Lee Root takes reins at Rosalia

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Jan 18, 20180

When Lee Root resided in Lewiston and traveled north to visit relatives in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, he traveled through Rosalia.

“I always thought it was a nice little town,” he said.

Nice enough that when he retired, he ended up moving to Rosalia and has lived there for the past nine years. He added it was one of the best moves he has ever made.

As the newly-elected mayor of Rosalia, Root is stepping up with the hope of getting Rosalia back to what it was before the Highway 195 by-pass was put in.

“I know I have a steep learning curve...but I’m willing to put in the time and get up to speed,” he said.

Root had served on the town council for a time, but did not quite agree with how things were being done and resigned out of frustration. He said he never intended to run for mayor, but he had a lot of people approach him about it. He participated in two meet and greets and set up an election Facebook page, but did not campaign much beyond that. He was elected to replace incumbent Nan Konishi in November.

Root was 13 days into the new office when he spoke to the Gazette and noted how a two block walk to the post office took two hours as citizens approached and talked to him.

Being approachable and open to public comment is one of the things Root wants to work on in Rosalia.

“I think the community needs to be better informed,” he said. He noted the town had a newsletter, but it went from being mailed out to on-line only when the town cut back due to expense.

He has converted his election Facebook page to a mayoral page and has already used it to keep people informed about specific issues, the impacts and resolutions. He also intends to develop ways to communicate with people in town who do not have online access. Root wants information to be readily available to all residents, at the same time realizing that small towns have budget restraints.

In the meantime, Root has made himself available, usually starting his day at 8 a.m. at city hall. Even in the evening when not at the office, he is working on things and researching at home.

“I think that’s what it’s all about: being in touch with the residents,” he said.

Infrastructure, especially the 40-year-old water and sewer lines, is at the top of Root’s to-do list.

“That’s gotta be our top priority,” he said.

“We have such a problem with our infrastructure.”

He noted the lines are failing and in the past there were only band-aid fixes.

“We need to do something that has a long-term effect,” he said.

Root acknowledged that Konishi had addressed the issue, and he wants to continue where she left off.

“We’re having to play catch-up,” he said. As the town can not afford to do all the work at once, they have to take it a chunk at a time, getting as much done with the money they have as possible. He is working with town engineer JUB to see what all can be done with the grant money already awarded to the town for the upcoming project.

Another part of getting the town built back up will be not only open communication between himself and citizens, but open communication and camaraderie among all the people and organizations in town. He would like to see Rosalia reach a point where people set aside their personal differences to look at what is best for the community. Root said he wants to remove as much friction as possible and get everyone working together.

Root is known as “The Halloween Guy,” in Rosalia. His first two years in town, the haunted house was hosted at the old lumberyard across the street from his house. Halloween is Root’s favorite holiday, and he got involved in the haunted house. When, in his third year in town, the haunted house did not happen, he wanted there to still be something for the kids.

Every year, Root decorates his yard to more than compensate for the haunted house. Most of the decorations are his own fabrication, and he puts a lot of time into setting them up. He admitted that some years he had wondered if it is worth the work, but when the kids start talking, it is always positive and he keeps doing it. He said it is the reaction from the kids that he keeps doing it for.