported moving forward with the McEuen Field redevelopment project.

Thoughts?

Family of Mayor Sandi Bloem closed a pair of accounts at Sherman Hardware this week, after the store's owner allowed recall supporters to seek signatures to oust the mayor and three city council members. The decision was a personal one, family members said, and not part of an orchestrated retaliation against store owner John Montandon. Montandon, who has owned the hardware store at 1010 Sherman Ave. for 24 years, said he has been “dodging bullets” from upset citizens after he let RecallCdA supporters — the group organizing the petition drive - use his parking lot to gather signatures. “And I think I've got hit several times,” Montandon said Wednesday. He said he has received between 15 and 25 phone calls from upset people since petitioners started using his lot on Sunday/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (Photo: State Sen. Kathy Sims in Sherman Hardware lot earlier this week)

The divide widened this week after some downtown business owners who display “Decline to Sign” signs at their stores began receiving a postcard addressed to them, mocking their stance. The postcard, mailed from Spokane without a sender's name, calls the store owners “servants to the glorious Visionaries!”

Thoughts?

recaller recording

Original story: Hayes asks (for) recaller recording investigation

RecallCdA organizer Frank Orzell confirmed Thursday the recall petitioner secretly recorded giving inaccurate information in an attempt to solicit a signature works for his organization. Orzell said he spoke to the petitioner — whose first name was withheld from the online story but is known by The Press — about not using misinformation in the future. “We do an extensive training program,” Orzell said of the petitioners, most of whom are volunteers but some are paid. “He did not intentionally” use wrong information, Orzell said. The recording was provided to The Press Tuesday, and posted online with a short story Wednesday. The approximately three minute recorded conversation between a man and the petitioner could not be authenticated because neither camp would go on the record Wednesday, but Orzell said Thursday the conversation did happen/Tom “Pitbull” Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Do you think charges should be filed for giving false information to obtain signatures?

recaller caught misstating facts?

Update 2: “The Press knows the identity of the individual who recorded the conversation, and we know the first name of the petitioner. Recall CdA organizer Frank Orzell did not deny or confirm that they have a petitioner by that name when Tom Hasslinger asked him about it.”

Update: Kootenai County Clerk Cliff Hayes just told The Press he would like to see a legal investigation of the recording. Hayes said he will ask Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo to have the department open an investigation.

A recording of an apparent recall petitioner soliciting signatures reveals that the petitioner used wrong information while attempting to get at least one person to sign. The recording turned over to The Press Tuesday took place on Tubbs Hill around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the person who provided the tape. The person who recorded the conversation via cell phone did not want his name in the story, but the recording tracks several minutes of apparent conversation between him and another male apparently trying to gather signatures on a recall petition seeking a recall election against four Coeur d’Alene officials/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Specific fibs:

• Spending $40 million to renovate the park
• 18% property tax increase
• Denied a vote six times
• Get to elect a new mayor and council in November
• Redoing all the trails on Tubbs Hill and make it more commercialized

Question: Cliff?

The leader of an effort to recall Coeur d’Alene’s mayor and half of the City Council characterized his differences with the council as an ideological dispute over their vision for Coeur d’Alene, including how much public money should be spent on downtown improvement. “There’s an inordinate focus on downtown business interests…There’s a feeling that downtown is getting more than its share of attention,” said Frank Orzell, a retired management consultant who is leading the recall effort. A $14.2 million makeover planned for McEuen Field – a popular green space on Lake Coeur d’Alene – was simply the latest controversy in a growing discontent with city leadership, Orzell said. “McEuen Field coalesced a lot of people into taking action,” he said. “They started clamoring for recall”/Becky Kramer, SR. More here.

DFO: If you're keeping score at home, this is the 7th recall post today. Sawwy.

Question: As their a clamor for recall citywide, or simply in the circles in which Orzell runs?

Jennifer Drake, right, and Michael Sheneman hold signs with opposite opinions during a Recall CdA rally on Wednesday at City Hall in Coeur d'Alene. Residents turned out for the rally to express their discontent with the city leaderships decision to move forward with a park plan that will cost millions of dollars without seeking public input with a vote. (AP Photo/Coeur d'Alene Press, Jerome A. Pollos)

DFO: Hat Tip to Jerome Pollos of the Coeur d'Alene Press for capturing the two sides of the Coeur d'Alene recall fight — and I don't mean just the opposing sides. Jerome also sized up the demographics well.

Thoughts?

Item: Second time's the charm: Petitions certified to begin recall effort; mayor, city council supporters gather/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: The petitions to begin a recall effort against three Coeur d'Alene City Council members and the mayor were certified Thursday, leaving the citizen group spearheading the campaign 75 days to collect 4,311 signatures. The deadline to collect enough signatures from registered city voters to get a recall election on the Nov. 6 ballot for Mayor Sandi Bloem and council members Mike Kennedy, Woody McEvers and Deanna Goodlander is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 19.

