Commissioners vote to revisit rules regarding public comment
November 4, 2026
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at the Nov. 3 business meeting to revisit Bonner County Revised Code Title 1 Chapter 2 to consider striking limitations on public comment contained therein.
The issue, brought forward by frequent meeting attendee Dave Bowman, focused on the prohibition of “derogatory” comments and the requirement that attendees state their name and county of residence before speaking.
Commissioner Asia Williams added the item to the agenda following comments made by Chair Ron Korn at the Oct. 27 meeting, during which he read aloud from BCRC 1-201, stating, “The chair will not entertain under any circumstance comments derogatory in nature toward any board member, staff member, elected official or member of the public.”
When presenting the item, Bowman called the word “derogatory” “subjective,” warning that it opens the county to litigation and citing the 1964 Supreme Court ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. The unanimous ruling established that the “Constitution accords citizens and press an unconditional freedom to criticize official conduct.”
BOCC commissioners (L to R): Brian Domke, Asia Williams and Ron Korn. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell
Bowman has long criticized the BOCC’s rules regarding public comment. In 2024, he settled a $200,000 lawsuit against the county for “illegal and unlawful treatment” after then-BOCC Chair Luke Omodt trespassed him and performed a citizen’s arrest for alleged “disruptive and disorderly behavior.”
Bowman further asked that the BOCC add language to BCRC 1-201 stating that public speakers should only supply their name and county of residence “should they choose to.”
“A public speaker is a public speaker, and you have no way to verify if somebody says they live in Bonner County or they don’t unless you happen to know them personally, and it’s protected information,” said Bowman.
Williams, a longtime proponent of public comment, made the motion to revisit and potentially revise the BCRC language.
“I [have been] a recipient of a crappy public comment for years, and I can sit here and tell you, I fought for the public to have their right to criticize me openly, and I think that that is important,” said Williams. “I don’t think you can say you support transparency and free speech if we start saying, ‘If you say something nasty about me, I’m going to shut it down in this meeting.’”
Commissioner Brian Domke seconded the motion and asked to consult with legal counsel going forward, though he questioned whether they should strike the rule that the public must state residency status.
“Stating one’s citizenship and residence does seem appropriate to me because we have constitutionally protected rights to air grievances to our elected representatives, but those are granted to us as citizens of the United States of America and to the state in which we reside, not just to anyone,” said Domke.
The commissioners voted unanimously to discuss the matter with legal counsel and bring any revisions forward for a vote at a yet-to-be-determined date.
Want to support independent local journalism?
The Sandpoint Reader is our town's local, independent weekly newspaper. "Independent" means that the Reader is locally owned and operated by people who were born and raised in Sandpoint. The Reader is owned by Publisher Ben Olson, Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone and Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell. Sandpoint Reader LLC is a completely independent business unit; no big newspaper group or corporate conglomerate or billionaire owner dictates our editorial policy. And we want the news, opinion and lifestyle stories we report to be freely available to all interested readers - so unlike many other newspapers and media websites, we have NO PAYWALL on our website. The Reader relies wholly on the support of our valued advertisers, as well as readers who voluntarily contribute. Want to ensure that local, independent journalism survives in our town? You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
TIMBER WARS: Six-part series, February-November 2022. GO READ IT»
WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?: Five-part series, September-October 2021. GO READ IT»
THE AMERICAN REDOUBT: Seven-part series, November-December 2017. GO READ IT»
STANDOFF AT RUBY RIDGE: 25 Years Later. Five-part series, August-September 2017. GO READ IT»
Curious about what media the locals use? Check our 2018 Local Media Survey. GO SEE »
Sandpoint in Pictures
Filmmaker Jimmy Matlosz of the Idaho Film Company has made a series of mini documentaries about influential Sandpoint locals, including the late Dann Hall and Erik Daarstad as well as icons Diane Michaels and Dan Shook. He is currently working on a series of interviews connected to the history of the Panida Theater. Jimmy is a 30-year veteran filmmaker who's work can be seen at dpmatlosz.com.
Meet the Reader
Ever wonder who makes the Reader happen? Here's a behind-the-scenes look pieced together by summer 2017 intern McCalee Cain in which Ben, Cameron and Lyndsie explain what exactly about the Reader keeps them coming back to their shabby (but well-loved) office each week.
