SANDPOINT — In a regular Tuesday business meeting, Commissioner Brian Domke was appointed to serve as the chair of the Bonner County Board of Commissioners.  

The discussion was brought forth to the board by Domke, who expressed that he felt the chair position should be elected every eight months, allowing the position to be rotated between all members of the board over the two-year election period.  

“The chair position is one that creates additional duties and responsibilities for the elected board member,” said Domke. “I just want to state clearly that this is not anything personal when it comes to the performance of our current chairwoman. It's just a perspective that I personally hold when it comes to sharing responsibilities among the board. And I believe that there's a benefit to doing that.” 

Domke further reiterated that the current chairwoman, Commissioner Asia Williams, had done a great job at the role, and that the request wasn’t based on performance.  

He further shared that the transition of the chair was based on a discussion that occurred when he was elected to office, a conversation that revolved around offering equal opportunity and shared responsibilities.  

Commissioner Ron Korn continued the decision by motioning Domke to serve as the chair.  

Korn said that he agreed with the original conversation that occurred eight months ago, seconding that the rotation allowed other elected officials an opportunity to learn and gain additional experience.  

“Nothing negative here,” said Korn. “Commissioner Williams has done a great job; she’s been doing this for eight months. ... It’s time to rotate it around and give someone else the opportunity to do the same.” 

There was only a handful of public comments on the matter, each stating that Williams had done a good job at her position and requesting that the board stay the same. Each comment further alluded to the fact that her experience and knowledge serve as the reasons why she was well-suited to remain chair.  

Korn and Domke shared the same sentiments but said that rotating the chair would allow other commissioners to gain the same experience that Williams had grown into.  

Williams said that she understood the idea behind the rotation but felt that a rotation period was already built into the system at the time of the board reorganization period.  

“Rotating arbitrarily on an eight-month schedule, I understand the idea behind it, and I understand the desire to do that, but I think it should just be done when the county is structured to reorganize its board,” said Williams.  

The motion was ultimately approved in a 2-0 vote, with Domke and Korn in favor. Williams abstained.