In its Friday editorial, the Coeur d'Alene Press said the City Council made the right choice in choosing the low bid for its 10-year garbage contract:

We hope the Coeur d’Alene City Council will accept applause while we all hold our noses. There’s an unsavory scent from the recent and ripe garbage fight. On Tuesday night by a 5-1 vote, the Council accepted the low bid of Coeur d’Alene Garbage Service for trash pickup and single-stream recycling. The applause comes from many residents who appreciate the fact that the Council stood up to tremendous pressure and did what’s right. In this case, what’s right meant following the bid procedure precisely and going with the bid that was $6.5 million less than Waste Management’s bid over the course of the 10-year contract. That’s a Dumpster full of cash. The lobbying effort to pressure city officials for a do-over in the bid process seemed extraordinary until you stopped to consider those millions of dollars at stake. More here.