‘Concerned citizens’ act with hypocrisy
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I am a landowner in both the Mission and Flathead irrigation districts. I have also served as a member and past chairman of the Cooperative Management Entity that operated the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project from 2010 until 2014. The CME gave irrigators a genuine voice in the management of the irrigation project.
When the Mission and Jocko irrigation districts became concerned about the litigation direction of the Flathead Joint Board of Control (FJBC), and began the process to withdraw from joint operations with the Flathead district, they expressed a strong desire to the U.S. to continue participation in the CME process. In September and October the Mission and Jocko districts, along with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes said they desired to continue the CME operation and have the districts appoint CME members, instead of the FJBC.
The U.S. also wanted to keep the CME operating the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. On November 4, 2013, the U.S. flew the chairman of the FJBC, Boone Cole, and their attorney, Jon Metropoulos, to Portland for a meeting to propose a succession plan, allowing the individual districts to appoint members to the CME, instead of the FJBC. The chairman of the FJBC and the FJBC attorney refused to even bring the matter to the FJBC to approve a succession plan. On December 5, the U.S. convened a meeting in Missoula to again ask the three irrigation districts to approve a succession plan. The Mission and Jocko districts, along with the CSKT again did so. Again, the FJBC refused to discuss the proposal.
On December 18, 2013, Boone Cole, former chairman of the FJBC and Jerry Laskody of the Mission district wrote to Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, asking the U.S. to reassume control of the irrigation project. Now those same individuals are trying to claim they want to protect the employees.
On January 25, 2014, the U.S., not wanting to give up on the CME process, again met with the three irrigation districts and the CSKT and asked them to support a succession plan to leave the CME in place for at least a year. Once again, the Jocko and Mission irrigation districts, and the CSKT agreed to do so. Once again, the Flathead district and their attorney refused. As a result, the U.S. has now reassumed the operation and management of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. Cole, Laskody, and ‘concerned citizens’ got what they wanted—no CME.
These people, like Boone Cole, Jerry Laskody and the Flathead district board have consistently refused to continue the operations of the FIIP under the CME, and then have the gall to turn around and try to claim they want to protect the CME employees. Protecting the CME employees is exactly what the Jocko and Mission districts and the CSKT were trying to do. At every step of the way, that was vetoed, first by the FJBC and then by the Flathead district and their attorney, and supported by Jerry Laskody, Boone Cole and others. This is the ultimate in hypocrisy.
Because of the refusal of the FJBC and then the Flathead district to provide for continued CME operation of the FIIP, we now have federal costs, federal wages, federal employment requirements, federal procurement and federal reporting policies that we have to pay for. Because of the unwillingness of the Flathead district and their attorney to compromise, we have lost the CME and our voice in FIIP management. We are now faced with increased O&M charges, more litigation, and with the direction these people are headed, probably less water.
As Flathead district irrigators, we are paying an attorney to sue the Mission district. Since I am a member of both districts, I get to pay legal fees for Flathead district to sue the Mission district, and I get to pay the Mission district to defend that suit. Perhaps it’s time to consider a recall election against those Flathead district commissioners who are leading us down this path.
Steve Hughes ranches in the Mission Valley and is a landowner in both the Mission Irrigation District and Flathead Irrigation District. He lives in the Valley View area.
