Take it away, Helen

Love Notes

for The River Journal

Q and A with Sandpoint City Council Member Helen Newton

by Marianne Love

February, 2007

Tables have turned during the past year for Sandpoint’s Helen Newton, not only health-wise but politically. Shortly after retiring in 2005, the longtime former Sandpoint City Clerk decided to try her hand in politics. That fall, she won a 4-year term on the City Council.

Now, with more than a year’s experience under her belt, Newton maintains the same sense of responsibility and meticulous attention to detail which earned her accolades from several past mayors and current Mayor Ray Miller, whose term expires this year.

Serving, “on the other side” as an elected city official, however, Councillor Newton has encountered strikingly different roadblocks. In January, for example, she was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which tested her determination to carry out her council duties.

Recently, Newton shared her observations with me in this exclusive Q & A.

How do those with whom you’ve worked in the past react to you now that you’re a council member?

My perception is that it has been a difficult transition for some elected officials who held office while I was clerk to work with me as their peer rather than as their employee. Some department heads who worked with me as a peer now appear to see me differently because I can potentially influence how their departments operate through budget decisions.

What was your biggest surprise/adjustment?

My biggest surprise/adjustment would have to be the way in which I have been treated by the mayor. During my 24 years as clerk while Ray Miller was on city council, I particularly respected him because I felt he frequently tried to represent the ordinary citizen – not special interests. I felt the respect between us was mutual and letters he wrote and had placed in my personnel file would attest to that. However, since my election to city council, any remnant of respect he once had for me has disappeared. I feel that even when people disagree on issues, they can still do so with respect.

How do you find yourself acting differently now that you’re on the council?

As city clerk while I was entitled to my opinions on issues, I did not have any authority to act on those opinions by voting on laws or policies. Now, my opinions translate into votes, and those votes impact people. I take this responsibility very seriously. I know it is very important that I take the time to do my homework and cast my votes based upon informed opinions.

What are your assigned duties?

Interestingly enough, what is written in Idaho Code and the Sandpoint Code concerning the duties and responsibilities of city council members would fill less than one type-written page. Council members should see attending all council meetings to vote on items of business as their basic duty. I have not missed a regular council meeting.

In Sandpoint each council member is appointed by the mayor to serve on one of two council committees which meet monthly. I am on the public works committee and have missed one meeting when I was in Alaska with our daughter.

In my 13 months on the council, I have also missed two “special” council meetings called by the mayor – one to fix the memorial Field bleachers (I was in Alaska) and the other while I was in the hospital in CDA recently and the city failed to provide the necessary connections for me to participate by phone.

Explain how you prepare for meetings?

One: The time I take to prepare for a meeting depends on the items on the agenda. For example, a decision on the annual agreement with the Festival at Sandpoint takes very little time. The agreement hasn’t changed in years. We have a history with the Festival board and we have every reason to believe that they will meet the terms and conditions of our agreement. I don’t hear complaints from constituents about the event. Therefore, I have confidence that our arrangement is working so I don’t’ have to spend much time on it.

Two: At the other end of the spectrum, matters relating to planning and zoning require the most work. I study the minutes of the commission meetings and the public testimony. I thoroughly review the site plan and I personally visit the site. I walk, bike or drive around the surrounding neighborhoods to get a feeling for what impact a new subdivision will have on the established neighborhoods. I carefully weigh testimony at the council meetings. I try to remember the mantra of Cecil Andrus from his years in government: “Who will this affect and how will it affect them?”

Three: Because one of the tasks I performed as city clerk was to review all items that went into the city council packet, I continue to do that. As a consequence, I have found errors and inconsistencies in contracts, agreements and ordinances and I believe that correcting those before they are signed and/or published has saved the city money as well as embarrassment.

How do you keep in touch with your constituency?

I receive telephone calls, e-mails and visits from a number of people on a regular basis. On an issue-by-issue basis, I find that residents do not hesitate to call me to express their concerns or ideas. I think people know that I am open to listening to what they have to say and they appreciate that. Whenever any person suggests others I might want to talk with or material I might want to review, I do that as well. The network keeps growing and I think it serves both me and constituents well.

