Corruption is easy to spot at the federal and state level, but it often flies under the radar in local municipalities — from shady deals to malfeasance and waste — with little oversight. IFF holds the legislature accountable, and until now, that accountability has been missing from cities and counties. IFF aims to root out corruption in local governments too and hold officials accountable across the Gem State, and Idahoans can assist that effort by using the tip line and submitting their stories.
Last legislative session, lawmakers frustrated with the process the Idaho Judicial Council deployed to fill judicial vacancies passed a law to change things up a bit. One of those reforms required the council, when it reports to the governor with names of candidates for the court, to “provide to the governor a report summarizing the…
Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder is using his position of power to intimidate and silence legislators with whom he disagrees. For that, he deserves to be investigated for ethics violations. Sadly, that will likely never happen because Senate rules require ethics complaints to go through him, which is emblematic of the authoritarian system devised and…
There’s been a lot of chatter today about election results from local elections across Idaho. To put it politely, candidates from the “right” got their butts handed to them. Leftists — and leftist-supported candidates — won city council and school board races statewide. Why? Answers follow: These are easy problems to fix. First, there’s nothing…
Gov. Brad Little’s socialist Idaho Launch program, which steals $8,000 a piece from people who earned it and gives it to high school graduates who didn’t, is already running into headwinds. Ironically, the program hasn’t even “launched” yet. “What they’re doing right now does not align with the legislative intent, with the bill that I…
For those of you who think that the West Ada School District — the largest school district in the state — is concerned only with educating kids as part of its $500 million property tax increase, take a closer look: Rolled into the levy’s $100 million career technical education (CTE) center is a proposal to…
The Idaho Freedom Foundation was recently made aware of a message circulated by House Education Chair Julie Yamamoto solicited input from her committee regarding potential legislation. Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman has written a letter to Speaker Moyle and the members of the House Education Committee calling attention to possible violations of House rules…
Have you witnessed a lack of accountability in your local government? Please share your story with us.
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Idaho has 44 counties. Find fiscal data, online services, and more resources using the county links in the map below.
County and city links provided by transparent.idaho.gov
Local government — a shining beacon of accountability. Where else can you find public officials approving deals without public meetings, zoning contracts over lunch, and budget allocations that somehow always favor the mayor’s family’s construction company? One might even say they are “the gold standard of transparent governance” — that is, if you live in a parallel universe.
A harsh reality Idahoans have faced — particularly over the last year — is counties, cities, and school boards gone rogue. Too often, local governments operate in the quiet and are shielded from scrutiny by low public engagement, little to no oversight, and a stunning lack of accountability for their actions.
When governments or officials make headlines for the misappropriation of funds, nepotism, or outright corruption, it is typically at the federal or state levels. Local government largely flies under the radar. Decisions are made in “executive meetings,” minutes are sparse and buried in websites that are difficult to navigate, and the line between public service and personal interest is often, let's say, blurred.
The lack of citizen and legislative accountability has created a breeding ground for corruption. The saddest part of all of this, arguably, is that elected officials and government employees are getting away with it because almost no one is watching. Or at least, almost no one was watching.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation has been inundated by stories from citizens of corruption at all levels of local government over the past few years. Through public records requests, social media, and grassroots organizing, Idahoans have begun holding their local leaders accountable.
In a Constitutional Republic, governmental oversight doesn't come from the top down. It starts with the citizenry — the working mom who reads the city budget for fun, the outraged parents whose kids are being politically targeted at school, the retiree who attends every council meeting, and the hard-working businessmen who won’t let shady deals go unquestioned.
An informed citizenry is a powerful citizenry, and a powerful citizenry results in an accountable government. Corruption occurs when governments are not held accountable. Corruption thrives in darkness, and now, informed citizens are flipping on the lights.
