Huckleberries was asked moments ago whether Councilman Ron Edinger has taken a stand re: recall. He has. Sorta. He doesn't like it. But didn't come right out and say he was against the recall. This is what was printed in Coeur d'Alene Press last week. Edinger said “he's disappointed in the depth of disagreement leading to a recall attempt but doesn't regret bringing the McEuen Field debate to meetings repeatedly. 'I'm very disappointed this is happening in Coeur d'Alene,” he said. “This council and I have worked together on many issues, agreeing and disagreeing. McEuen is a very polarizing issue and many in our community, I think, feel strongly about this. This has caused a definite split in our community.'” Full story here.

Question: Will Edinger's legacy be affected by his seemingly neutral stand on the recall?

Arsaken: To recall the Mayor and Council means that this group wants to take away our right to vote. They are attempting to invalidate my past vote for Mayor Bloem and these three councilmen. In addition, if the recall is successful, then Gookin, Adams, and Edinger get to select their personal choice as Mayor and Council, thus taking away our choice to vote. The idea of Mayor Souza (someone who ran for office and could not get elected) is enough to make me spend every waking hour trying to stop them.

DFO: I just talked to City Clerk Susan Weathers (who had discussed this with Coeur d'Alene legal counsel) about the progression should Mayor Sandi Bloem & 3 council members be recalled. Gov. Butch Otter would appoint a fourth City Council member to create a quorum w/Steve Adams, Dan Gookin and Ron Edinger. The new quorum would then appoint the mayor. Could be someone inside or outside the council. The mayor would then nominate individuals to fill the two remaining City Council seats. A council with only three voter-approved members would continue to hold office until the 2013 municipal election.

Question: Would you want Councilman Ron Edinger, Steve Adams and Dan Gookin to fill vacancies for the mayor and two council positions, if the recall is successful?

OrangeTV: I’m also curious what Gookin’s thoughts are on this recall effort. He’s been suspiciously silent on the issue. Could it be that once he got into his position of city councilman he came to realize that the city council wasn’t all the smoke-and-mirrors, backroom dealing shadiness that he had been harping about for so long and that his co-council members are just normal people following due process and not the conspiracy laden bunch of folks he once imagined?

DFO: I also want to know where Steve Adams and his new best buddy, Ron Edinger, stand on this issue. It's one thing to disagree with other members of the City Council on a major issue — and quite another to support a recall attempt or remain mum while colleagues are trashed.

Question (for non-targetted half of the City Council): Where do you stand on this recall bid?

A boat launch without trailer parking attached to it isn't much of a boat launch, according to a pair of City Council members. City Council members Steve Adams and Ron Edinger (pictured) want to revisit the McEuen Field conceptual plan by directing its designers, Team McEuen, to include the current boat trailer parking lot at the Third Street marina. It doesn't make sense to keep the boat launch and not the adjoining parking lot, they said. “In the spirit of compromise, I think that's fair,” Adams said Monday. The topic will go before the City Council next week after Adams and Edinger requested it be placed on next week's agenda during Monday's General Services Committee meeting/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Should parking for the Third Street boat launch remain adjacent to the docks?

The Coeur d'Alene City Council's 4-3 vote against Councilman Ron Edinger's motion for an advisory vote on the proposed McEuen Field changes reminds me of another tie-breaker decided by the mayor, more than 26 years ago. In fall 1985. Only that time Edinger was on the side fighting an advisory vote. At issue that time was the call for an advisory vote on Duane Hagadone's controversial proposal to return hydroplane races to Lake Coeur d'Alene. Hagadone threatened that he would pull the proposal before he would allow it to be put on the ballot. The council was split down the middle — with Steve McCrea, Jim Michaud, and Bob Brown for the vote and Edinger, Dixie Reid, and one other (whom I can't recall) against. Edinger was wearing a pro-hydroplane button. I was in my first year of reporting on local government. Before the meeting, then Mayor Jim Fromm told me he planned to vote for the advisory vote. Based on that statement, I submitted my story that the motion for an advisory vote had passed 4-3 with Fromm casting the tiebreaker — 15 minutes before the council voted, to meet my deadline. And then crossed my fingers that Fromm was good for his word. He was. And that's why I'm still earning my supper with the SR rather than being fired that night for guessing on the outcome of a front-page story. (BTW, the matter was placed on the ballot and the public overwhelmingly rejected the hydroplanes) — DFO.

