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Gookin makes bid to be the next Kootenai County Clerk

| February 9, 2018 3:54 PM

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene City councilman Dan Gookin announced he is seeking election to the office of Kootenai County Clerk.

“This important office needs someone who will put the people of Kootenai Country first,” Gookin said, in his announcement released Friday.

As clerk, Gookin said he promises he’ll bring the same careful attention to detail and respect for the rules that he’s demonstrated on the city council.

“I’ve proven that I’m fiscally conservative while meeting the needs of staff to maintain a high level of service for the citizens of Coeur d’Alene. I’ll do the same as your county clerk,” he said.

He said his goals as clerk include adding transparency, providing accountability, and restoring a sense of calm to the five divisions that report to the county clerk.

“For the past several years, the Clerk’s Office has had the highest turnover rate for a department of its size in the county. Citizens and county employees deserve someone at the helm who treats the position with respect and not a platform for personal vendettas,” said Gookin.

Don’t expect to see Gookin’s name on the ballot in May because he’s running as an independent.

“Like many people, I don’t fit in well with any party.” he said. “Running as an independent is risky because people have been misled into believing that they’re ‘throwing a vote away’ if they don’t vote D or R. The flaw with this approach is that we end up with the lesser of two evils, which hasn’t yielded positive results for the country or our community.

“As clerk, it will be my goal to serve the public, not myself and not some political party boss. Further, as the clerk oversees elections and the clerks of the court, I believe having a nonpartisan, independent public official is the best course.”

The current city clerk is Jim Brannon.

Gookin is an author and video trainer who has written over 160 books on technology, including the book DOS For Dummies, which spawned the entire For Dummies line. He is the father of four boys. Gookin holds a degree in Communications/Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego.