County to take up anti-mandate resolution Oct. 22

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Staff

Nearly two months after it was introduced to the Bonner County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Steve Bradshaw’s anti-mandate resolution — declaring Bonner County a “Constitutional County” and renouncing COVID-19 public health mandates — will see a public workshop and vote on Friday, Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint).

The workshop was postponed from its original September date due to scheduling conflicts, according to the commissioners’ office.

“It is incredibly important that all three commissioners be present, in person,” the office stated on Facebook.

The original resolution has seen plenty of discussion since it was first presented in late August. Commissioner Dan McDonald offered up his own version of the resolution Sept. 14, expressing concerns about the legality of Bradshaw’s original draft. In the hopes of avoiding “overreach” outside of the county’s legal purview, McDonald’s resolution was about one-fourth of the original document’s length.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly has pushed back against the alleged need for such a resolution throughout the process, viewing it as a political move by Bradshaw, who is running for Idaho governor in 2022. 

According to the county’s public notice for the Oct. 22 meeting, commissioners are scheduled to have a “Discussion/Decision Regarding Unconstitutional Mandates,” effectively voting on the resolution.

Also printed on the public notice is a copy of the Bonner County ordinance regarding conduct of meetings, reminding attendees that each person wishing to comment will receive three minutes, and that “the chair shall not entertain irrelevant statements, and shall not entertain statements that are inflammatory, personally attacking or derogatory toward any board member, staff member, elected official or member of the public.” 

The notation of the ordinance is likely in response to public discourse related to the resolution at previous meetings, during which Chairman McDonald had to repeatedly remind attendees — most of them vehement supporters of Bradshaw’s resolution — to maintain order.