A controversial plan to redesign McEuen Park won’t be put to a public vote, the Coeur d’Alene City Council decided Tuesday night. The City Council voted 4-3 not to hold an advisory vote on the plan, following two hours of passionate testimony from citizens on the plan to redesign the popular green space on the city’s waterfront. Mayor Sandi Bloem cast the tie-breaking vote. “I don’t think that good planning can take place in a public vote,” she said. The redesign is still a work in progress, Bloem said. Council members Deanna Goodlander, Mike Kennedy and Woody McEvers joined Bloem in voting against the public advisory vote. Council members Ron Edinger, Steve Adams and Dan Gookin favored an advisory vote/Becky Kramer, SR. More here.

• Bloem says compromise needed as McEuen plan moves forward/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press

Question: Any surprises here?

Time for a vote one way or the other. The Coeur d'Alene City Council will consider whether to put the conceptual plan for the McEuen Field redesign project out to a public advisory vote at 6 tonight.  The agenda item, scheduled under old business, was requested by City Councilman Ron Edinger. Edinger requested a handful of times in 2011 that the multi-million park proposal be put in the hands of the voters to gauge the public's support on the project before any of the proposed changes are put in. It never received a second in 2011, so the council members never had to vote up or down on the idea. New city council members Dan Gookin and Steve Adams, who earned their seats after the November election, have said they plan to second Edinger's motion this time around, so that should change tonight/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: I believe the City Council will vote 4-3, with Mayor Sandi Bloem casting the tie-breaker, to oppose a public vote on McEuen Field. What do you think?

Councilman Ron Edinger now has two seconds to an expected motion at the Coeur d'Alene City Council meeting to put proposed changes to McEuen Field to a discussion and vote Jan. 17. I suspect that the vote will be 4-3 against an advisory vote with the council splitting Edinger/Gookin/Adams in favor and Kennedy/McEvers/Goodlander against — with Mayor Sandi Bloem breaking the time. I'm not sure that would be the end of the matter either. I can see the motion coming up again and again. I'd rather see the council find areas in which they can compromise re: changes to McEuen Field than see this issue continue to split the community. Two things are obvious. A McEuen Field upgrade is supported by most residents. But the size and expense of the Team McEuen proposal adopted by the council is opposed by a solid minority if not a majority of the town. Maybe it's time to consider keeping the boat launch, moving the American Legion field, and putting parking on the other side of Sherman Avenue. Or at least something different from the plan now in play — DFO.

Question: Would you rather see the City Council reach a compromise on McEuen Field? Or do you want the slim majority of the new council to push ahead with plans for a pricey overhaul?

Councilman Ron Edinger's motion will receive a second. Then whether the McEuen Field project should be put to a public advisory vote will be up for the City Council to decide Tuesday, Jan. 17, the first full meeting for new councilmen and vote-supporters Dan Gookin and Steve Adams. Councilman Ron Edinger's motion will receive a second. Then whether the McEuen Field project should be put to a public advisory vote will be up for the City Council to decide Tuesday, Jan. 17, the first full meeting for new councilmen and vote-supporters Dan Gookin and Steve Adams. With the election of Adams and Gookin, who were seated Tuesday, that's expected to change/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Do you expect a 4-3 vote against Councilman Ron Edinger's motion when he gets a second (from either Gookin or Adams), with Mayor Sandi Bloem casting the tie-breaker?

Mike Kennedy: “I had talked with Ron about running for Council President two years ago. He said he wanted another term so I didn’t put my name in for it then. After this recently concluded election we talked again and I expressed interest and he told me he had already decided he was not going to run again for Council President. I think McEuen played a small role in his thinking as he expressed it to me, in that Ron’s feeling is that the Council President should do his or her best to be supportive of the Mayor, at least on the “big issues”. On McEuen he wasn’t in agreement with the Mayor, and so it wasn’t a major issue for him to not seek the position again. I respect his position on that, and he voted for me last night. So in short, Ron did not seek the position again, and I was interested. Deanna Goodlander made the motion to nominate me and Woody seconded it, both of which I appreciated.”

