There appears to be both confusion and misunderstanding regarding my conversation some weeks ago at the U.S. Post Office when approached by School Board 271 Board Chairman Tom Hearn. I shared with him the idea that one should always research in-depth any issue prior to a public hearing. I did not recommend that the people’s business should be done in private. I gave him the example of the process we used regarding last year’s adoption of the city of Coeur d’Alene anti-discrimination ordinance.

I shared with Chairman Hearn that the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations Board voted on Aug. 6, 2012, to conduct an in-depth study of other cities’ anti-discrimination LGBT ordinances and then petition the city of Coeur d’Alene to consider adoption of such an ordinance. After six months of research, on Feb. 4, 2013, we hand delivered to Mayor Sandi Bloem and the City Council an open letter regarding our request for such an ordinance. Councilman Steve Adams responded to our open letter with a detailed memo to the city’s legal staff in opposition. Months of discussion by all parties proceeded until the public hearing before the Coeur d’Alene General Services Committee chaired by Mike Kennedy on May 27, 2013, followed by six hours of a public testimony before the City Council on June 4, 2013, and a vote of 5 to 1 to adopt the ordinance. The process was not rushed and all parties had exactly four months to debate the issue.

In a conversation with attorney Susan Moss, I gave the same advice. Do your homework, and I also suggested that the Coeur d’Alene Education Association, as the representative of the employees, should definitely be involved since a portion of the issue involved employee and employer policies. Susan Moss has shown great courage in advocating rights and protection for all those associated with District 271.

I did not participate in back and forth emails with the district regarding this question. I simply responded to the questions from Chairman Hearn and Ms. Moss.

Not only have I never supported doing the public’s business in private, I have on more than one occasion filed a public records request.

TONY STEWART

Coeur d’Alene