Idsinga faces scrutiny over comments

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Battle Ground School District Board President John Idsinga is under fire from citizens, city officials and his fellow board members over comments he made at a Feb. 28 Battle Ground City Council forum held to discuss the Columbia River Crossing.

Idsinga was the only member of the Battle Ground School District’s Board of Directors at the forum, which was attended by members of the Battle Ground City Council and a small gathering of citizens. There is no formal record, written or recorded, of the meeting. However, those in attendance told both The Reflector Newspaper and Idsinga’s fellow Board of Directors that comments Idsinga made at the meeting were racist in nature.

One person in attendance at the meeting told The Reflector that Idsinga spoke in opposition of the extension of light rail from Portland to Vancouver because there are streets in North Portland where white people aren’t welcome. When asked, Idsinga refused to re-visit his comments.

“That was a conversation about crime and light rail being a conduit for crime and that’s what the conversation was about,’’ Idsinga said. “The conversation was about crime and light rail. I apologized to everybody and it needs to be done.’’

More than one of Idsinga’s fellow board members don’t feel the issue has been resolved.

At a March 11 school board meeting, three Battle Ground citizens expressed displeasure with Idsinga’s comments to the board members. One citizen asked for Idsinga’s resignation from the Board of Directors. Lynda Idsinga then spoke on behalf of her husband, citing his long history of volunteerism and service to the Battle Ground community.

At a March 25 meeting, board member Ken Root made a motion for a roll call vote to remove Idsinga as board president. Board member Mavis Nickels then made a motion to table Root’s motion so the board could seek a legal review of their options in the matter.

“I had kind of gotten word that it could happen,’’ Nickels said of the motion to call for a vote to remove Idsinga from his leadership position. “I did some research to find out what we can and can’t do in that situation. The only way he can be recalled is from the voters. That’s just the nature of public elections. I had some real concerns about what else we could or could not do. Until I had an answer to that, I was not going to participate in a discussion or a vote or anything else.’’

The Board of Directors then held a special meeting on March 28. The board members went into executive session, where they were joined via conference call by Bill Coats, a Tacoma-based attorney that represents the district. After the executive session, the members returned to the special meeting to address two items requested to be placed on the agenda by Board Member Monty Anderson.

The first item was a motion that the Board of Directors approve suspending Policy 1210, regarding the election of officers. Anderson indicated that the board members were informed that because the way the motion was worded, it required a unanimous vote for passage. Nickels was the first to vote and she voted against the motion, which then failed.

The second agenda item was for the election of new officers, which was then not necessary due to the lack of the approval of the suspension of Policy 1210.



“I was the only one that voted; it had to be unanimous,’’ Nickels confirmed. “I’m a real stickler, wanting to know where I stand. I’m not always right, but at least I don’t make a mistake by being too hasty.’’

Gregg Herrington, spokesman for the district, said that Coats has essentially informed the board members that Idsinga’s comments are protected by the First Amendment.

“Because John was not acting as a board member when he said what he said, he was exercising his First Amendment rights as a citizen according to the attorney,’’ Herrington said. “Therefore, by law, they (board members) may not be able to remove him from the board because only the voters can do that and they may not even be able to remove him as president.’’

There were no items placed on the meeting of the Board of Directors scheduled for April 15. However, more than one board member told The Reflector that they did not consider the matter closed and that it would be addressed after the BGSD levy vote April 23.

“I will continue to research that,’’ said Anderson, referring to the board members’ options to remove Idsinga as president. Root also said he would continue to research the board members’ options.

More than one member of the board also expressed to The Reflector that they believed that Idsinga should, and possibly would, step down as president on his own. When asked if he would do just that, Idsinga said he was focused only on the levy at this time.

“We’re going to pass the levy, then who knows,’’ Idsinga said of his views of stepping down from his leadership role as president.

In addition to his role as a member of the BGSD Board of Directors, Idsinga has also served in the past as mayor of Battle Ground and on the Board of Directors of the North County Community Food Bank. For several years, he has also led the Food Bank’s annual Christmas Basket Program, which provides large food baskets during the holidays each year to families in need. Last year, over 300 families received food baskets as a result of those efforts.

Idsinga cited his role in the community over the past two decades when asked about the focus that has been placed on his Feb. 28 comments.

“In my two-plus decades of service and volunteerism to this community, I’ve never written or spoken anything unintentionally or intentionally to offend anybody. I have been a volunteer here for 20 years and have given my all to this community.’’