O'Neill reflects on stint as commissioner

The end of 2012 also means the end of Pat O’Neill’s tenure as Whitman County commissioner from District 2.

O’Neill, 65, Johnson, was one of the rarest breeds of Whitman County politicians - a Democrat.

“I got elected as a Democrat in Whitman County,” he said. “If I do nothing else in my life, that’s a pretty amazing achievement in and of itself.”

Ewartsville farmer Dean Kinzer topped O’Neill in November’s election to win the seat.

O’Neill said he can look back at his term in office without regret, knowing full certain he worked his hardest to be an honest, effective commissioner.

“What did you get for your money?” O’Neill rhetorically asked voters. “I hope citizens can be happy that I worked as hard as I could to safeguard their tax dollars and their investments.”

O’Neill believes it was the Jan. 3 meeting in which he and Commissioner Greg Partch voted over Commissioner Michael Largent’s objections to increase the county’s contribution to infrastructure at Boise-based Hawkins Companies’ stateline shopping center from $9 million to $15 million that cost him his job.

Not the decision itself, he said, but rather the way in which the decision was made. In front of a packed chamber, Partch announced that day that commissioners would not hear public comment on the proposal.

“I wanted everybody to speak - except for (Prosecutor Denis Tracy). If I had it to do over again, I probably should have made sure that happened,” said O’Neill. “The vote could have been the same, but we should have taken the time to listen.”

Tracy had issued a brief to other county officials before the vote, criticizing the proposal as the equivalent of “taking your kids’ college savings to Vegas.”

O’Neill worried Tracy would tie up the meeting with his objections.

“But I don’t regret that vote. This county has nothing going in terms of tax base. What this development will do is boost up the county’s tax base for decades,” he said.

O’Neill is also proud of his work to finally put into action the expensive and troublesome New World accounting system. With a total of $1.5 million invested, Whitman County switched on the New World system on April Fool’s Day 2011.

O’Neill said it was his questions that pushed the issue into a final resolution.

“That cost me a month of heartache and no sleep,” he said. “But why did I do that? Because when I did some research I realized it was the same story year after year - ‘it’s coming, it’s coming’ - but it never came.”

Implementation of New World began shortly after O’Neill and Partch voted to fire finance director Bev Divine in June 2010.

O’Neill said the fact that the expensive New World system was still unused five years after its purchase and years of missed state audit deadlines forced him to make the controversial decision to replace Divine.

Along with Partch, O’Neill was the subject of a recall attempt by former Oakesdale resident and staunch wind farm opponent Roger Whitten.

Whitten, citing comments made by Largent, accused the two commissioners of meeting in illegal secret meetings to decide Divine’s fate.

The recall was dismissed by acting judge William Acey who heard the case in the place of Superior Court Judge David Frazier. He believes the split on the finance department irreparably damaged relations between he, Partch and Largent.

“After that happened - this board went to hell,” he said. “There’s no way to operate a three-person board without input from all three members. There’s been no meaningful discussion between the members of this board since.”

He also pointed to the decision he led to purchase the county health department’s office in the Professional Mall in Pullman. O’Neill said that decision resulted in reduced long-term operating costs and ensures a health department presence in the county’s largest city.

He also cited his work on the Martin Hall board of directors.

Despite concerns by cooperating counties about the juvenile detention center’s spending, O’Neill helped structure a new deal that kept the center running through at least 2013.

Juvenile justice problems were high upon O’Neill’s list of priorities in government. He praised the county’s juvenile services department for “outstanding work.”

“I believe it could be more important than the sheriff or what they have to deal with in rehabilitating troubled children into outstanding citizens,” he said.

O’Neill also helped the area’s charitable organizations coordinate their food bank distributions, helping establish a bus route to Community Action Center’s Pullman office. “I started asking questions and realized nobody knew what each other was doing,” said O’Neill.

“Now our food agencies are working together and expanding their services and cooperation.”

A retired mechanic for United Airlines, O’Neill said he and Connie, to whom he’s been married 35 years, now look forward to getting an RV to visit their three grown children and grandchildren and travel the country. “I’ve flown over all these towns all my life. Now it’s time to go see them.”

But he said he will never forget his four years as Whitman County commissioner. “I want to thank all the citizens for allowing me to represent them for the last four years,” said O’Neill. “It’s been a challenge and frustrating at times. But it’s been an honor and a helluva ride.”