Huckleberries: Commissioners’ fashion plate full at biz meeting

The three Kootenai County commissioners were styling earlier this week during their regular weekly business meeting, all wearing ties. Nah, they weren’t sporting Armani. Or anything like that. But they still looked “quite dapper,” according to a Huckleberries fashionista. Commish Rich Piazza wore a green shirt and matching tie. Commish Todd Tondee was chic in a maroon shirt with a maroon-and-white tie. Chairman Rick Currie opted for a black shirt with a red power tie. During the public comment period, County Clerk Dan English (aka Dan of the County by Huckleberries Online followers) commented on the trio’s “spiffy attire,” adding: “You would compete well against the mayor of Coeur d’Alene.” The county clerk, of course, was referring to the debate triggered by HBOer Dan Gookin when he observed that fashionable Mayor Sandi Bloem was “serious babage.” Remember? Dan emerged from a meeting about the Kroc Center with Her Sandiness and Councilman Mike Kennedy to observe: “The mayor was stunning.” As an individual who has watched City Hall for almost a quarter of a century, I’ve never heard “babage” or “stunning” applied to any Coeur d’Alene mayor. Then again, Her Sandiness remains the Lake City’s first femme mayor. Onward. Currie fielded the county clerk’s compliment seriously and responded: “We don’t want to compete.” As everyone filed out of the room, County Attorney Erika Grubbs had the final say on the matter, quipping that everyone should start referring to the commissioners as “babeishioners.” But not in e-mails.