McLain to seek seat on county commission

COEUR d’ALENE — Russell McLain plans to make another run for the Kootenai County Commission.

He announced he will seek the Republican nomination for the District 3 seat currently held by Bob Bingham. The seat will be for a four-year term. The primary election is May 15.

In his first-ever campaign for public office, McLain ran for the seat as an independent in November 2016. He lost to Bingham and received 28.5 percent of the votes.

McLain has lived in Kootenai County for 23 years.

The former school bus driver who also made a living buying and selling real estate is retired, and says he has the time to give the job his full attention. He has been a regular attendee of local government and political meetings and gatherings in recent years.

“I don’t like how the counterculture is taking over the Republican Party,” he said. “Those people are killing the happiness at the county, and I don’t like it. I have a straight-forward way of thinking, and I’m not afraid to listen and understand.”

McLain said he believes ideology has been put ahead of common sense and even public health with recent decisions. He said a recent nuisance complaint and possible environmental hazard along Boekel Road was recently brought before the commission, but the board decided to not prosecute in the name of property rights.

“Ideology was put before public health,” he said.

McLain said it’s critical that Kootenai County partners with area cities and other organizations to boost economic development.

McLain said he’s against making building permits voluntary, which is a hot-button issue heading into next month’s public hearing on the subject.

“It’s one thing I don’t want to see changed,” he said. “Permits are important because they are an insurance policy. It ensures the customer or homeowner has a minimum standard of quality. I don’t think that it’s a bad process and it’s cheap insurance. It doesn’t cost much and everybody comes out good.”

With the future transit center in Riverstone, it’s time to move on to make it work since it has already been voted on, McLain said. He doesn’t believe it will be a magnet for crime or become a public nuisance.

“That building has to be lit and those people are going to want to stay in the shadows,” he said. “As long as it’s clean, safe and reliable, I think it will be a good thing for the area and I believe that law enforcement has a handle on it. I don’t like where it will be, but that’s where the powers to be put it, so now we have to make it work.”

He praised county staff for being good at what they do and believes they should be allowed to do their jobs and not micromanaged.

McLain has volunteered to help senior citizens, including most recently with the going-out-of-business sale at Sherman Hardware and owner John Montandon.

“Dedication to friends and others … that’s the Republican Idaho that isn’t here anymore,” he said.

McLain is the father of Nicole McLain, a graduate of Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy who has a degree in cybersecurity.

The official filing period for candidates is Feb. 26 through March 9. The general election is Nov. 6.