My 2 Cents: The Shire is still safe

The Shire is still safe, despite what some may believe. The Shire, of course, is the mythical home of the Hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It’s a place of peace, tranquility, and, I imagine, beauty. I refer to Coeur d’Alene, at times, as The Shire. In my Shire, political orcs, goblins and worse are always trying to overthrow it. Politically, Coeur d’Alene is an island of center-right red in a sea of Far Right red. In the last four years, Coeur d’Alene voters have pushed back partisan attempts by the Reagan Republicans and others to load nonpartisan boards (School Board, city council and North Idaho College) with ultra-conservatives.

It wasn’t that long ago that the school board was entirely peopled with Hard Right representatives, elected and appointed. Two of the six City Council members were from that same ideological strain. Ditto for two of the five NIC board members. Additionally, two of the Legislative District 4 legislators were involved in the failed 2012 recall attempt against then Mayor Sandi Bloem and three City Council members. Now fast-forward to today.

Sure, it was disappointing that ill-humored NIC Trustee Todd Banducci won re-election. As did radical Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard. But consider the upgrade in the last four years in Coeur d’Alene. Balance has been restored to the school board. Residents voted out Steve Adams, the most ideological member of the council, in favor of Dan English, a former Democratic county clerk. Voters replaced Hard Right Rep. Kathy Sims with center-right Paul Amador. State Rep. Luke Malek easily won re-election despite opposition from the Hard Right including some county Republican Central Committee leaders.

As far as the NIC board goes, Banducci is now all on his own. He ran successfully four years ago as part of an informal ticket with Ron Nilson. Nilson, who moderated somewhat during his term, quit the board this summer. And was replaced by educator Brad Murray. Banducci will be under the microscope and isolated more than ever.

Coeur d’Alene, my Shire, is in fine shape, although I expect another attempt at an ideological coup against the school board and maybe the city council in 2017. Mayor Steve Widmeyer and three council members will face re-election. Individuals who want balance in those nonpartisan offices should be on the alert. But I also suspect that Coeur d’Alene will continue to support conservative pragmatics like Mayor Steve Widmyer and school Trustee Christa Hazel at the ballot box.

The Shire remains safe.