Negative campaigns bomb at ballot box

COEUR d'ALENE — Tuesday's Coeur d'Alene City Council elections made it clear voters don't like negative campaigning.

They have grown tired of last-minute tactics in which candidates make up something to smear an opponent. They want candidates who just run on their own record.

And the election also ended up serving as a referendum on the value of the community's urban renewal agency, ignite cda.

"What the Coeur d'Alene voters chose was the candidates who they felt were going to have a positive effect on the community," Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer said Wednesday.

Longtime City Councilman Ron Edinger won big Tuesday, winning two-thirds of the vote against his challenger, Toby Schindelbeck. Edinger received 3,131 votes to Schendelbeck's 1,559, according to unofficial results.

Edinger has a long record of positive changes, and voters don't see him changing his ways, Widmyer said.

Dan English, a former Coeur d'Alene city councilman and Kootenai County clerk, beat incumbent Steve Adams. English received 2,645 votes to 1,802 for Adams.

English was seen by voters as someone who has served the community in many positive ways, Widmyer said.

"(Voters) took a look at the last couple of weeks of the really negative campaigning and kind of rejected that," he said.

"The election was a good indicator about how a majority of citizens feel about the overall direction of the community and its elected leadership," said Sandy Patano, who has been involved in Republican politics for decades and involved in community and civic activities. "(Voters) confirmed that they approved of public projects promoted by local government and supported by the taxpayers."

Voter turnout in Kootenai County was 18.6 percent, with 9,296 voters casting ballots of 50,020 registered voters.

Negative campaign fliers flew this election, targeting both Edinger and English. Last week, Edinger ended up having to defend himself during a press conference against lies from campaign fliers from a political action committee called Responsible CDA.

Edinger faced attacks calling him a Democrat, others saying he missed too many meetings, and some claiming he wasn't pro-gun. English was accused of not being Christian enough. Both objected to party politics being injected into a nonpartisan city race as their opponents touted their conservative political principles.

Voters rose up against such attacks, said Eden Irgens, president of the political action committee Balance North Idaho, which endorses and promotes candidates and issues in local nonpartisan elections.

"This is the second time the people of Coeur d'Alene have really spoken and said we're tired of the craziness," Irgens said.

She pointed specifically to the Responsible CDA flier last week.

"I think one thing that really hurt (Schindelbeck and Adams) was that piece that Brent Regan funded — that went out — that was so nasty and had complete lies in it," Irgens said. "It really shined a light on how they play, and while they think they are absolutely geniuses and super funny, it wasn't funny at all and it was really offensive."

Schindelbeck said he had no knowledge of the Responsible CDA fliers.

"And what, specifically, was considered 'negative' about them," Schindelbeck said in an email. "From what I read, it just quoted his statements at our debate and some (urban renewal) facts."

Schindelbeck denied he was criticizing Edinger for missing council meetings.

"How can a council member do his job if he misses two months in a row, then another two-and-a-half months in a row in less than a year?" Schindelbeck said. "These are facts — not criticisms."

Edinger had surgery for a life-threatening aneurism. That was followed by serious complications.

Becky Funk, a consultant who managed Adams' campaign, said Adams and Schindelbeck became a de-facto slate of candidates because they ran on the same issues. She wouldn't say whether she thought that hurt Adams.

"Steve is probably the most honest politician you'll ever run across," Funk said. "He will not distance himself from someone he supports just for political expediency."

She said abysmal voter turnout hurt.

"Obviously Ron Edinger was able to get his people out," Funk said. "I think that Dan came in on his coattails."

She predicted that with English on the city council there likely won't be any changes to urban renewal. She said city budget increases might be another result.

"One of the things that Steve was so good at is he was a real budget hawk," Funk said. "I'm not sure that Dan English is going to hold those same views."

Widmyer said he doesn't see the city becoming any less fiscally conservative than it is today.

As for urban renewal, Widmyer, Patano and Irgens said voters made a statement concerning urban renewal in the city.

"I think the voters came out and voted for candidates who believe that urban renewal is a good (economic) tool, something that could move our community forward," Widmyer said.

Both English and Edinger view the work of ignite cda in a positive light, while also believing some changes could make it a better tool. One change would be more clearly defining what the agency can and cannot do.

"I do feel like this was the community showing confidence in urban renewal," Irgens said.