2nd attempt- City of Bonners Ferry Golf Course Contract
The two applicants are:
- Ben Staples (ex. Mayor’s son) and his girlfriend
- Tory Gatrell
Concern: Not only did the Mayor Dick Staples tell the City Administrator to not get involved in the hiring process, but also the Mayor has long time friends on the hiring committee. Reading the public records below it also is clear that the Mayor’s son was giving special favoritism all summer and fall with private training at the golf course. Did they already pick Ben & girlfriend from the beginning? Did they waste the time of the other applicants (two others in the beginning)? It doesn’t seem the other applicant(s) were giving the same treatment over the last nine months. Ben Staples & his girlfriend have never run a golf course and per his application he states he has worked most of his life for his dad, the ex. Mayor all his life at the family business which is a land survey company. I believe if this was truly cronyism (per definition) then the other two applicants were discriminated against. Especially, since one of the applicant’s resumes expressed, he was highly qualified to run the golf course without any training (besides the training needed for this golf course).
