County Commissioner, District 1: Tim Herzog, Republican

To reduce bureaucracy and restore confidence in local government, Tim Herzog wants to become a county commissioner.

The Post Falls Republican is running for the District 1 seat currently occupied by Todd Tondee. He also ran for the county commission in 2008 and 2012.

Herzog said Tondee has had enough time on the commission, saying the job isn't intended to be a career.

Herzog, 66, said he supports job creation through business recruitment, and wants to encourage responsible growth with respect for individual property rights.

"The past several years, I feel there's been some decisions made where common sense wasn't used," Herzog said of the current commission. "I'm real pro-economic development. We're lacking in jobs here for skilled help."

He said he is concerned about pay for county sheriff's office deputies, because they are leaving for higher paying jobs at other agencies in North Idaho and eastern Washington.

He said it costs $100,000 to get a deputy trained and ready to hit the streets.

"We're training them on our dollars," he said. "It does affect us all. I really feel like I can turn things around."

If elected, he would work to retain county deputies. He promised members of the Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff's Association he would meet regularly with them, if elected, to find a solution.

He promised to work on behalf of all county employees.

"We have to maintain the employees we have," Herzog said.

He said the county must establish common sense land-use ordinances. He is critical of how long it has taken to get land-use code updates completed.

He said the draft Unified Land Use Code produced by the county's consultant, Kendig Keast Collaborative, was a failure and rejected by the public.

He also wants more transparency, pointing out the county has made some high-profile payouts to county employees and offered no explanation for spending the money.

He said his experience owning multiple small businesses - auto repair, tires, machine shop - provides him the experience necessary to serve the county best. He said he also possesses strong people and negotiating skills, which he developed as a real estate agent.

Politically, he said, he has run as a "fiscally conservative" candidate in past elections. Today, he said, that term is being overused. He describes himself now as "fiscally responsible."

He has been a county property owner since October 1987.