Voters Oust The Mayor In Tensed Controversial Figure Had Completed Half A Term

Ed Dohrman, Tensed’s colorful and controversial mayor, is out of a job.

Residents of the farm town of 90 people about 45 miles south of Coeur d’Alene voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to yank Dohrman out of office halfway through his four-year term.

“The town made a stand, saying they have pride,” said City Councilman Gary Seaton. “He was just too rude and too impolite for a town that’s pretty nice.”

The vote tally was 43 to recall the mayor, 16 to keep him.

On Tuesday night, the mayor and his supporters parked themselves at the Circle H Saloon, owned by Councilman Lyle Hendrickx, the mayor’s sole supporter on the council.

Repeated attempts to get the mayor to the tavern phone were unsuccessful.

“This is his wife,” said a woman who came to the phone. “What are the results?”

When told, she hung up.

Dohrman’s critics were upset at his profanity, often directed at council members or constituents during public meetings. The mayor said he was just using colorful language.

Residents also objected to Dohrman’s treatment of the city’s part-time clerk. Nearly a third of the town signed a petition demanding that he apologize to the clerk for yelling at her. Dohrman rudely told the residents what to do with their petition.

At an April meeting, he ordered citizens to turn off their tape recorders. The ensuing fracas ended with the mayor cursing at Seaton and one woman threatening to slap another.

In June, Dohrman acknowledged that he sawed through a city padlock to get into files. His critics called it “Tensed-gate.”

In response to the criticism, Dohrman issued a rambling statement on city letterhead, quoting General George Patton.

“We just looked at each other and said ‘This guy’s representing us?”’ said Jeanette Rose, who drafted the recall petition.

She and the other critics said they were relieved. They want Tensed to go back to living up to its billing on the city billboard: “A Quiet Place to Settle.”

“We’ll go back to the way council meetings are supposed to be,” Rose said. “Not a three-ring circus.”

“I think we’ll grow closer as a community,” said Councilwoman Carol Zarate.

Seaton said he wants the city to get on to regular business, like writing the budget, applying for grants, testing the water and putting the T back up on the Tensed City Hall. The city also needs to hire a new city clerk and attorney, both of whom resigned because of the controversy.

“People take their small-town leadership for granted,” Seaton said. “Now the town will look at their candidates a lot harder.”

, DataTimes