Anderson recalled for hard work, fairness

Whether he was making decisions as a Kootenai County commissioner or serving for several local law enforcement agencies, Michael Anderson will be remembered as a respected and reliable hard worker.

Anderson, a commissioner from 1992 to 1994 who served more than 30 years in law enforcement in North Idaho from officer and deputy to chief, died at his home in Kamiah on Sunday due to complications of epilepsy. He was 55.

"You could always count on him to get the job done," said Cliff Hayes, Post Falls' former police chief who hired Anderson as an officer in 1987 before Anderson worked his way up to a captain and was elected as a commissioner in 1992.

"It was a shock to me that he had passed. I saw him a few months ago and everything was fine."

As a commissioner, Anderson was big on open meetings, Hayes said.

"One time he refused to go into executive session because the topic wasn't covered (under the rules for calling a closed meeting)," Hayes said.

Tom Taggart, Lakeland School District's finance director who was the county clerk when Anderson served as commissioner, described Anderson as "straightforward and honest."

"He was pretty naive about county government when he came in, but he really jumped in to learn about things," Taggart said. "The 911 center had just opened up and he did a good job of helping run the center with his law enforcement background. Whatever we needed to do, he'd do it. He set pretty high standards for himself on how he did his job."

Anderson has been a deputy for Clearwater County in Orofino since June 2009.

"He was our backcountry deputy and he fit that role well," Clearwater Sheriff Chris Goetz said. "He had a lot of law enforcement experience, but he was also really good with people. He treated everybody fairly and with respect, and that's hard to find anymore. He'd go out and do anything for anybody."

Goetz said Anderson worked a full shift on Saturday and no one noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Anderson was the police chief in St. Maries when he was hired on at Post Falls Police. After he served as a county commissioner, Anderson was rehired at PFPD as an officer.

Anderson also worked for Pinehurst Police, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department and Boundary County Sheriff's Department. He also worked in the security industry, including in California and at the Seattle Center before returning to Idaho.

Anderson's funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Yates Funeral Home, 744 N. Fourth St., Coeur d'Alene.