So much more than a mayor

Clay Larkin was dying.

Sitting in a comfortable chair in his living room with his wife and two daughters, the longtime Post Falls mayor was under hospice care. Christmas was drawing near, and Clay’s desire to see the holidays through one last time was apparent.

“I feel pretty good,” he said, and he smiled.

Then he reached over and took a hefty swig of contraband — cream soda, which was near the top of his “do not consume” list. Clay’s smile said it all: I’m dying, so who cares?

Now he’s gone. One of the finest public servants ever to grace a North Idaho city hall died Monday morning.

Because Larkin never gave a darn about personal credit, his fearless, 24/7 salesmanship in bringing businesses to the Post Falls area will always be underrated. But from manufacturing icon Buck Knives to Cabela’s to his favorite fast-food joint about 90 seconds from his house, Sonic Drive-In, Larkin’s fingerprints are all over retail and commercial services coming to the River City. Some would tell him “no,” then “no” again, then “hell no” and even “go away.” Larkin never was offended. It only encouraged him to keep trying.

Here’s a story that will give you some idea about the kind of leader he was. Just a few weeks after the editor of this paper started work at The Press, in late 2001, Clay called then-publisher Jim Thompson. He asked for a lunch appointment with Jim and the new editor. A date was set and the three met at Beverly’s in The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Without ever raising his voice or showing the slightest bit of personal disrespect, Mayor Larkin let the guys have it. The Press was covering Coeur d’Alene thoroughly, he said, but ignoring Post Falls to a fault. He sat there for a good hour and a half and listed Post Falls news that was not being reported. He asked for fair coverage — not for himself or his administration, but for the people of his community, people he felt were being slighted while the newspaper was missing out on an opportunity to grow its readership on the western side of Kootenai County.

One of the first moves The Press made was to put Brian Walker in charge of Post Falls coverage. For nearly 18 years, Walker did yeoman’s work — fairly, accurately and at times lovingly covering the town where he and his wife Kim were raising their sons. Coverage was elevated from the moment Walker took over, and Larkin made sure Walker was always well-informed.

From 2001 to 2014, Larkin and the editor met at least once every quarter at White House Grill in Post Falls. Over steaming dishes of Spring Bowl, the two would talk about what was happening in Post Falls and how the newspaper was covering those happenings. And as sometimes happens with extraordinary public servants and the ordinary journalists who cover them, the two became friends, a friendship forged in mutual respect.

The Press extends its condolences to the Larkin family specifically and to the people of Post Falls in general. One of the good guys who put community first can now enjoy all the damned cream soda he wants.