HAYDEN — A social media group exploring the ideas and woes of Idaho’s growth is no longer affiliated with its founder.

Ed DePriest started Responsible North Idaho Growth to be a forum as well as a launching point for those who have grievances with and wish to do something about North Idaho’s population explosion and related consequences.

DePriest was elected to the Hayden City Council last fall and sworn into office in January. To uphold his dedication to fairness, and to squash perceptions to the contrary, he has detached from the Facebook group. As of Wednesday morning he is no longer an administrator.

"I'm just disappointed in that it is coming to this, where I am unable to really express my feelings on a personal basis without it being used against me," DePriest told The Press.

In his final video to the Responsible Growth group Wednesday morning, DePriest made it clear that neither the city of Hayden nor the city attorney told him to shut down the page.

"I am not being silenced by the city or the city attorney," he said in the video.

He explained that council members serve in quasi-judicial roles and are basically judges when it relates to land use matters, annexation, zoning change, development and so on.

Personal beliefs have no part in the decision-making process; decisions must be made strictly on the comprehensive plan, the future land use map, the zone map the criteria to standards, etc.

"I've been a seated council member less than a month, and I knew this was coming," he said.

He said there are already parties suggesting that his affiliation with the group renders him incapable of making decisions without bias.

"To say I cannot act impartially and responsibly regarding the duties I am charged with is impugning my character," DePriest said. "That’s like someone saying to me, 'We think you’re dishonest.' It’s that aspect of it that is what I am most uncomfortable about."

He said people have different opinions on things and are still able to serve and render judgment, even if they may not agree with what the judgment ends up being.

"I'm quite capable of putting my personal beliefs aside,” he said. "If society operated where everybody’s personal beliefs were used to nullify them, we’d be in more of a freeze than we are now. This country's polarized as it is. That’s kind of what’s happening; people are looking for every little nit-picky thing they can to achieve the outcome they want.

"If and when people do come with the, 'You don’t have the ability to be impartial,' I will rebut that very strongly," he said.

The group has garnered about 3,000 members since it was established in January 2021.

"I’ve worked my tail off for a year," DePriest said. "Am I going to miss a lot of the headache and hassle of it? No, but it's still something I founded and gave a lot of time and effort into. I am concerned about the direction it will take in the future."

He has no idea what the group's new name will be — he just asks that he no longer be affiliated so the city of Hayden suffers no recourse for his previous connection.

"I hope that they continue on the path I hope that they’ve been set on,” he said. "What direction they go, I have no say in that."