2 Cents: Charlie Should Let It Go

I’d let it go, if I were Charlie Nipp. Charlie, of course, was the focus of an attorney general’s investigation brought about by a private citizen or group of citizens with a beef against the Lake City Development Corp. State Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, was the willing conduit to press for the investigation. In the end, the AG’s office ruled that it found no criminal wrongdoing re: the complaint that Charlie had a serious conflict of interest in his former role as LCDC chairman. Now, Charlie is pressing to find out who sicced the AG dogs on him. Coeur d’Alene’s native son has a sterling reputation as a self-made man and community servant. Last week, Leadership Coeur d’Alene added to those intangible credentials by bestowing its community service award upon Charlie. Charlie should take comfort that the award was greeted by a standing ovation of some 200 in the Upbeat Breakfast crowd — a true measure of appreciation this community has for his selfless service. By pressing for a name or names behind the AG’s investigation, Charlie keeps the issue alive and gives the opposition Coeur d’Alene Press fodder for front-page headlines and antagonistic editorials.