Wallowa County is scheduled to wade back into the Greater Idaho controversy this week, as the county commissioners hold their first voter-mandated discussion about the topic at a 9 a.m. Wednesday meeting. 

Well, “voter-mandated” may be a bit of an overstatement: The May 2023 ballot measure calling for the commissioners to hold these discussions passed by seven votes out of nearly 3,500 cast. The margin of victory was just slightly over 0.2% — and if the measure had received one more “no” vote, it would have gone to an automatic recount. So this was not what you might call a sweeping mandate.

Turnout in the election was better than 55%, a stunningly high mark for a midyear election (let alone one held in an off year). It was easily the best turnout in Oregon for the May election.

So I think it’s fair to draw two conclusions:

• First, Wallowa County (more than any other Eastern Oregon county that has yet voted on a Greater Idaho measure) is very closely divided on the issue. (A similar ballot measure in 2020 failed, by a margin that was almost as close.)

• Second, there’s a lot of interest in the county (and across Eastern Oregon) about the issues behind the Greater Idaho movement.

So that helps to set the stage for Wednesday’s discussion, and it’s also fair to say that no one has much idea about what to expect. I’m expecting a standing-room-only crowd, if only because the venue, the Thornton Conference Room in the Wallowa County Courthouse, 101 S. River St. in Enterprise, isn’t exactly what you would call spacious. (The meeting also is scheduled to be livestreamed on Zoom: Click here for the link.)

(I’m also expecting a civil crowd, because — well, because we need to treat each with civility. Period.)

The ballot measure voters passed in May doesn’t actually specify that Wallowa County should become part of Idaho. (In fact, the measure doesn’t mention Idaho by name, but my suspicion is that the leaders of the Move Oregon’s Border effort have little interest in pursuing a merger with Washington state.)

Here’s the essential part of the ballot measure, in its own words: “A Wallowa County Board of Commissioners meeting shall be held on the fourth Wednesday of every February and August to discuss how to promote the interests of Wallowa County that would be relevant to a relocation of state borders, and to prepare the county for becoming a member of another state, irrespective of any other meeting dates that may be determined by that Board.”

The rest of the measure just lays out some relatively minor penalties that can be imposed for failure to follow those terms. The maximum penalty is a $125 fine.

That phrase “how to promote the interests of Wallowa County that would be relevant to a relocation of state borders” leaves a lot of wiggle room, so it will be interesting to see how Wednesday’s meeting goes. 

The Chieftain will be there on Wednesday to cover the meeting, of course, and our story and photos from the event will be on our website, wallowa.com, later that day. You’ll want to check out the website, because the print version of the story won’t be published until a week from Wednesday, because we’re a weekly paper that goes to press each week at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. 

But Wednesday’s paper will have plenty of other stories for you to enjoy. You’ll meet the Wallowa County couple who are rebuilding a Japanese farmhouse on their property, one piece at a time. As the first day of school draws near across the county, we’ll check in with area school districts to see what’s new. And you’ll learn about a fun way to cool down a high school football team on a hot day. (If you can’t wait to read those stories in print, they’ll be posted on our website either Monday or Tuesday.)

It’s all part of our continuing efforts to cover Wallowa County news to the best of our ability. As always, if you have a comment or question about the Chieftain, or want to suggest a story idea, email me at mmcinally@wallowa.com.

If you haven’t already, take a moment to register your subscription for digital access of the Chieftain. Call 541-963-3161 to talk to one of our customer service staff, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Chieftain’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.

Mike McInally is the editor of the Wallowa County Chieftain. You can email him at editor@wallowa.com or mmcinally@wallowa.com.