DFO: I attended the meeting of about 40 individuals opposed to this loony recall effort last evening at the Fort Ground Grill, including former state Lt. Gov. Jack Riggs, NIC trustee chairman Nic Armon, and representatives from the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. It's mentioned briefly in the Press story. Too briefly. We'll be discussing what was said there throughout the day. There will be organized opposition to this insane attempt to oust Mayor Sandi Bloem and the better half of the City Council.

• Question: What do you think of the recall announcement today?
• Sandi Bloem: We were informed earlier so I wasn't surprised. I've been hearing rumors for several months. They have the right to do that.
• Question: What do you plan to do at this point?
• Bloem: I plan to do just what I would be doing whether the petition had been filed or not. I will continue working with the staff and the community to hopefully make this a great place to live.
• Question: Are you disheartened that a recall effort is under way not only against you but three fairly respected members of the council?
• Bloem: I'm disappointed because this is divisive for the community. For me personally, I would be very selfish if I was disappointed in the 11 years I've been able to serve this community. It has been an incredible opportunity and I would do it again in a heart beat.
• Question: Do you think that Frank Orzell & Co, who filed the recall papers today, speak for the community?
• Bloem: They speak for a portion of the community. They have surrounded themselves with others who think like they do. I'm sure they don't speak for the community as a whole. No one does that.
• Question: Would you do anything differently re: your approach to McEuen Field upgrade?
• Bloem: No, not as far as hiring the amazing team we have (Team McEuen) and the approach of the advisory group and community meetings. I would change the way the message was delivered to some degree. I would try to communicate what was happening before untruths and rumors took the lead.
• Question: Will this recall effort cause qualified people in the community to take a pass on public elected office?
• Bloem: I think it will play a part in stopping people from running. The lack of civility at times & lack of respect for differing opinions, along with this effort, will make people think twice before they decide to put their name in the hat.

Huckleberries has names of 20 individuals who signed paperwork to launch recall against Mayor Sandi Bloem and Councilmen Woody McEvers, Deanna Goodlander and Mike Kennedy. They are: Frank Orzell, Robert Hough, Kenneth Stuver (hard to read printed name) Craig Shaw, Phil Mott, Jacqueline Mayo, Kenneth Mayo, William E. “Dusty” Rhoads, Terri Seymour, Gary Ingram, Julie Clark, Jacqueline A. Wright, William Wright, Linda MacNeil, Bruce MacNeil, Keith J. Reila (hard to read printed name), J. Marvin Lekstrum, James E. Doty, Susan Snedaker and Kathleen Sims. You can read recall petition paperwork here.

Question: Any names on this list surprise you?

Item: Recall roll call: Foes of McEuen plan need 4,311 signatures/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: A group of Coeur d'Alene citizens is launching a recall drive against the council members who have supported the McEuen Field conceptual plan. The group, RecallCdA, will seek enough signatures from registered voters to recall council members Mike Kennedy, Woody McEvers, Deanna Goodlander and Mayor Sandi Bloem. … Orzell said he will deliver 20 signatures, the amount required to begin each recall petition, to the City Clerk's office at 10 this morning.

Question: What are you going to say when you encounter one of the petition gatherers for this recall election?

A group of Coeur d’Alene citizens is organizing a petition to recall the council members who have voted in support of the McEuen Field conceptual plan. The group, called ReCallCdA, will seek enough signatures from registered voters to recall council members Mike Kennedy, Woody McEvers, Deanna Goodlander and Mayor Sandi Bloem. Frank Orzell, an organizer of the group, spoke to The Press this afternoon about the group's effort. A press release Orzell delivered states the incumbents have “failed to represent the voice of the community in their excessive spending of taxpayer monies. Included in the list of examples being cited by voters across the city are the approval of a $39 million plan for McEuen Park, excessive salaries for city employees and a growing list of other projects…” Orzell said he will deliver 20 signatures, the amount required to begin a recall petition drive, to the City Clerk’s Office tomorrow at 10 a.m./Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Will you support a recall effort against Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem and three city council members?

Christie Wood: I understand Pachyderm was lively on Friday. I hear that Jeff Ward was the speaker and he declared that Deanna Goodlander and I are Rhino’s (RINOs). We are both office holders in non-partisian positions so his comments seem silly. You may remember I called upon Jeff a few months ago to correct a false statement he made about me in his newsletter. He claimed I attempted to connect the RR’s to the Aryan’s and was behind the PO Box comments. Wrong person but that did not impress Jeff. He decided I am worthy of his criticism anyway and decided not to make any corrections. Anyway…I have always been clear I am a moderate who chooses to work with all elected officials (Democrats too! Oh My!) and constituents, and will not feed from his purity trough. What a complete waste of valuable time.

