A new Cd'A council, mayor for new year

COEUR d'ALENE - Today will mark a new era in Coeur d'Alene as the new mayor and city council members are sworn in at an official ceremony this evening.

The outgoing council members and Mayor Sandi Bloem will open their last council meeting tonight at 6 in the Community Room of the public library.

They will finish up old business, such as approving the minutes of the last council meeting, and then they will swear in Mayor-elect Steve Widmyer, and council members-elect Amy Evans, Kiki Miller and Woody McEvers.

According to Widmyer, there will be a brief recess and the new council will be seated. Then the appointments will begin.

Widmyer said he will make a series of recommendations appointing the newly elected council members, and the incumbent council members in several key positions on city-related committees.

Those committees include the library board, public works committee, parks and recreation, general services committee, the pedestrian and bike commission, Coeur d'Alene television and the arts commission.

"I have talked with each of the council members about these positions, and I have a pretty good idea what they would like to be doing," Widmyer said, declining to say who would be appointed to each position.

Other liaison positions will be appointed as well, he said. Those would include seats on the boards of Panhandle Area Council, Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, Lake City Center and the Lake City Development Corporation.

"There will be no liaison to the LCDC appointed (tonight)," Widmyer said, explaining he wants to take two weeks or so to evaluate that position and how the city deals with LCDC in the future.

The council will also elect a council president.

Widmyer said he has spent 10 to 15 hours per week for the past two months studying different issues and meeting with staff members. He is excited to get started.

"I have been talking about all of this since July," he said. "It'll be nice to finally put some of this into action."

Aside from filling a few job positions, Widmyer said he will focus on getting a better handle on the McEuen Park construction to ensure that it opens on time and on budget.

He is also planning to meet with economic development leaders in the community to begin discussing new ways to generate new jobs in the community.

Widmyer wants to bring many of the players together and re-focus the community's efforts on new strategy designed to create and attract jobs.

"I am going to spend some time forming a new committee to boost up this jobs effort," he said.