No Spirit: Town Council Quits Continuing Tumult In Town Politics Leads To Three Resignations

Most of the Spirit Lake City Council resigned abruptly Tuesday night, citing crank calls and other harassment from city critics.

“I firmly believe that evil exists because good people do nothing,” councilman Rod Erickson wrote in his resignation letter. “WAKE UP SPIRIT LAKE!”

Erickson, Ed Hanna and Tina Spadt all stepped down within two hours of each other. With only Mayor Bob Knapp and councilman Jeff Brown still in office, Tuesday’s council meeting was canceled.

The resignations left in limbo councilman-elect Don Stout. He was to be sworn in at the meeting.

“If I’d known this was going to be such a mess, I wouldn’t have even run for this job,” Stout said Wednesday. “I don’t need this bickering. I’m a heart transplant patient and I was advised I shouldn’t even be on this (council).”

After consulting with state officials, Stout decided he’d better take matters into his own hands. Magistrate Barry Watson will swear him in this morning at the Kootenai County Courthouse.

Gov. Phil Batt is expected to appoint one other council member, leaving it to the council to fill the final seat. Erickson, whose seat Stout will fill, resigned hours before his term ended.

The governor typically names new council members within a few days, said Terry Ottens of the Association of Idaho Cities. In Spirit Lake’s case, however, it may be difficult to find people willing to serve, she said.

Spirit Lake residents have been battling for two months over the council’s firing of Police Chief Jeff Alexander. The chief’s supporters picketed City Hall and called for the council’s ouster.

Last weekend, they photographed council members at the mayor’s home. Knapp, furious, denied there were secret meetings.

City critics say they’ve been followed by police and cursed and threatened by council members.

The chaos prompted Kootenai County Sheriff Pierce Clegg to keep deputies near Spirit Lake Tuesday night, in case things got out of hand during the meeting.

In their resignation letters, the council members said they were tired of abuse.

“Due to harassment, being threatened, and prank phone calls, I feel it necessary, for my own and my family’s well-being and safety, that I tender my resignation at this time,” wrote Spadt.

“Somebody left a bullet on the front of Ed’s car,” said city clerk Barbara Brown.

Erickson wrote that he feared Tuesday’s council meeting would degrade into “a free-for-all or a turkey shoot.”

“City business can’t be conducted in this environment,” he wrote.

Sandy Faubion, who heads the opposition Citizens for Honest Government, denied the group harasses the council.

“If somebody has done that, which I find difficult to believe, I can guarantee you it isn’t anybody from our group,” she said. “We’re for honest government; we’re not for harassment.”

, DataTimes