Herzog again running for commissioner

by Alecia Warren
| March 13, 2012 6:15 AM

Tim Herzog says he has the broad experience necessary to fill the District 1 seat for Kootenai County commissioner.

The Post Falls Realtor who filed for candidacy last week said his history as a businessman, lobbyist and member of various community groups sets him apart from the seat's several other candidates.

"Besides the experience that comes with my age, I have wisdom," the 64-year-old said.

Herzog ran for the same seat four years ago, and lost the primary to Todd Tondee.

He is campaigning again because he hopes to address a number of issues at the county while remaining fiscally conservative, he said.

"I want the taxpayers to get their money's worth," he said.

Herzog, who has appealed his property valuations at the county and state levels, said he would coordinate with the county Assessor's Office to better educate the public on how property valuations and taxes are determined, he said.

He also promised to try to curb property taxes by encouraging taxing districts to "hold the line" on their budgets. Herzog would fight against impact fees charged to developers, too, which he considers a deterrent to new business.

The Chicago native favors some kind of jail expansion, though he isn't sure what that would look like yet.

He doesn't think the county should spend tax dollars and use manpower to ship out excess inmates to other facilities, he said.

"If we had more space, we could house our own inmates and house those from other areas for money," he said.

Herzog would not pursue creating a county administrator, he said, which he considers a needless level of bureaucracy.

He also objects to the current commissioners' pursuit of a board of professionals to take over property valuation hearings, which he considers the commissioners' role under statute.

"I'm totally against it," he said.

Herzog has worked over 40 years in manufacturing and automotive repair, he said.

He also lobbied for several years for motorcyclist rights, he said, during which he coordinated with state legislators. He serves on the government affairs committee for the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, and was chair of an economic development committee for the chamber. He also created the Pachyderm club.

Herzog has been married three years to Jeanne, who has three grown daughters and four grandchildren.

"I've got solid business experience of many years and the political experience of being involved," Herzog said.

Editor's note: This online story has been edited to reflect the corrections noted in the comments section of the original story. Those comments have been republished below as they appeared on the original web story.

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7 comments:

Tim Herzog posted at 1:40 pm on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Good employees are one of the most important assets to any business, and the running of County government is a business. I have worked for 20 years in the manufacturing industry, both small shops and large companies, union and non union. Before i moved here in 1987, i was poised to take over a 50 employee machine shop and management knew how I felt about workers. In fact I was surprised for the offer because for five years i had many run-ins with management. They basically admitted that they needed more people like me willing to buck the system.

I am blue collar thru and thru and respect the working man and woman. Management that looks down from their ivory tower at employees forgets who does the work. Turnover of employees is expensive and counter productive to any business.

One of my goals as commissioner was to poll the workers on what is good or bad in working for the county. I would love the opportunity to meet some of them, confidentially or otherwise to discuss the issues.

I am in the phone book.

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votingcountyemployee posted at 12:07 pm on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 6

What is your stance on employee salaries and benefits considering the magnitude of this issue as related to the large numbers of employees and their impact on County Government and our local economy? (The County is not a pizza shop with part-time help). It is well known that in the 21st Century the most successful Corporations are those who strive to take care of their employees. Doing so adds to cost efficiency and a quality product for the taxpayers – failing to do so creates just the opposite. Unfortunately the County employees are not insulated from County politics. What experience or philosophies do you bring to the table in this context? The County has never really had an actual “fully implemented step in grade pay system”, and every time new Commissioners come in off the street many have the philosophy that when expenses need to be reduced, the easy way out is to do it on the backs of the Employees. Current salaries in some positions aren’t even attracting qualified applications (not to mention the negative impact caused by efforts to reduce pay and benefits). This strategy has done nothing but add to high turnover (the loss of jobs to other markets) and poor morale. What is your philosophy on maintaining a quality employee base that juxtaposes the Kootenai County Mission Statement (cost effective government)? Are you in favor of making a difference in peoples lives, or would you simply display apathy like some other Commissioners have? Would you be in favor of establishing an actual pay system based on wage studies County Commissioners spent literally over $100,000 on (and at the same time gave themselves fat raises based on those very results in the study while ignoring the rest of the results)? The Kootenai County employees have a strong voting base when you consider their impact on family members, friends, and circles of influence. A Commissioner that backs the employees (and defends the past efforts by some Commissioners to improve the workplace) could go a long way in an election by once again making the County a competitive and desired place of employment ensuring security for employees and their families, lowering high turnover ratios, and at the same time save the taxpayers a lot of money in the long run (which by the way, the employees are taxpayers as well.)

As for the issue with the jails, I was appalled to hear that the jail inmates are breaking televisions so that the county will buy them new flatscreen tvs. Sounds like there could be some cuts that are made at the jail.. I dont think tv should be given to the inmates,,,,period!

Any other candidates feel free to “pipe in”.

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read more (about 11 more lines)

will-- posted at 10:33 am on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 166

Tim,

Thanks for the clarification, sounds like crucial details were left out of the article.

OK, were on the same page again. My point has always been that existing residents are negatively effected when large developement occurs in their taxation districts.

I hear you on the costly commercial tax base, Post Fall is the worst. I nearly made an offer on a commercial property there and was shocked at how high the taxes were compared to other cities in Kootenai County. Then there's the urban renewal cost burden on top of that. Deterrent is right, I will not consider investing in commercial property in Post Falls.

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Tim Herzog posted at 10:01 am on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 133

Will,

I should have also clarified that statement in the article. What I said in the interview was that I have a issue with the amount of the Impact Fees that are charged for COMMERCIAL buildings and development. These add significantly to the tax base which helps relieve some of the burden for residential taxpayers since there are NO EXEMPTIONS on commercial development. Furthermore, those high fees charged on commercial construction could be a deterrent to relocating businesses to Kootenai County or starting new businesses which bring in the much needed jobs. It's strictly a economic development issue.

Residential, new subdivisions and the like typically require much more service from Police & Fire Departments than commercial entities and developments.

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will-- posted at 9:30 am on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 166

Tim,

I'm with you on most issues, especially when it come to a county administrator.

The deal killer is not charging impact fees on developers.

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Jeffrey Wherley posted at 8:15 am on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 3084

That is allot to get wrong in one short article, wow.

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Tim Herzog posted at 6:51 am on Mon, Mar 12, 2012.

Posts: 133

CORRECTION!! i had a sit down interview with the reporter for this article and just want to correct some errors and get the facts straight. I DO NOT own a real estate company..I have been a licensed agent since 1991 and currently work under a broker! I do own a small automotive business which is currently on hold until the economy picks up and money is more attainable.

I chaired a committee for the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce, not the city, many years ago. I was instrumental in starting the Pachyderm Club, an official Republican Party Club in Post Falls and that had no affiliation with the city!