Here's your Nov. 5 election menu
Voters across Kootenai County, you’ve got lots of choices Tuesday.
COEUR d’ALENE
Coeur d’Alene has three races for City Council. Longtime Councilman Ron Edinger is retiring; former police officer Christie Wood and political newcomer Elaine Price are competing for Seat 1. Incumbent and self-described fiscal hawk Dan Gookin is facing environmental quality analyst Michael Pereira for Gookin’s Seat 3.
A three-ish-way race for Seat 5 highlights the most diverse choice on Coeur d’Alene’s ballot. Incumbent Dan English is fighting to retain his seat against local business owner Lacey Moen and HVAC company owner Tom Morgan. A fourth candidate, Roger Huntman, withdrew from the race but is still on the ballot.
DALTON GARDENS
In Dalton Gardens, Dan Edwards is unopposed for mayor. But voters still have ample choices to make on their ballots. For the two four-year Council positions, incumbent Jamie Smith is running with four others: Robert Wuest, Scott Jordan, Aaron O’Brien and Drew Dittman.
Current Councilperson Tyler Dreschsel is running among Kenneth Egbert, Carrie Chase and Ray Craft for two open two-year Council positions.
POST FALLS
Post Falls has three questions on the ballot. Seat 1 incumbent Kerri Thoreson is running unopposed, as are eight-year Councilman Joe Malloy for Seat 3 and incumbent Lynn Borders.
HUETTER
In Huetter, Bradley Keene is unopposed for Mayor; Luke Gibler is unopposed for a Council seat.
HAYDEN
Hayden Mayor Steve Griffitts and Councilmember Roger Saterfiel are unopposed for their seats. Councilman Matthew Roetter will try to fend off Jillian Bernstein’s bid for Seat 1.
Hayden voters will also choose to approve or reject the City’s base budget by $403,506, to a total just under $2 million. Some Hayden residents will choose between Tim Skubitz and Michelle Thompson to represent Zone 3 on the Lakeland Joint School District 272 board.
Hayden Lake’s Jim Ackerman, Ed Graves and Katie Brodie are all running unopposed. No one ran for Hayden Lake’s Seat 3.
RATHDRUM
Vic Holmes, who has served as Rathdrum’s mayor for the past 10 years, is unopposed. Two Rathdrum City Council seats are up for grabs: Councilman Fred Meckel faces Mike Hill for Seat 2; Deborah Holmes and Steven Adams are competing for Seat 4.
STATELINE
Anyone can become a City Councilmember at Stateline. The border town’s vacant City Council position is without a candidate.
Bill Ray is running unopposed for re-election as mayor. Jeff Hoerner and Laurie Griffith are each running for two open four-year Council seats; Sean Taylor and Dennis Marquis are looking to fill two open two-year slots. Hauser and some residents nearby will decide on the next Fire Protection District Commissioner for Sub-District 2. Reinhold Jung, Andrea Maddalone and Chet Wachsmuth are on the ballot. Other residents will vote on Sub-District 2 as well as between Skubitz and Thompson for Lakeland Joint School District’s Trustee Zone 3.
SPIRIT LAKE
Spirit Lake residents will choose between Rena Olmstead and Randi Bain for School District Zone 1. Eight candidates are vying for four open Council positions: Jeremy CowPerthwaite, Gary Ventress, Kenny Montijo, Mindy Blood and Vicki Buchert are all running for a pair of four-year terms; current Councilmembers Becki Gaddum and Angel Vanderwilt are running against Michelle Tiffany for two available two-year seats.
ATHOL
Councilman Bill Hill and longtime resident Ryen Swensen will compete Tuesday in Athol’s mayoral race. Current Mayor Mary Zichko faces Kaiser Aluminium employee and 17-year Idaho resident Pam Baldwin for Council Seat 1. Councilwoman Cindi Denis, who ran on a campaign of measured growth, is running for Seat 3 opposite former Athol Councilman Mark Dane, whose platform is largely based on stronger communication between the city and its residents. Josh Spencer is running for Seat 2 unopposed. Athol voters will also choose between Ramona Grissom and John Michael Shaffer for Lakeland Joint School District board’s Zone 2 position.
BAYVIEW
Grissom and Shaffer will also run on Bayview’s ballot, though their race isn’t nearly the hot-button topic on Lake Pend Oreille community’s ballot this year. That trophy goes to the Bayview Water and Sewer District, where two of its directors — Robyn Edwards and Sharon Meyer — face a voter recall amid allegations of malfeasance.
WORLEY
Charlene Waddell seeks re-election in an uncontested race as mayor of Worley. Councilmember Robert Wienclaw and Council President Karen Babbitt are the only two candidates for Worley’s two open Council positions.
FERNAN
Raymond Watkins, meanwhile, is the only candidate on Fernan’s ballot, running unopposed for its Council’s Seat 3. Fernan’s open mayor and Council Seat 2 positions remain vacant.
HARRISON
While Harrison voters also have no mayor’s candidate to vote for, the town will fill three positions from their choices of Jordan Hall, Valerie Harris, Nick John, Linda Lacitinola and Joe Cornell.
Voters living north, northwest and west of Bennett Bay will vote on a $2 million, 30-year bond for Water District 1 that would go to capital improvements, such as line repairs and replacements, the acquisition of a new pump and an increase in the reservoir’s capacity.
Polls in Kootenai County open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. this Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Information: Kootenai County Elections office, 208-446-1030 or: https://www.kcgov.us/31/Elections