Watchman pleads with commissioners

BONNERS FERRY — Boundary County Watchman requested “peace” with Boundary County commissioners in regard to a “cease and desist” letter from the county advising the group to stop using the county emblem.

After Tuesday’s commissioner meeting ended, Adrienne Norris of the Boundary County Watchman approached the commissioners to explain her reasoning to using the county seal for her blog.

“Understand it's a flag, a Boundary County flag and I’m waving it as a citizen who’s proud of my county and I just want to see transparency,” she said.

She said ultimately she wants her blog to be objective and not a place to “call people out.”

While it may look as if she’s calling people out, Norris said that if the commissioners and others are following Idaho Code, then she’ll be at the meetings for transparency and to video the meetings.

She said she didn’t want another person to receive the same community backlash and rumors that she contended happened to her last summer. She hoped that having a recording of meetings would dispel that, even for those on the campaign trail.

With the recording no one can say something happened when it didn’t because it’s recorded, she said.

“My ultimate goal here is to create accountability with the public officials and to create a bridge of transparency,” she said. “I want to start a website where I have all the governing boards and public minutes on one page.”

She said she wants people to read the facts for themselves and then go home and make their own decisions instead of listening to local news sites or rumors from their neighbors.

“I don’t want to go after you guys and I’d appreciate you getting over the insignia. It’s a lame hand act and has already been proven in the court,” she said.

Commissioner Tim Bertling said the commissioners have received more information on the legality of county seal. He told Norris that the seal is more than a flag, but said the matter had been turned over to the county’s legal staff to handle.

Norris told Bertling her intent in using the seal is because she lives in the community and is watching Boundary County. She added that if the commissioners could show her she was breaking the law, then she’d gladly stop using the county seal.

Boundary County Watchman is a blog and social media site run by Norris. In late December, county legal staff sent out a cease and desist to remove the county seal from the Watchman’s website and publications they have — the letter was reportedly lost in the mail.

Boundary County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tevis Hull said he was then able to get in contact with Norris and she was able to receive the letter.

Hull said he prepared the cease and desist, because by using the county’s seal and emblem to represent the Boundary County Watchman, Norris gave the impression to viewers that the site is endorsed, supported by the county, or statements on the site would be adopted by the county.

In response to claims that she had a disclaimer on the social media page and YouTube channel indicating the group is made of private citizens, Hull said people don’t typically read disclaimers.

And while there might be a disclaimer, Hull said the group’s use still is an improper use.

“That’s not what the county seal is to be used for,” he said. “We sent that out and Norris found out about the cease and desist.”