Rodney Dangerfield Town

We get no respect…. I live in the
town of Kootenai.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone
knows we are here.This election
time it really showed up.

Spokesman Review did an article
on the people, who had put in for
office in Idaho towns.They listed
Priest River, Sandpoint,
Ponderay, Clark Fork, Hope….
But not the Town of Kootenai.

So I wrote an email to the
“Ask the Editors”. But I happen
to hit the time when most of the
Editors were on vacation…so it
was a while before I got an answer.
Then it was “I will check and see.”
Then several weeks went by, and
nothing.

So I wrote again. Telling them
I wasn't mad at them, but
I thought we were the Rodney
Dangerfield of the communities.
Of which one of the editors,
did answer, explaining he had been
gone but he would pass it on to the
Idaho office and one of the Idaho
employee’s answered in the Ask the
Editor on line as well as an e-mail.

It was the reason, no one
running against anyone, so it really
wasn’t newsworthy. And she was nice
enough to apologize for not giving an
answer sooner.

Then they gave the results in the
paper. For, Sandpoint,
Priest River, Hope, Clark Fork
and Ponderay…
see anything missing?

So I wrote to the reporter who
did the article. And this was her
answer.

“Unfortunately, because of our
limited staff here in the Idaho
office, we don’t cover Boundary County
unless something really big is
happening, and as far as election
results go, we didn’t have the space
to list every town in North Idaho”.

“I will pass your feedback onto
editors, though, so they can keep it in
mind for next year’s election coverage”.

Do you see a problem with this? Do you
wonder why we feel like Rodney Dangerfield
of the communities? For those who are not
familiar with our area. The town of Kootenai
Is in BONNER COUNTY, not Boundary, like
the young lady reporter suggested.

And I have to tell you, our own local paper
doesn’t do any better. Even though they
brag that they are a local paper. That they
cover the local news…

I asked our Mayor one time why the local
paper doesn’t report on our council meetings.
After all they use the paper for the legal part.
And she said, they told her to call if we were
going to have something really important
to report. I guess it could be worse. They
could ask for the town to send in our own
articles about the meetings. Shh, I didn’t
say that… it may give them ideas.

You know maybe it is better being the
Rodney Dangerfield of the
communities after all.