These citizens have earned your vote

Begin with the end in mind, Stephen Covey and great brains before him strongly suggested.

So we will.

Many of you reading this have already received your absentee ballot. Many others will over the next few days.

Our endorsements are based not on a single interview and questionnaire with candidates, but tapping into the newspaper’s wide and deep connections with the business community, nonprofits, departments like law enforcement and planning and streets and parks; with educators at all levels, from private and homeschool to charters and magnet and standard public schools; with local medical experts and those from other fields that form the pillars of any community.

Most of all, we tap into the wisdom of many hundreds of subscribers who have for years built this place up rather than barge in and try to tear it down. And as for the candidates, we’ve come to know many of them well through their service.

Our opinions are not based on who screams the loudest. We will not be bullied. Threats are common in our business, so we take them with a grain of salt. Criticism given and received helps all of us grow.

So with the end in mind, here’s a list of the candidates we’re endorsing for the Nov. 2 nonpartisan, local election. In the days ahead, we’ll explain our reasoning behind some of the endorsements. And as always, we strongly recommend you do your own homework. A good place to start is cdapress.com and click on the little header at the top of the page that says Meet the Candidates.

On Oct. 17, we’ll publish a beefy voters guide to tell you much more about all the candidates who chose to participate. We’re bringing their messages to you unedited and unadulterated, from their fingertips to your eyes.

Those who have earned our support:

COEUR d’ALENE SCHOOL BOARD

Zone 1: Lisa May

Zone 4: Lindsey Swingrover

Zone 5: Rebecca Smith

POST FALLS SCHOOL BOARD

Zone 1: Neil Uhrig

Zone 4: Bridget Malek

Zone 5: Jacob Dawson

COEUR d’ALENE MAYOR

Jim Hammond

COEUR d’ALENE CITY COUNCIL

Seat 2: Amy Evans

Seat 4: Woody McEvers

Seat 6: Kiki Miller

POST FALLS MAYOR

Ronald Jacobson

POST FALLS CITY COUNCIL

Seat 2: Alan Wolfe

Seat 4: Steve Anthony

Seat 6: Linda Wilhelm

CITY OF HAYDEN

Seat 2: Richard Panabaker

Seat 4: Jeri DeLange

RATHDRUM CITY COUNCIL

Seat 1: Darrell Rickard

Seat 3: Michael Fox

Each of these individuals has a proven track record of community service. They put the people they serve above politics or ideology. There are no conspiracy theorists harboring secret agendas on this list.

They are worthy of your intense scrutiny and, we hope, your vote.