Transparency has been trumped again here in our Lake City. In a now common pattern of behavior, the City Council has tried to squelch questions and control the flow of information. Last week, they relegated me to a distinguished list of city volunteers who have been removed from their positions for asking too many questions. The mayor and council would like you to believe they are open and willing to have questions brought forward. But when legitimate concerns are raised, they grill the questioner about college credentials or wag a scolding finger at them. And if the advocate persists, they can expect personal attacks, fabricated allegations and embellished investigations/Mary Souza, Coeur d'Alene Press. Full column here.
DFO: Mary was part of an attempt by the right wing of the local Republican Party to make inroads into the local City Council. She slammed Mayor Sandi Bloem, the council and urban renewal efforts week after week in her Coeur d'Alene Press column. She got the comeuppance, which I predicted before the City Council elections, when the council dumped her from the P&Z commission on Mayor Bloem's birthday, Nov. 20. Now, she readily assumes the mantle of martyr to the cause of open government. No circumspection going on here.
D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.
here in our Lake City. In a now common pattern of behavior, the City Council has tried to squelch questions and control the flow of information. Last week, they relegated me to a distinguished list of city volunteers who have been removed from their positions for asking too many questions. The mayor and council would like you to believe they are open and willing to have questions brought forward. But when legitimate concerns are raised, they grill the questioner about college credentials or wag a scolding finger at them. And if the advocate persists, they can expect personal attacks, fabricated allegations and embellished investigations/Mary Souza, Coeur d'Alene Press. Full column here.
