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Commission candidates share their perspectives

by Matthew Gwin Staff Writer
| April 19, 2018 1:00 AM

ATHOL — Candidates for county commissioner shared their views on school safety, privatization and transit programs in a forum Wednesday evening at the Athol Community Center.

While the candidates sparred over some issues, they were nearly unanimous in their belief that school districts should allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom.

“My solution would be a 10-second response time,” district 1 Commissioner Marc Eberlein said. “That would be someone inside the school who’s armed who could put the situation down in a heartbeat.”

Candidates Russ McLain and Bob Thornton did not indicate they support arming teachers.

The seven candidates all agreed that funding for school resource officers (SROs) should be left to individual school districts rather than the county.

Previously, Lakeland School District has petitioned the county to provide an additional SRO who would split time among three elementary schools in the district’s rural areas.

Thornton, who is challenging Commissioner Bob Bingham in district 3, offered one possible solution.

“The schools should be responsible for taking care of this situation,” Thornton said. “There are numerous law enforcement officers who are retired in this area, and I know for a fact — I’ve talked to them — that they’re willing to do this type of job if they could be deputized.”

Candidates also discussed their views on privatization of government entities, specifically the county jail and solid waste system.

Commissioner Eberlein reiterated his support for privatizing the solid waste system, arguing it could save the county $2 to $4 million each year.

Bill Brooks, Eberlein’s challenger for the district 1 seat, questioned his inconsistent record on privatization.

“What I see in Commissioner Eberlein is a schizophrenia — some things are radically private and should not be taken over by government,” Brooks said. “And then we turn right around and say this other thing should be taken over by government … Government should not be doing what the private sector does, ever.”

Brooks again chastised Eberlein for his unwillingness to commit to a one-on-one debate, saying he was doing a disservice to the public.

Another point of contention was the proposal to accept federal funding of more than $1 million for additional transit stops and improvements in the Riverstone development in Coeur d’Alene.

Bingham said he supported the plan because he hoped to return some money raised by excise taxes to the citizens in the form of transportation.

“This county and this state runs on federal money,” he said. “I’m trying to get some of it back and put it to use.”

Luke Sommer, another challenger to Bingham in district 3, argued that the county should have never become involved with the project in the first place.

“I think it was a mistake to enter into that process in the first place, and I think that we must unravel it,” Sommer said.

Leslie Duncan, also running for the district 3 seat, echoed Sommer’s sentiments and said she feared Kootenai County residents would foot the bill to the federal government.

“Limited government, individual freedom, and free enterprise: this [plan] fails on so many levels,” Duncan said. “Taking federal dollars requires taxpayer burden down the road.”

All seven candidates promised the roughly 75 people in attendance they would be responsive and accountable to the people if elected.

Russell McLain, the final challenger for Bingham’s seat, highlighted the importance of hearing ideas from everyone, something he said hasn’t always been the case.

“I’ve seen it time and time again where [commissioners’] minds are made up — they have an ideology they’re stuck in,” McLain said. “I think listening to everybody is so important, because nobody knows everything. Everybody has something to offer.”

At the beginning of the 90-minute forum, Ruben Miranda, the lone Democrat running for the district 3 seat, told the audience he supported common sense, common compassion and common logic.

Primary voting will be held on May 15.