PF, Hayden council incumbents in trouble

City councils across the county may look different come January as challengers were leading six incumbents early this morning.

AS of 12:30 a.m., all three Post Falls City Council incumbents were losing.

Nathan Ziegler led City Council Seat 4 with 55.86% of votes. He said the campaign trail had been a positive experience not only for himself but provided his two kids an introduction to civic engagement.

“It’s been a great learning process for me, my family, and my kids in getting involved in civics and local government,” Ziegler told The Press. “Seeing their interest pique because of my involvement is a big win.”

Ziegler was humbled by the support of his fellow River City residents on Tuesday.

“I love Post Falls and the residents here in my hometown,” he said. “Having a hometown person be involved in politics gives the locals a voice on the biggest issues.”

His opponent, incumbent Steve Anthony, was a runner-up Tuesday night, falling behind at 33.22%. A first-term councilman, Anthony said he tried to bring a “different perspective” to the board through experience working for the city of Coeur d’Alene.

“I took the position very seriously. People put their trust in you by voting for you,” Anthony told The Press Tuesday night. “If you believe in something, you have to work hard at it.”

Though bittersweet about the thought of leaving the council, Anthony said he hopes to stay involved with the community, including following up on the signal box beautification project.

Though the race was close at Press deadline, Seat 4 incumbent Alan Wolfe was trailing newcomer Josh Walker with 43.15% of votes by midnight. Walker had 56.85%. Despite the apparent defeat, Wolfe said he will continue participating in community organizations throughout North Idaho.

“I’ve been involved in the community as long as I’ve been in North Idaho,” Wolfe said. “It’s not going to change anything.”

Wolfe said the campaign was a little more challenging this time around, noting he hadn’t had an opponent since his initial election eight years ago. What he learned most was that there are a “fair amount of angry citizens out there.”

“I think voters think the city council is sitting on a magic wand, and they won’t use it. A lot is outside our control.”

Walker did not respond to The Press for comment.

Post Falls Seat 6 Councilwoman Linda Wilhelm was in second place behind opponent Kenny Shove with 38.02% of counted ballots. Shove had 48.93% of the votes. Neither responded to requests for comment.

In Coeur d’Alene, incumbents were holding onto their seats as Amy Evans, Woody McEvers and Kiki Miller led as of 12:30 a.m. Their races were not without contest, though, as eight candidates were vying for the three council spots.

With 60 percent of precincts reporting:

Evans: 52.53%

Roger Garlock: 43.37%

Morgan Dixon: 4.11%

McEvers: 54.72%

JD Claridge: 40.03%

Grayson Cross: 5.25%

Miller: 53.57%

Elaine Price 46.43%

When asked how McEvers would react to winning his re-election, the almost 20-year council member said he would “be just a happy camper” and “try to do a good job.”

“I’m happy to go back to work and happy to go back to council,” McEvers said.

If elected, some actions McEvers hopes to push forward are facilitating affordable housing options and road infrastructure.

“I don’t have all the answers, but at least I can start trying to make it work,” he said. “I think I’ve been able to accomplish good things with the good people around me. There’s much more good than there is other stuff.”

McEvers added that he hopes his two opponents, Grayson Cross and JD Claridge, will continue participating on city commissions. Cross said Tuesday he plans to remain active, and citizens should keep an eye out for another campaign in the future.

“I’ve been super involved in this community my whole life. This campaign as a whole has been a huge learning experience for me, and it will give me the tools in the next election,” Cross said. “If there are any open seats on city commissions that need a volunteer, I will get involved, win or not.”

Candidate for Coeur d’Alene City Council Seat 6 Elaine Price said she plans to remain active no matter the election results. She said the community has become too divided, and citizens “need to build that bridge back together” and “work to keep this city a good city.”

“If there is something I can do on the outside, I will absolutely (do it). Part of the problem is the community hasn’t held our city council accountable, and I plan on doing that,” Price said. “I hope we can pull together and make Coeur d’Alene the best it can be. Make Coeur d’Alene great again.”

Seat 2 candidate Roger Garlock echoed Price’s statement and said he plans to call his opponents — Miller and Morgan Dixon — to see how he can help support the city.

“There are so many ways to do good for the community. I’ve been doing some of those for almost 30 years,” Garlock said. “I’ll still be doing all those things, leave the political game to those longtime people and keep fighting in the trenches. I’ll never stop being involved.”

Hayden City Council Seats 2 and 4 also were falling to challengers early this morning. Incumbent Jeri DeLange 34.65% of voters while rival Sandy White had the rest.

Longtime politician Dick Panabaker was stuck in a three-way race with Ed DePriest and Nicole Barnett. DePriest had a slight lead in votes with 37.73%.