Plenty left for Currie, Piazza

COEUR d'ALENE - The end of the job might be in sight but there's still plenty to do. As two of Kootenai County's commissioners enter the lame duck stage after losing in Tuesday's primary election, neither plans to fade out quietly, they said. "I'll keep working. Whatever comes down the pipe I work on," said Commissioner Rick Piazza, who will turn over his District 3 seat to Dan Green next January.

COEUR d'ALENE - The end of the job might be in sight but there's still plenty to do.

As two of Kootenai County's commissioners enter the lame duck stage after losing in Tuesday's primary election, neither plans to fade out quietly, they said.

"I'll keep working. Whatever comes down the pipe I work on," said Commissioner Rick Piazza, who will turn over his District 3 seat to Dan Green next January.

Piazza's primary goal before his last seven months are up is to finish deliberations on the new Comprehensive Plan, he said.

It won't take seven months, though.

"It's going to be done shortly here," Piazza said.

"It's been a long time coming."

The county will soon after hire a firm to create regulations implementing the plan, he added.

"Everybody says they want it (new regulations), so it shouldn't take long," he said.

Commissioner Rick Currie, who will be giving up his District 2 seat to Jai Nelson, said he's been busy with the day-to-day operations of the county and doesn't expect that to change.

"I'm continuing to do the job I was elected to do," Currie said.

The commissioners have achieved many accomplishments during their tenures, Currie said, including opening a new transfer station for the Solid Waste Department and acquiring the old federal building downtown that will be used to expedite court operations.

"I'm very proud of a lot of things we've done," Currie said.

Tuesday's primary winners will run unopposed in the general election, unless a write-in candidate emerges.

The new commissioners will be sworn in the second Monday of January.

Nelson, who will take over Currie's seat for a four-year term, said she will be researching and following hearings to stay up to speed on issues.

"I think I'm going to stay in the background for right now," Nelson said Wednesday, adding that she doesn't plan to meet with Currie until just before he leaves office. "I think those commissioners have a job to do and they need to continue doing their job until I take office. I'll wait and hit the ground running when my term begins."

She has a list of items to tackle when that time comes, she said.

Goals she campaigned on include a temporary freeze on property-tax based budgets, as well as possibly using a hearing examiner from the private sector to remove any perceived or real conflicts of interest during land use planning.

What she will address first depends on the progress the current commissioners make in the meantime, she said.

"We'll see where things have been left off at, and move forward and make some progress from there," said Nelson, who will put her interior design business on hold while she serves.

Green, who will take over as commissioner for a two-year term, also said he doesn't want to step on the current commissioners' toes.

"The commissioners are still commissioners. I respect their roles over the next seven months while they're still working," said Green, retired after 30 years in the lumber industry.

But he does plan to do his homework, he said.

Green said he will be meeting with county department heads for briefings on their duties and goals.

"I spend a lot of time working with planning and zoning. I think I'm well versed in that area, but I'm not an expert on other facets of the county," said Green, who has been a member of the county Planning and Zoning Commission since 2003. "When new commissioners come in, it's hard to be well versed."

He already met with some department heads during his campaign, he added, including Sheriff Rocky Watson, Solid Waste Director Roger Saterfiel and county Clerk Dan English.

After those discussions, he is intrigued to learn more about the difference between prosperity fund departments and those that operate under the county's general fund, he said.

"It's complex," Green said. "I just want to get a better grasp so when you make decisions, you make better decisions."

He will also monitor the current commissioners' completion of the Comprehensive Plan, he added. As chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, he anticipates working with the commissioners in choosing a firm to create new zoning regulations.

"I think the Planning Commission will have input there," he said.

When Green leaves the Planning Commission, the vice chair will take over his duties until a new chair is elected in February 2011, he said.

Green isn't anxious about shouldering the myriad responsibilities of county commissioner, he added.

"I'm just going to do what I've always done. My research," he said.