Question: Does being council president put a bigger/lesser target on Councilman MikeK's back re: individuals who are hell-bent on beating him in two years?

Item: Cd'A mulls personnel rule changes: Family members of mayor, city council could not be hired/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: The city of Coeur d'Alene wants to add language in its personnel rules spelling out mayor or city council family members can't be hired as employees. The change, one of four proposed amendments to employee rules, is the Idaho statute the city said it inadvertently violated when it hired City Council President Ron Edinger's three grandchildren as seasonal workers. The three grandchildren were fired earlier this year after city officials said the rule was pointed out to them.”It's about time,” Edinger said Monday on adding the language. “I think it should be known, and I think all department heads should know about it.”

Question: Do you care whether or not the city of Coeur d'Alene adds language to statues to make it clear that the city can't hire family members of the mayor or council?

Adam Graves: “Does anyone else read the support ads by candidates that list names of supporters? Edinger’s Sunday ad listed Ozzy Osborn. Anyone know if there’s someone in cda with the same name as the bat biting rocker??”

DFO: Yeah, yeah, I know, singer Ozzy Osbourne spells his name differently. But I'll play along.

Question: Do you read candidate support ads in the newspaper to see which or your friends and acquaintances support a particular candidate?

When Ron Edinger began serving on the Coeur d’Alene City Council, Adam Graves had not entered the world. Now the two – the 75-year-old with 40 years of incumbency and the 37-year-old businessman determined to modernize the city – are facing off for council seat 1. The race has been cast both as a battle over the future of McEuen Field and as one of looking to the future rather than being mired in the past. “I’ve got a vision for the future. I think Ron is stuck on preserving history and the past,” said Graves, co-founder of a Coeur d’Alene marketing and branding company and a board member of the city’s Downtown Association. “That’s been shown in his thinking on the McEuen Field projects.” Edinger sees it differently/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.

Question: How does this race look to you as it enters the final week of the campaign?

Item: Nepotism rules slip under city's radar: Two grandkids said they were related to city council president on application for city jobs/Tom Hasslinger, Press

More Info: Two of the three grandchildren of a Coeur d'Alene councilman who were fired as city seasonal workers because of nepotism rules stated on their applications that they were related to the council member. The city's Human Resources Department said two of the applicants specified they were the grandchildren of City Council President Ron Edinger on their applications, which asked whether they were related to any city employees.

Question: Does this disclosure affect your view of the employment and later firing of Councilman Ron Edinger's three grandchildren?

• RE: Geezers: Term wins no votes, friends

OrangeTV: Graves vs Edinger was pretty wild. Graves was respectful, thoughtful and eloquent and I agreed with basically everything he had to say. Edinger on the other hand, true to character, was a grumpy old fart - he just couldn’t let the “75 year old geezer” thing go and he came across as rude and enormously condescending the way he asked Graves “Why are you running for MY seat?!?” He could have asked any number of questions that would have contributed to the discussion in a meaningful way but instead he made it all about him. It was like Grandpa was an hour past nap time and was getting grumpy and rummy. I do have a lot of respect for his time serving the city, but I do think it’s time for him to step aside and make way for some freshness.

Question: How much of a factor for you is 75YO Ron Edinger's age in the 2011 City Council elections?

Coeur d'Alene City Council candidate Adam Graves is upset that he won't be allowed to use his iPad at the televised CDATV candidates forum Wednesday afternoon. He wrote this letter to City Clerk Susan Weathers, who had advised him of the change: “You are going to force me to use outdated technology (notes and print outs like some 75 year old politician). Wow, this is exactly what is wrong with government. What year is it again? Do you expect me to run the city the same way once elected — “level the playing field” to what the lowest and oldest common denominator? Give me a break.  If this is the city's stance then I propose NOTHING should be allowed to be brought by anyone. Information is information. Period. Otherwise I am being singled out personally for utilizing a new and better information source which is not as harmful to our environment.” The Coeur d'Alene debates will be taped at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Coeur d'Alene Library Community Room.

