ELECTION: Reject unqualified candidates

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee has announced its endorsements for the Kootenai-Shoshone Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. The endorsements are decided by using their new vetting and rating program.

The KCRCC sent questionnaires to all eight candidates. Only three candidates, Wes Evans, John Minichino and Steve van Zevern, responded to the questionnaire. These three candidates indicated that they are good Republicans, but have no experience in natural resources.

A better questionnaire to vet and rate conservation district supervisor candidates would include such questions as these:

Do you know what conservation districts do, how they were created and evolved?

Do you have any education or experience in natural resources or conservation?

Do you understand how the conservation community communicates and cooperates?

There are three incumbent supervisors running for another term: Stan Thornton, Linda Ely and Laurin Scarcello. They can answer all of the above questions in the affirmative. Each of them has proven their value to the Conservation District and to the conservation community.

Two newcomers would also like to contribute to the conservation effort by serving on the District board: Val Wade and Birgid Niedenzu. Val is an Environmental Health Specialist and Birgid is a science teacher at Coeur d’Alene High School.

I would encourage voters to choose candidates with a proven conservation background and disregard those candidates who simply want to fill non-partisan positions with unqualified political soldiers.

ROBERT FLAGOR

Post Falls

Editor’s note: Robert Flagor is a supervisor on the Kootenai-Shoshone Soil and Water Conservation District board. He worked for the Conservation District for 17 years, including serving 10 years as administrator. He can be reached at: robertflagor@rocketmail.com