County commissioner responds to letter

Dear editor –

I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to the letter to the editor by Rhonda O’Hanley. Rhonda is one of my constituents here in Elmore County.

First, I appreciate her attentiveness to local government. She has called me previously about topics so I am unclear as to why she didn’t do so in this case as well but instead chose this platform, so I will do the same with my response.

Although I do not know which meeting dates her “extensive research” included, I will respond in general to her concerns.

During the first 2 1/2 years of my commissioner terms, I was in the Air National Guard and, although infrequent, there were occasions that I had drill and training that conflicted with the Board of County Commissioner, or BoCC, meeting schedule. Sometimes, I was able to perform my military duties early in order to also attend the BoCC meetings but that was not always possible.

Directly after serving in the military, I was assigned to the Central District Health board as part of my duties as a commissioner in the summer of 2023. This board encompasses Elmore, Ada,

Boise and Valley counties, and I feel it is an important aspect of my job to serve as a voice for Elmore County on that board.

In the event that a commissioner meeting and CDH meeting conflict with each other, I attend the CDH meeting in the morning and then rush back to attend the rest of the commissioner meeting. I communicate this with the commissioner’s clerk to ensure the most important

Elmore County agenda items are scheduled in the afternoon so that I can do my due diligence in representing Elmore County’s citizens across all agencies.

Another tid-bit that most are not aware of is that the chairperson of the Board of Elmore County Commissioners also sits on the magistrate commission, which oversees the hiring of judges for Elmore, Ada, Boise and Valley Counties. This is an extremely important role and one that does pull us away from BoCC meetings.

I was chairperson in 2022 and again this year.

Again, I’m unaware of what dates her “research” is showing, but a year ago I lost my father. So, yes, I did miss meetings during the period in which he was ill, when I took care of him through his death and later to deal with his estate (which is still not finalized). I do my best to schedule my trips to New Mexico where he resided and conduct needed business for his estate remotely to ensure I do not miss BoCC meetings, but that is not always possible.

In short, a large majority of absences are due to other assigned duties relating to my position as a commissioner and I hope this clears up Ms. O’Hanley’s concerns. Moving forward, I hope she feels empowered to reach out to me directly. My cell phone number is public record at this point and available on the Elmore County website.

Plus, she lives literally just down the street from me.

I just ask that it’s at a reasonable hour and does not contain inappropriate content as she has been known to do to my commissioner counterparts. And, of course, if my response is dissatisfactory, then I encourage her to get her name on the ballot as she does reside in my district and has every right to run for my seat in the primary election in May 2026.

Sincerely,

-- Crystal Rodgers, Elmore County commissioner, District 2