Citizen Tim

I didn't know that the Co-Op doesn't open until 9 a.m. on Sundays, until this past Sunday, that is. I looked at my watch, which said 8:30, and decided to go to Yoke's to do the grocery shopping. I figured time spent there would eat up enough minutes that I could go get my garden seeds when finished.

As I pushed my shopping cart out the door, it was 8:55. Just about perfect, I thought. Then, I heard a voice directly behind me.

"Hey, Emily told me I ought to talk to you." I turned around. There stood Tim Elsea with his flowing greyish blond hair. I didn't know Tim very well. I'd read about him in the paper as county road supervisor and local activist. I'd also always said hello over the years because I taught his daughter and step-daughter.

By the time our conversation ended on Sunday morning, several shoppers had entered the store, filled up their carts and loaded groceries into their cars. In that 40-plus minutes or so, I also learned a lot more about Tim. I'd say he's a living, breathing symbol of democracy in action.

We talked about the Sandpoint building heights issue, which Tim has taken on like a snarling Bulldog. I told him that my stance on the issue was fairly neutral, that I actually had other related issues monopolizing my passions at this time. He respected my position, but we still talked.

Besides his adamant opposition to changing the building heights restriction in our community, Tim is one colorful character who tells it like it is. He leaves no room for guessing. His open honesty about community issues and his personal life choices reveal a man who is totally at peace with himself and willing to upset a few apple carts to achieve his mission.

I learned during that conversation that he will not run for public office because he has a problem with those famous seven words selected by George Carlin, which should never air on television. Tim says he's worked in some rough circles where those words are appropriate; he has a hard time squelching them in the heat of public discussion.

I also learned that he's the creative mind behind the simple but direct ads appearing in the local blat, encouraging Sandpoint residents to exercise their right in the upcoming community advisory vote on the building heights issue. He's thrilled that the controversy has come to a public vote. He doesn't care how people vote, but he wants to see them turn out and express their thoughts.

Tim told me there will even be a day when a group will gather outside the now-closed-forever Harolds Super Foods where Panhandle State Bank hopes to construct a new regional complex. He's arranging to have a couple of helium balloons that day----one with a 45-foot rope, another extending 60 feet into the air. That way people can see the difference in the heights and make up their own minds.

To say Tim Elsea is opinionated is a gross understatement. He'll be the first to admit his outspoken, blunt manner. What's refreshing is that he puts enthusiastic action behind his words through collecting hundreds of signatures for a petition, continuing ongoing discussions with both proponents and opponents, and laying out a careful, creative strategy to carry out his mission.

Whether you agree or not that buildings in Sandpoint should be allowed to reach higher toward the skies, I think anyone would respect the efforts of this passionate man.

As I finally entered the Co-Op at nearly 10 a.m. Sunday, I was still thinking about my encounter with Tim Elsea. He truly reflects what active citizenship is all about. I know that if I were ever looking for support, I'd feel good having him on my side.