Letters to the editor and opinion pieces by John Slagboom, newest first, with a link to each publication.
No pieces match that search.
A campaign finance review of the LD6 House Seat 6A race. The piece traces the Democratic candidate's 2024 to 2026 filings: 65 percent of contributions from out-of-state donors, payments to herself and family members, and documentation gaps in her reports. Every figure comes from Idaho Sunshine filings.
Ordinance 2026-04 was sold as fire safety, but the State of Idaho writes the building code and the ordinance touches none of it. It rewrites zoning: bedroom definitions, kitchen definitions, and parking requirements that make homes scarcer and dearer. The letter asks the Council to repeal it and let builders build.
The FY2027 budget names street funding a top problem, then cuts the road program and buys a $796,000 stage that sits on no priority list. The stage costs three times the property tax increase. The letter sends readers to the August 17 public hearing.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became the biggest federal housing law since 1990, passed 85 to 5 and 358 to 32. It funds pattern books and pre-approved starter home designs, and mandates nothing. The letter asks the council to put the law on a work session agenda.
The proposed FY2027 budget lists streets and downtown as top priorities, then routes the capital dollars elsewhere and asks for the largest property tax increase state law allows, plus the last $15,141 of foregone reserve. One public hearing before the vote: August 17.
Idaho passed a wave of pro-housing laws: ADUs by right, manufactured homes, lot splits, single-stair apartments, faster inspections. A housing authority would cost about $355,000 in year one for a director and a needs assessment, with no obligation to build a single home.
Companies pick locations on taxes, energy costs, and whether government stays out of the way. Moscow's levy has more than doubled since 2008. An endorsement of Colton Bennett for state representative in the May 19 primary.
Seven city positions frozen since 2023, departments cut 20 percent, and the $885,000 stage sits in the same capital pool that pays for road repair. That money would resurface D Street from the highway to Hayes.
The stage price nearly doubled from the $495,000 concept in 2010. The claim of overwhelming community support rests on a private meeting with nine organizations and a March 2025 open house. Roads crumble at nearly $1 million a block while the project rolls forward.
Public records show the claimed outreach was largely private stakeholder sessions. The March 2025 open house drew 14 written responses. A million-dollar structure in the central park deserves genuine public input and a design worthy of it.
The city has paid Design West $91,400 in professional services for the stage so far. Volunteers built the original stage, and it lasted more than 40 years. The letter asks the new mayor to explore a community-driven rebuild.
The first letter in the stage series: spending nearly $900,000 on a permanent stage is excessive when a city-owned portable stage could serve large events, preserve the park, and pay for itself through rentals.
A reply to Bryan Clark's November 11 column on the Moscow election. The piece describes the "Kirker" label attached to a conservative City Council campaign, the platform "A Moscow for All," and the demand to disavow a church. It states the author never attended a church affiliated with Doug Wilson and refuses to discriminate against a group of voters for their faith.
A reply to housing authority advocates: on inspection, the examples offered as success stories fall short, and the model does not fit Moscow's shortage, which comes from the rules.
The Fair and Affordable Housing Commission proposed a regional housing authority. This letter argues the shortage comes from the rules, and that Moscow should fix the code instead of adding an institution.