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ACHD Moves To Censure Commissioner Whose Facebook Posts Chastised 'hypocrite' Lawmakers

The Ada County Highway District Commission is moving to censure Commissioner Kent Goldthorpe after he posted now-deleted Facebook comments about two Senate bills worming their way through the Legislature.

The commission has scheduled a special meeting at 2 p.M. Tuesday at ACHD's headquarters at 3775 Adams St. In Garden City to vote on a resolution "for the censuring of Commissioner Goldthorpe's alleged violations of the ACHD Commissioners Standard of Conduct."

Miranda Gold, the commission president, did not respond to a voicemail requesting comment.

Goldthorpe said by phone that he would not comment on the agenda item. He represents ACHD's District 4, which includes Meridian south of Interstate 84, Kuna and unincorporated Ada County.

Rachel Bjornestad, a spokesperson for ACHD, said the district was waiting to comment until the commissioners had voted.

Kent Goldthorpe.

The commissioners held an executive session Monday, an hour before the district sent an email with the Tuesday censure agenda item. Executive sessions are not open to the public and are generally intended for elected officials to discuss personnel or legal issues.

The commission was to "consider the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against a public official, employee or staff member and to communicate with legal counsel to discuss the legal ramifications for and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated," according to the meeting agenda.

The move to censure follows several comments Goldthorpe made on Facebook after the Senate passed two bills that would force highway districts to prioritize vehicle traffic and ban them from narrowing streets to under 50 feet wide.

"Even the now hypocrites who always tout their supposed belief in local government, voted for it," Goldthorpe said. "They voted to make the construction of sidewalks for your kids to get safely to school, A CRIME."

The penalty for any elected official, officer or person who aids in violating the law could be found guilty of a misdemeanor, a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days in prison.

Goldthorpe railed against lawmakers in his Facebook post, saying that he would be first in line for the charges.

Goldthorpe is known for his vocal, and at times emphatic, opinions. He was first elected to the commission in 2014, then re-elected in 2018 and 2022, serving as the commission president twice. Commissioners serve four-year terms, meaning his latest term will end in 2026.

Moving to censure would be a first for Goldthorpe and a first in recent memory for the highway district — though at times there have been calls to censure commissioners from writers of the Idaho Statesman's letters to the editor.

Under the new bills, highway district commissioners could face much steeper penalties for focusing only on bike- and pedestrian-related improvements.

A censure doesn't always carry a formal penalty, such as in the U.S. Senate, and instead acts as an official denouncement or condemnation.

According to the resolution, Goldthorpe's posts included "inflammatory and derogatory statements about fellow public officials" and "included mocking and demeaning languages towards individual legislators and employed racially charged language inappropriate in public discourse."

Goldthorpe also gave interviews where he inaccurately conveyed information and failed to identify the opinions as his own, which reflected poorly on the reputation of the commission and the district, according to the resolution.

If the commission approves the resolution, Goldthorpe would be "formally and publicly censured for conduct unbecoming of an elected official, specifically for providing public comments without clarification that the opinions were his own, and including inappropriate, inflammatory and racially insensitive language, in direct violation of the commission protocols, code of ethics and the personnel policy."

According to the resolution, Goldthorpe violated a rule in the district's personnel policy handbook, which prohibits district employees from "engaging in any conduct that could reflect unfavorably upon the district's service including engaging in discourtesy or rudeness that would affect the district's goodwill."

Why narrow streets in Idaho?

Sometimes highway districts narrow streets to add safety measures, sidewalks or bike lanes. But under the bills — which overwhelmingly passed the House on Thursday despite opposition from Boise-area lawmakers — those measures would no longer be permitted unless there were also car-specific improvements.

Local residents also joined in opposition to the bills, including 14-year-old Boise Bench resident Max Wyatt, who was hit by a van while riding his bike home from school in kindergarten. Improvements were made to the stretch of road along Kootenai Street where Wyatt was hit, including adding chicanes to slow down cars, a new sidewalk and wider bike lanes. Those improvements required narrowing the street.

Max Wyatt sits on a chicane on Kootenai Street in Boise that ACHD built eight years after his crash.

Courtney Madigan, Wyatt's mother, said the bills would put more people at risk, including kids, seniors, those with disabilities, visual impairents or those who use wheelchairs.

"The roads should be designed for everybody, not just cars," she said. "It just feels like an attack on people who don't have the privilege of driving a car every day … It feels like an attack on vulnerable road users."

The House returned the bills to the Senate for amendments Thursday. From there, they would likely head to Gov. Brad Little's office for him to sign into law, allow to pass into law without his signature, or veto.

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ACHD Confirms Measles Outbreak In The County

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The Ashtabula County Health Department announced 10 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in Ashtabula County Wednesday afternoon.

According to a press release from the Ohio Department of Health, nine of the cases are linked to an adult male county resident who tested positive last week, which was the first case of measles in the state this year.

None of the individuals were vaccinated, according to the ODH release.

There was also one confirmed case of measles found in a visitor to Knox County, who exposed others to the disease in that area, according to ODH.

"Given the measles activity in Texas, New Mexico, and other states around the country, we're disappointed but not surprised we now have several cases here in Ohio and known exposure in some counties," ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in the release. "This disease can be very serious, even deadly, but it is almost entirely avoidable by being properly vaccinated. Measles is especially dangerous for young children, so I strongly urge all parents across Ohio to make sure your children are vaccinated. It is a crucial layer of protection that can save lives."

The CDC defines a measles outbreak as three or more related cases.

According to the ACHD press release, symptoms usually appear 7-14 days after a person comes into contact with the virus, but they can take as long as 21 days to appear.

Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash beginning 3-5 days after other symptoms occur, according to ACDH. One in five people who contract measles will be hospitalized with complications such as pneumonia, dehydration or brain swelling.

The measles vaccine is safe and 97% effective against measles, and if a person is up to date on their vaccine, the risk of getting sick is extremely low, according to ODH.

The CDC recommends all children get two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

According to ODH, most adults who were vaccinated against measles as a child do not need any additional doses as adults. Adults who did not receive their MMR vaccine or are unsure about their vaccination status are encouraged by ODH to talk to their healthcare provider for more information.

Those born before 1957 are likely protected by previous infection.

Pedestrian Safety To Be Made A Secondary Concern Under Bills Targeting ACHD

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