Huckleberries: Clapping Is CdA Right

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. … 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)”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

Other SR weekend columns:

• Hearings got his bearings, even without a lighthouse /Doug Clark
• Warning: This column contains dramatic errata, etc /Jim Kershner
• Slice: That pat on the helmit happily accepted /Paul Turner
• Idaho Redistricting Commission to meet in CdA /Betsy Russell
• Otto Zehm case demands Spokane’s focus /Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Frequently made mistake /Gary Crooks
• Outdoors: New maps help hunters zero in /Rich Landers

Question: Why are people so angry in the Coeur d’Alene area?