Bonneville County Commissioner - Dave Radford

Response to the Post Register article on Sunday May 25, 2008

Dear Editor, your title and timing of printing Robin Gibbons letter to the editor leaving me little time to respond reveals the slant of the opinion page once again. A last minute attack when you received this letter on May 2nd should justify a chance for me and my supporters to set the record straight by making four quick points.

1. I've been criticized by my opponent for being "beholden" to the financial contributors of my campaign when I belive that my pro-business voting record is what generates the support received and not a "Quid pro Quo" deal.
2. The term limit donation which was less than 7% of my first campaign and not a maximum contribution as I had a general election that year as well was received I believe because of my public support of the "Contract with America" proposal put forward by many republicans including the former speaker of the U.S. House, Newt Gingrich. Not for a pledge or oath because at the time of the donation I remember saying, "my former boss U.S. senator Steve Symms set a pretty good example of voluntary term limits by serving 12 years in the United States senate for Idaho!"
3. The reason eastern Idaho voters turned down the last term limit proposal was how unworkable it was for our legislature and local government. For example, this election cycle the proposal would have prevented Bonneville county voters from voting for legislators like Tom Loertscher and Bard Davis and a long list of other great public servants. The fact is nearly one quarter to one third local and state office holders change every six years now.
4. Donations to campaigns don't obligate persons seeking support. It's part of "free speech" to support our candidates for election. The media cost of running a campaign in a county our size keeps escalating. Perhaps a better deal on newspaper space would set the example for the rest of the media.
   

For freedom,

Dave Radford, Bonneville county commission

Cloud seeding is based on chemistry and meteorology, but to Craig Powell, getting more moisture is a matter of firing up his butane lighter.

As one of 21 cloud-seeding generator operators, Powell's two-minute trips to light an Island Park generator are designed to draw increased precipitation from above.

In conjunction with High Country Resource Conservation and Development, cloud seeding is one of Bonneville County's prime projects this year.  Based on budget restraints and climate consideration, generators operate only during the stormy winder season.

This year's operation ran from Dec. 1, 2007, to March 31 and clocked 4,000 hours of generator operation.  Seeding pulls more moisture from storms, and officials are hoping a five-year study will show a 4 to 7 percent increase in the region's precipitation during the cloud-seeding season, Bonneville County Commissioner Dave Radford said.  Powell said he's noticed a difference in this season's snowfall.  "Let's put it this way: You can't see the north side of my cabin - I've got snow over it," he said.  "This is the most snow we've had since 1996."

Cloud seeding relies on ground-based generators fitted with a propane tank that send a smoke plume of acetone and silver iodide into the atmosphere.  The silver iodide bonds with water particles, crystallizing to draw more water from a storm system.

Generators, twice the size of normal barbecues, are housed on private land usually over 6,000 feet in elevation and operated by volunteers. The landowners and operators are paid for their land and time.

Bonneville, Jefferson, Madison, Fremont, and Clark counties are partnering for the project, but any entity relying on the upper Snake River aquifer benefits from the increased precipitation, Radford said.

Effective cloud seeding relies on precise weather conditions.  Clark County maintains day-to-day project operations and hired Let It Snow owners Marty and Conni Owen to watch the weather and make decisions about turning generators on and off.  The temperature near the generator must be above 20 and below 38 degrees; colder than that, and the storm will just produce "frosting," and the goal is increased snow pack, Marty said.  Wind can also cause a problem, as it can extinguish the generator's flame.

Although the Owens have been trained in the necessary meteorology, those nearest the generators often know when conditions are best for turning on generators.  Property owners call when storms approach, and the Owens give them the go-ahead for generator operation if conditions prove suitable.

The first seeding program in the region started in 1993 but was primarily a response to drought conditions - an ineffective approach because storms weren't frequent, High Country RC&D project coordinator Steve Smart said.  "Cloud seeders don't bust droughts," he said.

Project facilitators are hoping to capitalize on the wet winter just ending, and all clouds require seeding to produce optimal amounts of moisture, Smart said.

One partner making the project possible is Idaho Department of Water Resources, which pitched in $10,000 towards a $12,000 statistical analysis.  The program needs to be analyzed for five years to determine effectiveness, Radford said, and having the state offset the analysis cost helps facilitate the study.

The project is a proactive approach for county commissioners, who believe increased water will reduce court squabbles over water rights.  And with this year being wetter than several previous years, commissioners hope the project will contribute to the trend.  "After seven years of drought you almost want to say, ‘Let's have seven years of fat,'" Radford said.

A singular incident stands out as an example of the power for good of a single individual and the importance of volunteer cooperation.  One week before Christmas Dave Radford, Region VII chairman of Working Partners, called me, knowing I had a special interest in the Working Partners' effort.  Working Partners was established by former President Reagan to encourage volunteer efforts, a theme that has been continued by President Bush, who describes the volunteer work of Americans as a "thousand points of light."  The focus of Idaho Working Partners, under the direction of Sen. Steve Symms and Al Henderson, is to assist the Salvation Army in gathering canned goods.  Dave knew that the food supply provided by the Salvation Army was seriously depleted.  In fact, Captain Dillmond Lewis had reported that whereas the Salvation Army normally had 2 ½ truck loads of food to distribute, they were down to only half a truckload.

"What do you think, Sheila?" he asked.  "Is there time during this busy week before Christmas to put together a food drive for the Salvation Army?"

"If we can't gather food to feed the hungry the week before Christmas," was my response, "when can we?"

Dave spent three full days organizing.  He contacted six local grocery stores in Idaho Falls including the three Albertson stores, IGA, Buttreys, and Smith's Food King.  He expanded the effort to include Madison, Fremont, Teton, Butte, and Lemhi counties, with their communities.  Each store donated 200 cans of food, and gave permission for volunteers to stand outside the store to distribute a suggested list of food items to be donated to the Salvation Army.  Shoppers were invited to purchase a canned food item to drop in a shopping card on their way out.

Volunteers included area legislators who donated a portion of their Saturday before Christmas to assist in the project.  The area's full-time LDS missionaries, spending a Christmas away from their homes, gladly contributed their time.  Scouts assisted in the effort, too.  Because of the idea of a single individual who was willing to put his idea into action, and others who joined in to help, before the day was over 11,000 cans or pounds of food were gathered, including 7,600 in Bonneville County alone!

It has taken three years, but former Republican congressional candidate Mel Richarson has eliminated the $42,000 debt from the 1986 campaign.

"What a Christmas present," said Richardson.  He said he made the final payment Wednesday of $134.48.  "After three years of work and worry, I'm campaign debt free."

Richardson, who is now a state representative and is in the development and marketing business, said about $30,000 was paid in individual contributions.  Much of that effort, he said, was spearheaded by Dave Radford of Idaho Falls and Young Republicans.

Richardson estimates he spent $50,000 on the 1986 campaign, including about $12,000 on the debt.

"We sold everything of value that the campaign owned - vans, a computer and furniture," he said.

"But looking back, I'm glad I did it," Richardson said.  "I made so many friends, and it was a good experience."

Richardson said he would consider running again for the office if the seat was vacant, but added he would be reluctant to challenge an incumbent without campaign reform.  He said that a cap on spending is one step that should be taken, although he did not propose a figure.

"There really needs to be some changes ... to negate the ability of PACs to buy an election," Richardson said.