From the Twin Falls Times-News
BURLEY • A high-profile police committee accidentally copied reporters on an email this week instructing its members to mislead the media if journalists or a city council candidate came to its next meeting.
The panel was appointed last year by Cassia County and the city of Burley after bitter negotiations broke down between the two governments over policing. The county sheriff’s department has policed Burley for the past 30 years, but city leaders have complained recently about the cost.
The committee was tasked with playing peace-maker and recommending a deal that would work for both the city and county.
The committee was set to review its final recommendations in a public meeting Friday. But Wednesday, Chairman Bill Parsons sent the rest of the panel a note saying “If any newspaper is there we will say someone is not ready and then we can handle by email.”
It’s a violation of state law for committees to collude by email or plan what’s to be said in meetings ahead of time.
Parsons said he was trying to keep the report out of the hands of Jay Lenkersdorfer, co-owner of the Weekly Mailer and a candidate for Burley City Council. His email continued: “Linkensdorf (referring to Lenkersdorfer) is moving around and I do not want him to have any information until we present to both bodies. We will not turn on computer until we see who is there.”
On Friday, Parsons took full blame for sending the email but fell short of apologizing.
“I had a poor choice of words in that email, but that guy who is stirring around, Mr. Lenkersorfer, would have seen the report, would have blown it up before the election.”
Lenkersdorfer said he was “astounded” to be copied on the email. “I wasn’t surprised they wanted secrecy,” he said, “but I was surprised they put it in an email and sent it to the media.”
He noted that Parsons, who sent the note, is an attorney in the firm that represents the city.
There’s no question Parsons broke the law and conspired in advance of the meeting, said Benjamin J. Cluff, a Twin Falls attorney who occasionally represents the Times-News.
“The fact that the committee would plan, in advance, to violate the open meeting laws in the event members of the media are present is highly unusual and, in my opinion, particularly egregious,” he said.
City and county leaders have been waiting months for the group’s findings. The police contract and the city’s rancorous relationship with the county have been top issues for City Council candidates this campaign season. Most are hopeful the committee’s report could help salvage the relationship and bring long-term stability to the region’s policing.
The committee was appointed by the city and county in 2014 after city-county negotiations collapsed. Members were briefed on the state’s open meeting laws and directed to follow them, said Mark Mitton, Burley’s city administrator.
Among the panel’s members, only retiree Harold Blasius lacks a background in either the law or city government. In addition to he and Parsons, other committee members are Rob Squire, an attorney for D.L. Evans Bank; Clay Handy, a business owner and former city councilman and county commissioner; and Dennis Dexter, former jail administrator, city police officer and county deputy.
Reporters attended the board’s meeting Friday, and the committee did not discuss the substance of its final report, as it had indicated in its agenda. Instead, the group focused on details of how the report would be presented jointly to the city, county and reporters at a meeting tentatively scheduled for noon Nov. 6.
Handy admitted the committee had “kind of dodged” questions about its findings to date from city and county officials, and he said they deserved “candid answers” going forward.
“It’s for the good of all the citizens,” Handy said, “and we are all citizens.”
The Times-News filed public records requests Friday seeking any other email exchanges by committee members. Handy said the newspaper won’t find much. Besides the email Wednesday, the only discussions the committee had over the police contract via email was to discuss the minutes and agenda time, he said.
Parsons offered to sign an affidavit swearing that the committee made no “substantive decisions” by discussing the issue in emails, rather than satisfy the Times-News‘ records request. The newspaper declined and insisted the committee turn over its emails. Members have until Tuesday to say whether they’ll comply.
Meanwhile, Parsons said he would hate for an email scandal to taint the hard work of the committee on such an important issue.
“It’s the hard work of citizens,” he said of the report. “And they had a chairman who screwed up.”
From the Twin Falls Times-News