Question: Does Adam have a good point?

Local public safety unions have endorsed three men running for the Coeur d'Alene City Council this fall — former legislator George Sayler, and incumbents John Bruning and Ron Edinger. A billboard supporting Sayler and Bruning is currently standing at Northwest Boulevard & Lakewood (by Lake City Senior Center). The billboard is sponsored by Coeur d'Alene firefighters, Coeur d'Alene police officers, and the Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff's Association. HucksOnline hears that Edinger asked not to be on the billboard because he didn't want to appear to be running on a ticket with Bruning & Sayler. HucksOnline hears the billboard is viewed by some as a lucky charm, since it was used by Mayor Sandi Bloem and NIC Trustee Judy Meyer during their election runs.

DFO: Can someone snap a photo of the billboard for HucksOnline?

Coeur d’Alene City Council candidate Adam Graves said Thursday that his opponent’s claim that Graves is “out to get his family” is “pure political posturing in pursuit of the sympathy vote.” Graves is challenging 40-plus-year incumbent Ron Edinger, who said Wednesday that “individuals” were attacking his family because they had no issue with which to discredit him. City Attorney Mike Gridley said Wednesday that following Graves’ inquiry about Edinger’s daughter’s city employment, he investigated further and discovered three of Edinger’s grandsons had been hired by the city in violation of state nepotism laws. The grandsons’ employment subsequently was terminated last week. The daughter’s job is grandfathered in under the 1990 nepotism law/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.

• Also: Edinger spoke about job rule: Family hire conflict re-surfacing topic; discussed in 2000/David Cole, Coeur d'Alene Press

Question: Should there be an Idaho law that prevents family members of mayors and city councilmen from working for their cities?

On his campaign blog site, Coeur d'Alene City Council candidate Dan Gookin spotlights the current dustup involving nepotism charges against Councilman Ron Edinger. Gookin criticizes city officials rather than Edinger for the problem. Gookin isn't running for Edinger's seat: “This episode with Mr. Edinger isn’t about him as much as it’s about the failure of City staff to do their jobs. There’s also a responsibility for follow-through by the City Council to provide oversight and accountability. The article mentions city employees who apparently were supposed to know and follow the law: City Attorney Mike Gridley (next year’s salary $125,000) and Chief Administrator Wendy Gabriel ($123,000). The article should have also included the City’s Human Resource director, Pam MacDonald ($112,000). I would assume, based on their high level of pay ($360,000), and the continuing praises lavished upon staff by the incumbent council, that these City employees are all doing a super job. Apparently not.” More here.

Question: Who is most to blame for the problem? Edinger? Bloem administration? Other?

On June 17, 2000, then SR CdA bureau reporter Winston Ross (pictured) wrote a story about the impact of a conflict-of-interest law re: Idaho cities hiring relatives of mayors of city council members. Here's part of that report: “In Coeur d'Alene, Councilman Ron Edinger's daughter works for the city Parks Department. Paula Austin was hired 10 years ago, long after her father began a 30-year stint as a councilman and mayor. When asked about the conflict, Austin put a reporter on hold, never returned to the telephone, and then didn't answer subsequent calls. Edinger could be off the hook in this case, however. It's unclear what the nepotism laws were before 1990, when the current statute was enacted. `'When (Austin) was hired, I had nothing to do with that,' Edinger said. 'I didn't even know she applied. The fellow in charge of parks and rec at the time didn't know she was my daughter.' City Attorney Jeff Jones wouldn't comment on Edinger's situation, claiming it would violate attorney-client privilege.” More here.

Back story:

• Ron Edinger: Didn't know the law/Alison Boggs, SR
• Challenger Graves: Didn't know about Edinger's grandkids/HucksOnline
• Coeur d'Alene Councilman Edinger addresses nepotism issue/HucksOnline

Question: What did they know, and when did they know it?