Incumbents win Library election
BONNERS FERRY — Incumbents Aaron Bohachek and William “Lee” Colson won reelection to their seats on the Boundary County Library Board on May 16.
Bohachek represents Zone 3. The zone includes the area east of the U.S. Highway 95 in Bonners Ferry, a portion north of the Kootenai River and east into portions of Paradise Valley.
Colson represents Zone 5, also known as the Naples Zone, which includes everything south of Kootenai Trail to the Bonner County border with portions of Paradise Valley.
In the Zone 3 race, Bohachek received 260 votes while challenger Lewis Clark had 169 votes.
Clark won three of the four precincts. He won the North Bonners Ferry precinct with 12 votes against Bohachek’s four. He also won the Naples Districts with four votes with Bohachek receiving none and he won Valley View with 55 votes to Bohachek’s 48.
Bohachek received 126 votes from absentee ballots, while Clark received 27. Absentee ballots are categorized separately and can be from any of the eligible precinct zones, they are ballots that are filled out prior to the election by voters that may not be in town on election day.
For the Zone 5 race, Colson received 244 votes while challenger Mary-Esther Wilson had 200 votes.
Colson also received more absentee ballots with 79, compared to Wilson, who received 29 absentee votes. Colson won the Bonners Ferry/Kootenai precinct with 10 votes to Wilson’s four.
Wilson won the Naples precinct with 153 votes to Colson’s 127. Colson won Valley View at 28 votes to Wilson’s 14.
“I’m humbled and honored to once again represent my district on the Boundary County Library Board,” Aaron Bohachek said. “By many accounts, this was one of the highest turnout elections in the library’s history. For me, that was the true victory because it shows the attention and care our community has for our library. I should say something grand and punny about new beginnings or closed chapters but in truth, the story continues.”
Like every library in the country and beyond, Bohachek said the library has to understand and adapt to cultural, technological, financial and environmental changes in a world that seems to move faster every day.
“With the help of our supportive community, we can continue to craft a library that engages, entertains, informs and educates in a safe and welcoming space that is truly meant to serve everyone. For cheap. Because admittedly, no one likes paying taxes. But what we get for our taxes is amazing,” Bohachek said.
Bohachek said that a recent poll found that Idaho has a higher rate of volunteerism than most of the rest of the country.
“In Boundary County, volunteer boards run everything from Parks and Rec to the Airport and the Animal Shelter. Most of our fire departments are volunteers,” he said. “Every county entity, including the Ambulance, Sheriff’s department and the school district add vast value through the work of willing volunteers to the shoestring budgets we give them as taxpayers. Not to mention all the volunteer organizations that get no taxpayer funding at all. But we work because we value this community and have pride in what has been built before us. Thank you to all the volunteers that keep our community the amazing place that it is. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to do my part.”
Like Bohachek, Colson said he wanted to thank everyone who voted.
“It really is what makes America great,” Colson wrote. “I am honored to be elected as one of the five people guiding the Boundary County Library.”
“The library is a center within our community and the Board and staff are all working as hard as possible to move our library and community forward. If you have concerns, please come into the library and talk to the staff, contact your board member, come to the board meetings,” he said.
“We are your library, come by and check us out. I send a special thanks to Margie Ladley who really bedazzled my campaign sign,” he said.
Wilson and Clark did not comment.
The next board meeting is Thursday, May 18, from 10-11 a.m. at the Visitor’s Center in the city parking lot. The board is also holding its first book reconsideration meeting regarding three Ellen Hopkins books: “Crank,” “Impulse” and “Perfect” on Thursday at the Visitor Center from 6-8 p.m.
