GOOKIN: For county clerk

As a former investigative reporter, I am a champion for transparency. That’s why I’ve taken a keen interest in the county clerk race. During my career, I submitted hundreds of public records requests.

In 2014, I was at the Coeur d’Alene Press investigating payouts to former county employees. Clerk Jim Brannon refused to release names of public employees who had received payouts from the county. He eventually released unredacted records, as required by law, but trying to obtain records from Brannon’s office was one of the most frustrating experiences of my reporting career.

Brannon maintains his office is overwhelmed with records requests. The solution is simple: Make public information more readily accessible via the county website. This includes the county’s books. Brannon says opening the books to the public is “foolish and foolhardy.” He’s even denying read-only access to other elected officials who need that information to conduct county business.

This is not Brannon’s personal checkbook. It seems Brannon has forgotten who he works for: The public. His actions — and inaction — provide little evidence that “transparency” is anything more to him than a campaign buzzword.

Nonpartisan challenger Dan Gookin has shared informative YouTube videos that raise additional questions about Brannon’s lack of transparency, inability to work well with other county elected officials and poor customer service. If you think it is your business how your tax money is being spent, I’d encourage you to vote with me — vote for Dan Gookin for Kootenai County Clerk.

TARYN THOMPSON

Rathdrum