[Vision2020] conflict of interest

Art Deco aka W. Fox deco at moscow.com
Tue Aug 3 09:20:54 PDT 2004


Jim Meyer,

Great post.

With regard to financial conflicts of interest:  V 2020 poster Saundra Lund
proposed that the current Idaho Statutes regarding such conflicts be rewritten
and tightened.  Perhaps, one or more of our local legislators would comment on
this to V 2020 readers.


With regard to Kimmell's suggested resignation:  Highly improbable.

1.    Christ Church Cult Master Wilson would not allow it.

2.    Kimmell exhibits almost blinding arrogance:

It is clear that CCCM Wilson is calling some of the shots at the Moscow Chamber
of Commerce as well as at the County Commission.  For example,  even after Vera
White in the Daily News exposed the fact that three kirkers had been hired by
Kimmell at the Chamber, a revelation that should have shamed a normal person
into resignation and produced a tumultuous outrage among fair-minded chamber
members, Kimmell hired a fourth kirker!

To see this in perspective:  Giving Kimmell a generous assumption, let's say
that the chances (with replacement) of fairly hiring a kirker out of the local
employment pool at any given time is 1/50 (it is probably more like 1/200).

The probability of fairly hiring 4 kirkers then is (1/50)^4 or 1/6,250,000 or 1
chance in 6,250,000.

Our country has just went through 60 years of civil rights tumult, evaluation,
and legislation to prevent this kind egregious discrimination.  I am ashamed
that such occurs in our county and we are powerless to do anything about it.  I
am ashamed that the Moscow Chamber fails to recognize the arrogance and
disregard for human rights that this sort of discriminatory mayhem represents.

Should he run again, Kimmell's honesty and fitness to serve on the Latah County
Commission will be decided by the voters.  Whether he continues to serve as
Chamber Director given the above, the chamber's financial woes, and the alleged
withholding tax scandal depends on how fair minded and courageous the chamber
and its governing board are and how willing they might be to continue to allow
the previous good feeling for the chamber to erode into contempt by a quickly
growing number of citizens.

Wayne

Art Deco  (Wayne Fox)
deco at moscow.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Meyer" <m1e2y3e4 at moscow.com>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 12:39 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] conflict of interest


| All,
|
| In the conversations about Paul Kimmel and conflicts of interest, there
| seems to be some confusion about the difference between financial conflict
| of interest and ideological conflict of interest.
|
| Ideological conflict of interest that takes priority over the public good,
| though repulsive and dangerous in a public official is nonetheless legal. It
| is up to the interested voter to discern ideological conflict of interest,
| hopefully before the election. If ideological conflict of interest was
| illegal there would eventually be only one party and one ideology left...an
| unpleasant and undemocratic thought.
|
| Financial conflict of interest means that a public official has derived
| financial benefit as the result of decisions made during offical duties of
| office. I am not an attorney, but I suspect that the questions about Paul
| Kimmel revolve not around whether he is paid by Christ Church, but rather
| whether a reasonable person could conclude that payment affected his ability
| to make an unbiased decision while being a BOE member, something that is
| probably difficult to prove except by establishing a pattern of behavior the
| sum of which overwhelmingly points to corruption. For this reason it
| surprises me that any decent investigation would look at only one specific
| instance of possible conflict (thus making the establishment of a pattern
| impossible).
|
| I agree, however, that he should resign if truly--The Christ Church minutes
| state, "Doug Wilson reported that Paul Kimmell, in his role as County
| Commissioner, is open to oversight from the elders on certain issues." (That
| is if he has any respect at all for himself, his office, or the community.)
|
| Jim Meyer
|
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