20240718Comment_1.pdf

The following comment was submitted via PUCWeb:
Name: Christopher Norton
Submission Time:Jul 18 2024 12:25PM
Email: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]
Address: 346 North Star Ln.
Sandpoint, ID 83864
Name of Utility Company:Valiant Idaho, Inc TIC Utilities LLC
Case ID: GNR-W-24-01
Comment: "David Reed, Read Tuddenham and I were the three independent directors on the Board
of Directors of The Idaho Club Home Owners Association. We are all permanent residents living in
The Idaho Club and are customers of Valiant and TIC Utilities.We have all either resigned our
positions as directors of The Idaho Club Home Owners Association and/or did not seek another
term two months early because of the contentious issue surrounding the water.
We were tasked with conducting an investigation into the proposed acquisition of the water system
currently owned by Valiant and TIC Utilities by the Home Owners Association. We came to the
decision that the acquisition of the water system under the terms and conditions proposed by
Valiant, either directly or through a water district,was not in the best interest of the Home Owners
Association and took efforts to present our decision to the home owners of The Idaho Club. In
retaliation,Valiant Idaho, LLC,through its managing agent William Haberman,first unsuccessfully
sought to fire us as members of the board of directors. Subsequently,Valiant Idaho, LLC sought to
intimidate Read Tuddenham and myself by threatening legal action against us. Furthermore,
because I was the individual who presented most of the facts to the home owners,Valiant,through
its managing member William Haberman, revoked without cause my membership in The Idaho
Club Golf Club and kept my$12,500 initiation fee.
Most recently,Valiant Idaho, LLC through its managing member William Haberman sent an email to
the home owners of The Idaho Club attempting to denigrate the integrity of Read Tuddenham and
myself by falsely claiming that the basis of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission's investigation
into Valiant was because Mr.Tuddenham and I filed public complaints against Valiant and the IPUC
was then legally compelled to investigate. Specifically,Valiant wrote"Another fact that was not
disclosed by Norton is that it was Tuddenham and Norton whose actions led to the initiation of an
IPUC investigation of Valiant and/or our utility company,TIC Utilities. Our counsel,who previously
represented IPUC, has been in frequent contact with IPUC throughout the process,first during the
period when Gem State had the system under contract, immediately after Gem State elected to not
close, and during the period when Valiant had offered to sell to the HOA. Over the past two years,
IPUC has been notified of, and have not objected to our plans,first to sell to Gem State and later to
potentially sell to the HOA.The only reason this was elevated to an investigation was the public
complaint initiated by Tuddenham and Norton in response to which IPUC was legally compelled to
investigate.This was confirmed by IPUC."
respectfully request that when the Commission Staff makes their recommendation to the
Commission and the Commission enters its decision,the Commission Staff and the Commission
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clarify the record and state when the Idaho Public Utilities Commission began its investigation of
Valiant Idaho, Inc. and TIC Utilities, LLC, state the basis of its decision to commence a formal
investigation of Valiant Idaho, Inc. and TIC Utilities, LLC, and refute William Haberman's assertion
the Read Tuddenham or I ever filed a public complaint.
could enumerate a variety of reasons why Valiant Idaho, Inc. and TIC Utilities, LLC should be
regulated. However, I believe Valiant itself gives the most compelling reason. In the same
aforementioned letter,Valiant's managing member described himself as a"benevolent dictator".
The homeowners of The Idaho Club need an entity to protect them from a person who considers
himself a dictator. Moreover,Valiant represented to the home owners of The Idaho Club that it was
going to seek to be regulated by the IPUC. Specifically,Valiant stated in the same letter that"Since
the annual HOA meeting, I asked our counsel to inform his contact at IPUC that we are no longer
pursuing a sale of the system to the HOA, or the establishment of a district, and asked him to
initiate the process to get the water system regulated by IPUC." Valiant's initiating the process to
get the water system regulated by the IPUC should conclude the investigation as to whether or not
Valiant should be regulated as a public utility.
Thank you for your time and anticipated consideration.
Sincerely,
Christopher Norton"
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