Local GOP tables 'no confidence' discussion
August 10, 2011
The Boundary County Republican Central Committee met for the first time since Region 1 GOP leaders issued a vote of "no confidence" to Idaho Senators Shawn Keough and Joyce Broadsword, and about 25 people attended.

RCC Chair Donna Capurso, who made the motion last month that resulted in the no confidence vote, opened the meeting, and worked through a rather long agenda, with the committee unanimously electing Caleb Davis as a State Youth Committeeman, accepting Steve Shelman's resignation and appointing Rick Braun to fill his shoes as a representative on the state Republican Central Committee, approving the minutes of their last meeting.

Members discussed the federal charges so recently leveled against Jeremy Hill for allegedly killing a grizzly bear. The BCRCC had received a presentation shortly after the incident, which occurred in May, where they learned that several bears had been going after Hill's pigs and that he felt fear for his three young children.

At the time, members agreed to have a letter urging that charges not be brought against Hill to be submitted to state legislators, but Capurso later received a report that charges would not be filed, so the letter was never sent. After learning that charges were being brought, the BCRCC on Tuesday reaffirmed their support and directed that the letter be sent seeking to get the charges dropped.

County Emergency Manager Dave Kramer gave an overview of how the Boundary County Emergency Management System works and trains, and gave a look at some of the lessons learned in the wake of the tour bus crash July 25 that involved 54 people, Pam Stout gave the Sandpoint Tea Party report, and Larry Spencer presented and sought local support for a federal balanced budget constitutional amendment that he proposes the State of Idaho present the federal government as a state resolution.

The BCRCC unanimously agreed to submit a letter calling on the governor to call a special session of the state legislature to consider the proposal, which Spencer said had met with overwhelming approval from other state central committees and the legislators he's presented it to.

Reports were given on the state central committee meeting and resolutions, and the call finally came for discussion of the Region 1 no confidence vote, which, Capurso said, the media "got all wrong."

State Representative George Eskridge distributed three pages of material and was preparing to speak against the Region 1 vote and give his vote of confidence in the two Senators when discussion broke out among a few of the committeeman regarding the hour and the need to have time to read the material.

Before Eskridge or anyone else could speak, a motion was made and seconded and vote taken to table that agenda item until the next meeting, to take place at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, September 13, at Mugsy's.

That motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned.