Commissioners, community spar in meeting over calls for Canyon commissioner to resign
Tension ran high at a Canyon County Commission meeting following the public release of a letter from eight county elected officials that called for one commissioner to resign.
Commissioner Keri Smith accused Commissioner Leslie Van Beek of “grandstanding” during Van Beek’s five-minute reading of a letter she wrote defending herself from the call to quit. Van Beek said the allegations by Smith and the other seven elected officials were “abusive” and “slanderous.”
“If my desire to prioritize you, the citizens of this county, is what my fellow elected officials have stated is ‘a lack of confidence in my ability to productively contribute perspective or leadership on any issue of significance,’ then I submit to you that they have lost the vision of good government,” Van Beek read. “They have abused their authority and they may need to be the elected official that needs to resign so that Canyon County government is represented by elected officials who want to represent you, the people.”
Last month, the eight officials sent a letter to Van Beek saying she had misused confidential information and defamed elected officials and county employees. The letter did not disclose specific details. Van Beek wrote back, defending herself and refusing to resign.
The Smith-Van Beek exchange occurred Monday during a meeting the commissioners hold each month to hear from residents and answer their questions. Dozens of residents attended, spilling out into the hallway outside the commissioners’ meeting room.
Van Beek’s husband, Dale Van Beek, spoke up to defend his wife against the allegations brought by the elected officials. He called them “cowards.”
Smith, who would previously not elaborate on the claims the elected officials made against Van Beek in their call for her to resign, said Van Beek was a county liability.
“We have a pending lawsuit against the county right now for a million dollars on the way she treated an employee,” Smith said, referring to a tort claim from a former Canyon County Human Resources director who said two county commissioners and 10 county employees defamed her and breached her contract.
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Smith said Van Beek has apologized for treating employees poorly, but employees are scared to come forward with their allegations against Van Beek.
“Employees are being treated unfairly,” Smith said. “ She will go back and apologize, but we have a big concern with the way she views our employees, and it is sad.”
Despite Smith’s comments, a handful of residents pleaded for transparency and asked that the elected officials make public their concerns with Van Beek.
Smith said she could not elaborate further, because the lawsuit is being reviewed by Idaho Counties Risk Management, a statewide nonprofit created by local governments to provide liability insurance.
The meeting continued with county residents voicing concerns about growth and unity on the board.
Lewis Groberg, a Caldwell resident, called for “continuity and success” in the county.
“When there is division, that makes difficulty in getting things accomplished that need to be accomplished,” Groberg said. “I think the board needs to be unified, work together, and they need to have some kind of camaraderie for success.”
Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto assured the residents that they would soon hear more on this topic.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 12:00 PM.