What messages do you get from voters? What frustrations do you encounter in trying to represent your constituency?

The one message I receive over and over is a variation of encouragement, support and appreciation from individuals whenever I speak out on issues that have mattered to them. This occurs particularly when the issue affects people’s pocket books. So few people will attend a meeting either because they feel uncomfortable speaking in public or they feel intimidated. That doesn’t mean they don’t care and they don’t have opinions. People appreciate having someone represent their opinions and I try to do that for them. The frustration comes from articulating those concerns and then having that message met with silence at council meetings. I think the public would be better served and the decisions more understandable if there were an actual debate of differences of opinions. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen very often. Now, that is frustrating!

What strategies do you think could help overcome the frustrations you've seen so far, i.e., little debate among the council, respect from the mayor?

Your question prompts me to try to find ways to encourage the full council to engage in more conversation about issues. I am constantly thanked for expressing my opinions on issues - whether the person agrees with my position or not. I think if given options on the 2006 ballot, the voters will support people who are respectful of their constituents and peers and people who are inclined to be conversationally engaged when making decisions.

What do you see as the major issues facing Sandpoint in the next few years?

The major issue facing Sandpoint is growth and all of the issues related to growth such as infrastructure, housing, public safety and serving the needs of a growing population. Sandpoint is close to being “built out,” and what I hear from almost everyone is, let Sandpoint take care of Sandpoint and its residents. Don’t think bigger is better. Don’t expand our boundaries and try to be everything to everyone.

During the 2005 campaign, a handful of people in the community tried to circulate the idea that I am “opposed to growth” – whatever that means. I’ve lived here for 60 years and experienced plenty of growth, and I’m still here. If I am so opposed to growth, I would have left a long time ago.

As an example for some of the newcomers, when I went to high school (now the middle school) on Division, it was in the country. The 240-acre farm 10 miles northeast of Sandpoint that I grew up on is now subdivided into 20-acre parcels. Until 40 years ago, you could look at Baldy Mountain and Gold Hill and see no homes. The idea of building homes along the lake side of Bottle Bay Road was only a fantasy. Now, with enough money, anything can be built anywhere and is.

Almost every person I talk with would like to see Sandpoint as it was when they arrived – even if it was just last year. Whatever Sandpoint was whenever you arrived can never return. Growth is inevitable. Sandpoint is my home, and I expect to see continued growth here for as long as I live.

What are your personal strategies in dealing with issues as a council member?

As a council member I see it as my duty and responsibility to make sure I make informed decisions. That means I must continue to do my “home work” and continue to ask myself: “Whom does this affect and how does it affect them?” I believe we must protect what is here by minimizing any negative impact from new growth. I will do my best to do that with the one vote I have.

If you were the mayor, how would your style differ from that of Mayor Miller?

If I were mayor? I’ll mention just one thing. I would communicate with every council member. I would keep the entire council apprised of what is going on in the city instead of having some of them read about it in the paper or hearing it on the street. Good communications are essential to any well run operation; the city is no exception.

Are you considering the possibility of running for mayor of Sandpoint?

The November 2007 election will have the mayor’s position on the ballot. I am not planning at this time to run for mayor. I am hoping a serious and qualified candidate will step forth who I can support.

How can you limit Sandpoint's boundaries and how can some of the major issues, such as infrastructure needs, be addressed without growth? What solutions do you see to these ongoing concerns?

In the simplest of terms, Sandpoint’s boundaries won’t grow if the city council doesn’t annex more land into the city. Further, if the boundaries stay the same, the only infrastructure Sandpoint will be responsible for would be that found within its limits. However, annexation is a complex issue, not a simple issue. For example, consider the density component. If the comprehensive plans of the county and the 10 incorporated cities in our county recommend that density should exist only in cities, that could occur only if the those cities annex contiguous land, approve it for dense development and then provide essential services.

Sandpoint has infrastructure needs, in my opinion the most significant of which are water, wastewater and streets. Regionalization of wastewater is in the works and I think is essential for the greater community and for the health of our environment. The city of Sandpoint is currently addressing upgrades to our water system. The Great Northern Road project has appeared in several city documents now with cost estimates ranging from $1,000,000 to $7,000,000. I believe before that project can be taken seriously, cost calculations need considerable work.

