Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
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OROFINO — During their regular meeting Sept. 10, the Orofino City Council elected Joshua Tilley as its new pro-tem council president.
The pro-tem conducts the meetings in absence of the mayor.
Election of a new pro-tem was necessitated by the resignations of Mayor Sean Simmons, effective Sept 21; and Pro-Tem Jennifer Dunaway, effective Aug. 28.
Both Simmons and Dunaway have been contacted by email to request a copy of their resignation letters or the reasons for their actions. Neither has responded and they were not at the meeting Sept. 10.
According to Clerk/Treasurer Donna Wilson the process moving forward is:
“For empty spots the council has to vote someone in for the councilor and the process for filling the mayoral vacancy is at the council’s discretion. Some cities ask for interested people to submit resumes or letters of interest. If the council as a body wants to do interviews with candidates interested in the position, those must happen in open public meeting.
“There is no legal deadline to fill the vacancy, but practical considerations usually require those offices to be filled relatively quickly because of the need to keep city government and operations moving forward.
“The council can select a current councilor, including the council president (pro-tem), to serve as mayor, or someone not currently serving as a councilor or council president (pro-tem), they have flexibility in making that choice. The person must be a city resident, at least 18 years old and a registered voter.”
The council has not publicly indicated the direction it might take to replace the two positions.
— Nancy C. Butler, Clearwater Tribune (Orofino), Wednesday
Area participation sought in county broadband coalition
COTTONWOOD — Last week’s message to Cottonwood officials was, don’t let broadband bypass the community; get involved.
Christine Frei, former executive director of the Clearwater Economic Development Association (CEDA), has come out of retirement to assist Idaho County in addressing its pressing broadband issues. Speaking on behalf of the Idaho County Broadband Coalition, Frei emphasized the critical importance of high-speed internet for economic growth and public safety across North Central Idaho.
Frei, who led CEDA for 20 years, shared how the region’s needs have evolved over time.
“When I first started, it was all about roads being the primary problem for economic growth in North Central Idaho,” she said. “But it didn’t take long to realize that our main roadway today is communication networks. That’s why broadband and high-speed internet are so critical.”
Frei’s presentation highlighted a promising future for broadband expansion in Idaho, fueled by significant funding opportunities. She noted the state has received federal funds to address broadband infrastructure, with around $583 million in grants expected to be available for applications by early next year.
“There’s a preference for fiber,” she added, that, while expensive, it’s the most reliable and offers the fastest speeds to options such as satellite and microwave.
Building a coalition of local governments and stakeholders is crucial to securing these funds, Frei said.
“You need to work together,” she said. “There’s a lot of ways to get at these resources, but in the end you want the best product for your community, because the main thing you want is high-speed internet at a low cost.”
Frei, along with Jerry Zumalt, Idaho County Disaster Management coordinator, encouraged the City of Cottonwood to participate by signing a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and appointing a representative to the coalition. The coalition will be housed under the county and act as an advisory body — any decisions would be made by the county — working to develop a countywide broadband plan. This plan, Frei explained, is essential for cities and communities to access the coming grant funds and ensure they have strong, reliable internet infrastructure in place.
Zumalt spoke to the public safety issues at stake, highlighting the lack of a physical communication line between Grangeville and Riggins.
“We’re not even connected by copper wire,” he said, and the hope is that with the county tying its connectivity interests in with other regional plans now in development, “it would finally connect north Idaho to south Idaho,” as well as provide a complete connection from Salt Lake to Seattle: “Those are the key connections to hit the World Wide Web.”
Connectivity issues, he said, impact areas of public safety, communications, and lack of redundancy.
The Port of Lewiston is also part of the larger broadband effort, receiving grants to connect Latah and Nez Perce counties to Grangeville, which Frei believes is essential for Cottonwood’s connectivity. A concern she’s heard is that in planning, this connection may not go through Cottonwood.
“You want that project to go through Cottonwood,” she advised. “If you don’t have really good broadband connectivity — you could have great service internally — but if you don’t have a way to get out, it doesn’t do you much good.”
The coalition is seeking to have representatives from the seven area city councils, as well as stakeholders from hospitals, education and business. It aims to present its representatives to the county by mid-October, with a training session for coalition members scheduled for early November. Frei encouraged local councils to sign the MOU and appoint its representative by their next meeting in October.
Having returned from retirement to tackle this issue, Frei closed with a heartfelt plea for participation: “I came out of retirement because I think this is so important.”
— David Rauzi, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
