Sommer to seek county commission seat

Luke Sommer announced he plans to seek the Republican nomination for Kootenai County Commissioner of District 3.

The seat is currently held by Bob Bingham.

"We need commissioners who understand that the proper role of government is to protect the rights of the citizens, not to burden them with excessive taxation and bury them with regulations." Sommer said.

Sommer said he is a Realtor, elderly caregiver, youth pastor and civic volunteer. He has served on the boards of the Panhandle Pachyderm Club and the Reagan Republicans and has been a member of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee as a committeeman and as parliamentarian.

Sommer served six years as the president of the Panhandle Pachyderm Club, whose mission is to inform and educate citizens about important political and civil issues.

Sommer said he believes government must not expand faster than the community it serves.

He said he believes many new residents are fleeing overbearing state and local governments.

"We must not repeat the mistakes of California, Oregon and Washington," Sommer said.

Sommer said he believes the county should not consider connecting our transit system to Spokane or to be spending taxpayer money on transit center offices for county employees. Those funds should be used for essential mandated services or reducing taxes, he said.

"I have known Commissioner Marc Eberlein for years and consider him both a friend and a kindred spirit in our philosophy of government." Sommer said, "During the last budget debate, the commissioners voted 2 to 1 against commissioner Eberlein’s zero tax increase proposal. I would have voted with commissioner Eberlein to block the 1.5 percent tax increase."

Sommer said he does not support creating the new position of financial analyst because he believes this function is already being performed by the County Clerk’s Office. Sommer is a father of five and became a Coeur d'Alene resident 16 years ago.

"Ronald Reagan reminded us that freedom is not passed to our children without effort," he said. "Every generation has a duty to preserve our freedoms, our republic for the sake of the next generation. I look forward to serving our community so that we may leave a legacy of freedom."

The primary election is May 15. The general election is Nov. 6.