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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Our View: Still wrong

The Spokesman-Review

Bonner County residents should be careful not to be buffaloed by Bud Mueller’s rhetoric.

On the surface, Mueller sounds good when he discusses lower taxes, smaller government and increased spending for county roads. But the former commissioner has one of the worst political track records compiled by a local government official in North Idaho. Serving in tandem with another ultraconservative, the late Larry Allen, Mueller created havoc with the Bonner County Courthouse almost from the moment he was sworn into office in January 1997.

Within days, Mueller and Allen dismantled the county’s building department and fired the road superintendent and solid waste supervisor, leading to a lawsuit and ultimate settlement with 10 former employees and higher liability insurance premium that reportedly cost the county $270,000. Their actions also caused confusion over regulations in an unrelated case that led to an Idaho Supreme Court challenge. Such was the chaos during those years that Bonner County was singled out by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an example of anti-government extremism.

Now, Mueller, five years removed from power, is seeking the commissioner spot held by capable incumbent Marcia L. Phillips. He was a bad fit in the courthouse a decade ago when Bonner County was beginning to emerge nationally as one of the best small communities in the nation to live and to raise families. He’s a worse fit now that commissioners are facing complicated issues such as rapid growth and increased property valuations. County Republicans overwhelmingly opposed Mueller’s bid for re-election in the 2000 primary. They should reject him again as he faces Phillips and county appraiser Lance D. Lane.

Mueller held office during one of the darkest periods in Bonner County history.

The gunfight at nearby Ruby Ridge that made Randy Weaver’s name synonymous with right-wing extremism was still on people’s minds. Neo-Nazi sympathizers and far-right militias were seeking a toehold in and near the county. Vincent Bertollini and Carl Story were marketing their version of the Christian Identity movement in Sandpoint and supporting Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler in nearby Hayden Lake. The knee-jerk conservatism brought to the courthouse when Mueller and Allen snared two of the three commissioner seats added to the county’s image as a haven for extremism.

Among Mueller’s finer moments was his decision to play politics with the lives of Bonner County deputies. In one instance, he told then Sheriff Chip Roos that he would support a grant request to buy bulletproof vests only if the deputies would drop a lawsuit against the county over law enforcement funding levels. At another time, he told Roos he would back his proposed marine patrol budget if he fired a center marine sergeant. During his time in office, he was also contemptuous of planning and zoning, which he decreed “terrible” and chased everyone away.

To his credit, Allen eventually softened his ultraconservatism, attracting Mueller’s enmity and opposition in Allen’s unsuccessful bid for re-election.

Bonner County should follow Allen’s example and break with Mueller, once and for all.