Candidate Sues County Over Waste Dump Site

An independent candidate for Bonner County Commissioner has filed a tort claim against the county that accuses his incumbent opponent Dale Van Stone of a conflict of interest and fraud.

Craig Mooney of Hope, Idaho, is demanding $250,000 and a new hearing on the Denton Slough waste transfer station.

Mooney has opposed the proposed dump site in part because he maintains that Van Stone could personally benefit from placing the transfer station there.

The county is looking at another location for the controversial site because of opposition from residents and the Kalispel Tribe. Both the tribe and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game have expressed an interest in purchasing the Denton Slough site.

Mooney alleges that Van Stone, with the help of county engineer Tim Elsea, has tried to coerce the public into accepting the Denton Slough dump site. Mooney believes that Van Stone would use the county property to access adjacent property that Van Stone owns.

Van Stone denies those claims.

“It’s misinformation and outright lies,” Van Stone said. “I don’t think he has any documentation to back it up. It’s a frivolous suit.”

The commissioners have delayed the project for nearly four years in an attempt to satisfy critics and find a new site, Van Stone said. “We could have approved it and it might have been the end of it.”