Question: I contend that the worst “RINOs” in this area are the ones from the Far Right who are using the umbrella of the Republican Party to push the local party into Constutionalist/Libertarian/Birch water. What do you think?

Deanna Goodlander: Just visiting with my neighbor who was shoveling my driveway and he commented that he had a never seen such a gving community. He moved here this summer from Las Vegas and he said you would never see this in Las Vegas. He certainly fits in as he was not only shoveling my driveway, but also shoveled several blocks of the neighborhood sidewalks. People here are willing to help in hard times.

Question: Do you agree with Deanna that Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls/North Idaho residents are big-hearted?

• re: Huckleberries hears Reagan Republicans selling “Corrupt d'Alene” bumperstickers

Deanna Goodlander: Since the Reagan Republicans in their infinite wisdom choose to call my City, and by inference myself, Mayor and other Council members and City Staff, corrupt, I thought that I would look up the meaning of the word. Corrupt - dictionary.com. guilty of dishonest practice, as bribery…..lacking integrity, crooked, debased in charactor, depraved, wicked evil. How do you react to such name calling? The people I know and work with do not resemble those words in any way. We are simply trying to do our jobs the best way we know how. Others may disagree with our decisions, but does that give them the right to use such words against us? More below.

Question: In a later comment post Reagan Republicans board member Dan Gookin said he would insist that the RR's remove the stickers from its booth. Will one of you check today to see if they have?

Deanna Goodlander: The facts are, that FEMA who are the flood insurance folks have told the Core of Engineers who oversee levees that they must more stringently clear levees in order to make them less inclined to fail. After Katrina and more recently the Mississipi River levee failures they are getting more strict. If we fail to act, the entire fort grounds area will have increased rates and the insurance will not cover the full cost of replacement or repairs. With millions of dollars worth of private property, as well as, the college and wastewater plant the costs and risks will be astronomical. Fortunately even if we have to cut trees they will only be on the slope and the ones on the level can stay. More below.

• Previous: Coeur d'Alene subcommittee recommends cutting trees on Dike Road

Reaction?

Item: Mini-megaloads may enter CdA: Massive cargo would be routed onto I-90/Chelsea Bannach, SR

More Info: “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve seen large loads similar to that go through here before,” said Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander. “These aren’t the huge loads that are going through Highway 12.” Imperial Oil, a Canadian affiliate of ExxonMobil, is cutting the loads down in height in Lewiston so they can travel on U.S. Highway 95 through Moscow and Coeur d’Alene, onto Interstate 90, into Montana, and eventually to Canada.

Question: Do you support oil refineries using H95 & I-90 to move their mini-megaloads to Billings, Mont.?

Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander: “I think that every member of the Council who voted yes to move forward with a (McEuen Field) master plan, expect to see some changes. I think also that it took courage and conviction that we were doing the right thing for the future. We studied hard, we listened to the “fors” and “against”. We also know that those who are up for election will have strong opposition based on their vote, I admire them for doing what they believe was right irregardless of the consequenses. It wasn’t easy.” Full comment here.

DFO: Al Hassell is 99% sure he won't run again. John Bruning will. And Ron Edinger (who pleased many in the crowd Tuesday w/his opposition to McEuen Field changes) is a mebbe due to health problems this spring.

Question: Which non-incumbents are most likely to run for City Council, besides Dan Gookin and Steve Adams?

Deanna Goodlander: I disagree with Ron on the public vote. this is a planning process, not written in stone, and frankly I am a little disapointed that Ron would make such a big deal about being left off the planning group. I also asked to a be a part of that group, since my father was so involved in the group that saved McEuen from becoming a shopping plaza. I remember him going to meetings and working on plans. In fact I have one of the original drawings that shows a stage on Tubbs Hill for concerts and events. We all have our responsibilites to the Council and liason to different departments. Mine is Library and Arts Commission and Building department. I know Ron has streets and fire and police. John Bruning is Park and Rec. It was appropriate since he was liason that he be part of the group.

Question: Do you believe most Coeur d'Alene residents want some change for McEuen Field?

Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander: This morning I had a non-resident attack me, holding the Press and pointing at the headline stating that it was unconscionable and arrogant to not put McEuen to the vote. He was so angry, he was literally shaking. Another person who moved here last year from California and is a resident also stated that it needed to be put to a vote and that is why she left California because taxes were too high and she didn't have a say. There was no discussion, just threats. This is the opening shot for next year's Council elections and I suspect that the article was prompted by the reporters close connections to some of those who plan to run.

Question: Would you want to be a public official and put up with the threats and anger that goes with the job?