Scott Herndon, chair of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, released a video last night on social media making a variety of claims about the ongoing investigation into the arson committed against the Army Surplus store on July 4th. The fire destroyed Cornel Rasor’s business but our extremely capable firefighters were able to contain the fire to one building and ensure that nobody was hurt.
Today, we are disappointed that Mr. Herndon has chosen to release baseless accusations and misinformation, and we feel that it is important to set the record straight.
To conclude that Bonner County Democrats were in collusion with the alleged arsonist simply because we did business with Bonner Media is ridiculous. Bonner Media is a sign printing company, and works for a variety of businesses and campaigns as a matter of business including Republicans Dimitry Borisov and Ron Korn. In our commitment to promoting opportunity as a way to strengthen our community, Bonner County Democrats have worked with numerous small, local businesses over the years.
Jennifer Meyer did rent from Steve Johnson, from 2017 to 2019. Steve has had many tenants on his property over the years, as have a number of other community-minded property owners trying to provide affordable housing in this county. Ms. Meyer has not lived at that address since 2019, five years ago. Rather than speculate about why there is any confusion about her address, we defer to the dedicated professionals working to uncover the truth of the case to release the facts at the appropriate time.
“His commitment to service as a way to strengthen his community is admirable, and we would hope that more people would step up to provide work and affordable housing in this housing market in particular,” said Bonner County Democrats Chairwoman, Linda Larson. “The Bonner County Democratic Central Committee did, in fact, give a donation to Steve Johnson, as we have for all of our excellent candidates. We would hope that the Bonner County Republican Central Committee would be similarly proud to announce that they have given contributions within the limits of state campaign finance law to Republican candidates.”
Democrats are committed to building a community that values truth over partisan rhetoric, and critical thinking over partisan emotional attacks. We show our respect for law and order by allowing our law enforcement professionals to do their jobs without publicly promoting rumors, manufacturing controversy, and speaking about a different party candidate’s home address during an ongoing investigation into a shocking crime.
We would hope our responsible Republican neighbors would agree that there is no place for this type of behavior in our community, and we reject Mr. Herndon’s efforts to further divide us.
We thank the Sandpoint Police Department for their dedicated work on this case, and we hope that they can continue to work effectively to determine the truth and bring closure for Mr. Rasor during this difficult time.
Bonner County Democrats is the community branch of the Idaho Democratic party in Bonner County, Idaho. In addition to political actions such as campaign support for local candidates and causes, BC Dems organize social events, community service opportunities, and a speaker series that connects local leaders and activists with members of the community. For questions regarding BC Dems and their work, contact bonnerdemocrats@gmail.com