Huckleberries: Clapping is a right in CdA, stomping a privilege

Contrary to what you may have heard, Sandi Bloem doesn’t have a no-clap rule for her council meetings. Her Sandiness was accused by detractor Mary Souza of not allowing applause during her three terms as Coeur d’Alene mayor. Souza, who operates the anti-Bloem administration website, OpenCDA.com, asked her readers – both of them – what they thought about the rule after noting that residents of Peekskill, N.Y., are upset about their mayor’s new no-clap policy. Only Mary’s wrong. Mayor Bloem told Huckleberries that she has no such rule. However, she does insist at “emotionally charged” meetings that the audience refrain from clapping, stomping its feet, and other outbursts. Quoth Sandi: “It distracts from what the council is trying to hear.” Increasingly, angry Coeur d’Alene adults have become a problem at public meetings. At a recent Coeur d’Alene School Board meeting to discuss district enrichment programs, one audience member repeatedly exclaimed: “That’s (bovine excrement).” An older couple known for outbursts and talking over speakers performed their best re-enactment of the old cranky guys in the Muppets’ balcony, Waldorf and Statler. Mebbe city and school officials should hand out Metamucil prior to contentious meetings.

Huckleberries

Realtor Tom Torgerson Facebooked last week: “If I don’t get a haircut soon I will be forced to buy a Camaro and move to Bonners Ferry!” … There was a reason for that confusion Thursday morning on Seltice Way/Post Falls – the radar cart announced the speed limit was 45 mph when the actual limit for the stretch was 25 mph … Joe Jaszewski challenged the euphemism “harvested” that HucksOnline used to tweet Idaho hunters had killed 30 wolves in the opening weeks of the season. Wonder what word the wolves would suggest? … Hat Tip – to S-R colleague Betsy Russell whose Eye On Boise political blog was selected by Boise Weekly readers as the Best Local Blog in the Kingdom of Ada … Your Huckleberry Hound got choked up at 11 a.m. Wednesday when a Post Falls dispatcher put out a last call for Rathdrum police officer Johnny Franco, who was killed in a motorcycle crash near Cusick recently. She repeated: “Post Falls 4012, Post Falls 4012, Post Falls 4012 … Post Falls 4012 out of service … gone but never forgotten” … A pleasant surprise awaited Coeur d’Alene’s Jamie Lynn Morgan in a grocery checkout line last week: “I swear the shaved-head, tattoo-covered guy in front of me at Super 1 smelled like a Strawberry Shortcake doll!”

Parting shot

In the “Spokane’s loss is Coeur d’Alene’s gain” Department: Seems the national Constitution Party had planned to stage its fall confab in Spokane next Friday and Saturday. But Spokane CPs suggested “that going across the state line” to the Coeur d’Alene Resort would be better. This, according to a CP news release. Not only will national CPs stay in a class hotel on viewtiful Lake Coeur d’Alene, but they also could join the loopy protest by Kootenai County CPs against that public art-on-loan statue of India idol Ganesha in downtown Coeur d’Alene. It’ll give the Constipationalists something to do besides railing against federal government.