The costly, ill-advised legal battle over Meridian’s City Hall makes a handy issue for those who seek office in that same City Hall.
It is, without a doubt, the catalyst in the five-way race for Meridian mayor.
But the four challengers do not present a viable alternative to incumbent Tammy de Weerd, whose record of service and community advocacy is unmatched. And in two low-key City Council races, we endorse incumbents David Zaremba and Charles Rountree.
TAMMY DE WEERD
With a dozen years’ experience in City Hall, the last eight as mayor, de Weerd has presided over a time of rapid change in Meridian.
She has been a steadfast advocate for economic growth, recognizing the need for Meridian to move beyond its bedroom community roots. She has recognized that, with growth, comes the need to address infrastructure needs. The new state-constructed interchange at Interstate 84 and Ten Mile Road stands, in large measure, as an example of her ability to lobby for her constituents’ needs.
In the past year, Meridian has also passed a pair of needed, forward-thinking ordinances: one to curb texting while driving, and a second to extend the city’s pawnbroker ordinance to cover precious metals dealers. Meridian police sought the precious metals ordinance as a way to prevent the sale of stolen goods — and, to the city’s credit, leaders went back to the drawing board to rewrite the ordinance to address critics’ concerns.
But this is, largely, a race over fiscal policy, and de Weerd’s record is one of frugality. The city has frozen its budget two consecutive years, eschewing the 3 percent increase allowed under state law. The new $21.4 million City Hall was paid for upfront, with cash. And de Weerd argues soundly for building a large City Hall that will serve city needs for decades. “It’s the last City Hall the city will have to have.”
Our problem with the City Hall project centers on Meridian’s ongoing legal battle with Petra Inc., its construction manager. The city has sued over construction defects, seeking $8.5 million. After losing soundly in District Court — and winding up on the hook for some $4 million in legal fees — we believe the city should be more aggressive in seeking a settlement with Petra.
Ultimately, this comes down to a race between de Weerd and former state Sen. Gerry Sweet, who resigned after four years in the Legislature and briefly worked on U.S. Rep. Bill Sali’s staff.
Sweet rightly says Meridian should settle the City Hall case, but beyond that, his positions seem shallow and driven by ideology. He complains about the precious metals ordinance, although he concedes the rewrite addressed most public criticisms. He argues that city spending is out of line, pledging to bring “a conservative Republican philosophy to Meridian city government.”
This is, of course, a nonpartisan race. Last we checked, there is no Republican or Democratic way to maintain a park or put out a structure fire.
The City Hall problems provide de Weerd’s opponents an opportunity — but Sweet’s challenge is long on opportunism and short on substance.
CITY COUNCIL
Zaremba and Rountree, with five and four years’ council experience respectively, have more than just a solid background in city government. Zaremba, a retired transportation consultant, and Rountree, a retired Idaho Transportation Department official, both have professional grounding in the transportation issues that are so crucial to their growing city.
They align closely with de Weerd on the City Hall project and on the precious metals ordinance. Along with de Weerd, they also support local-option taxes — to allow voter-approved sales taxes for transportation or other projects.
They are solid choices over two undistinguished opponents.
Former city employee John Shawcroft came up short on his command of the issues — and actually said he filed for the wrong council seat and intended to oppose Rountree. This speaks to Zaremba’s performance on the job, and Shawcroft’s failure to do his homework.
Patrick Malloy, the candidate who actually did file to oppose Rountree, did not respond to requests to meet with the Statesman editorial board.
“Our View” is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman’s editorial board. To comment on an editorial or suggest a topic, email editorial@idahostatesman.com.