The survey Councilman Boge and I financed and distributed last year to 200 registered voter addresses brought the following results:

Do you believe the city should annex all contiguous properties whenever requested by owners?

33% YES 67% NO

Do you believe the city should annex property when requested even if it creates an “island” of county property within the city?

16% YES 84% NO

Do you believe the city should annex any property south of the river (i.e., Sagle)?

16% YES 84% NO

Granted, these questions were put in the simplest form with no opportunity to “flesh out” the potential scenarios but it appears that in this sampling at least, a clear two-thirds of the respondents oppose more annexation.

If I were to guess the basis for these responses, I would say that people in general don’t think bigger is better. A bigger Sandpoint will result in requests for more employees, more buildings, more vehicles and equipment and more of anything means more cost to our taxpayers. I think people have doubts that newly annexed areas will generate enough tax dollars to cover those additional costs over the long haul. Impact fees may provide an initial one time booster shot but employee wages and benefits and building maintenance and operations costs are not just one time expenses – they tend to be forever.

It has been more than five years since the city council sat down to consider what its priorities are. Five-year-old priorities are outdated priorities. There are new faces on the city council. There have been significant changes in the community. It is time for a fresh look. This process involves input from the department heads, which is critical.

However, not one department head lives within the city limits and they are not accountable directly to the voters. When considering wish lists, city council members need to remember who picks up the tab. I’m told approximately 65 percent of that tab is picked up by our residents and 35 percent by the businesses. Most of those residents do not live on the lake shore nor do they live in $1 million condos. They work hard to bring home enough money to make ends meet or they struggle to stretch their retirement dollars. Priorities need to be set with those people in mind.

Explain your recent illness, what happened and how it affected your ability to perform your council duties? How has it changed your outlook on life and your future plans?

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) does not affect one’s cognitive process at all. GBS’s entry into my life will not serve as a deterrent to do anything I would have done otherwise over the course of the rest of my life.

GBS is a very rare neurological disorder. It is a virus. It is not contagious. It is not hereditary. It generally follows a cold or respiratory infection but luck of the draw is a factor as well. Statistically it is said to affect one or two people per 100,000 of the population each calendar year. At its worst, patients can be completely paralyzed, on a ventilator and able to move only their eyelids. Most patients recover completely. An excellent source of information on GBS is found at the web page of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders.

Thankfully, my case was not that severe. At my worst, my hands were numb and neither my knees nor my trunk/hips would support me when I attempted to stand. Obviously, I could not walk either.

When the numbness began on Jan. 10, I resolved to see our family physician the following day. However, when I woke at 11:15 p.m. to use the bathroom and could not walk, we went immediately to Bonner General Hospital’s emergency room. We cannot praise the staff there enough. There, a Dr. Dickens recognized what we were dealing with and by 4 a.m. I was on my way by ambulance to Kootenai Medical Center and a neurologist. I was hospitalized there for 12 days. Seven days were in acute care and five were spent in rehab. My doctors expect my recovery to be complete.

Because GBS does not affect one’s cognitive process, I had Skip bring my council packet to me on Jan. 16 to prepare for the council meeting on Jan. 17. I had contacted the Sandpoint City Clerk to let her know I would need to participate by telephone. (I couldn’t call earlier because Jan. 15 was MLK Holiday.)

KMC very graciously and efficiently set me up in a teleconferencing room for the meeting. However, technology at the city’s end was inadequate and, because my presence was necessary to maintain a quorum, the meeting had to be continued to Jan. 24. I was home by then and the city had its technology ready. I did participate in that meeting by telephone.

I am so grateful to the more than 200 friends, neighbors, constituents and even strangers who have called, written and/or e-mailed with their support and encouragement.

My outlook on life has always been based on a strong Christian faith and this experience has only increased that. My situation was added to prayer chains throughout the community and across the country. I credit those prayers completely with placing me in a state where I could turn it over to God. I expect the experience to be a constant reminder to me for the rest of my life of God’s abundant grace.