Planning and zoning commissions that serve every county in this nation are comprised of individuals appointed to their post, often on a volunteer basis. Such is the situation in this rural county in the inland Northwest. Like most regulatory boards, while believing they are serving their neighbors, they are unaccountable to those same neighbors except by elected county commissioners removing them from their seats. The interesting thing is, that this circumstance doesn’t rule out political pressure.
During this presidential election cycle there has been an expanded discussion on the appalling rise of drug addiction among the general population. In both parties the topic has been hotly debated, with numerous candidates sharing personal stories of how their lives have been affected by the viral nature of addiction. Despite this growing epidemic, there are still pockets of resistance to the idea that this evil has been let loose in their communities. Statistics show that it has.
