The race for office begins - or for some, ends
Final bids for Kootenai County offices up for election on the November ballot are in, and some races are already over.
Under Idaho Senate Bill 1270, which passed in the 2020 session, city races with only one candidate do not have to be on the ballot. This year, several city councils, mayoral, school board trustees, and fire district commissioner seats will face the voters.
However, with the deadline for official filings and write-ins closing on Friday, 21 city seats have been decided.
Uncontested city races now finalized include:
Athol City Council Seat 3 — Cindi Denis*
Fernan Lake Village City Council Seat 1 — Gene Marano*
Harrison Mayor — Wanda Irish*
Harrison City Council, a two-year term — Brett Murdock, Russell Riberich
Harrison City Council, a four-year term — Debbie Lockhart*, Joe Cornell, Josephine Prophet
Hauser City Council — Sean Taylor, Tammara McGovern
Hayden Lake City Council Seat 2 — Dan Baker*
Hayden Lake City Council Seat 4 — Debbie Morris
Hauser City Council, a four-year term — Chanel Garcia, John Whitaker
State Line Mayor — Keith Warner
State Line City Council, two seats — Jon Wilbanks, Valerie Hamblin
Worley City Council, a two-year term — Patricia Templin, Zachary Sifford
Worley City Council, a four-year term — Keith A. Gilbert, Richard Wienclaw
The last day for a candidate to withdraw is Friday, Sept. 17, at 5 p.m.
"Everything is ready to roll. We're just ready for the final clock to tick," Kootenai County Clerk Jim Brannon said.
So far, two ballot questions are in the works, Elections Manager Asa Gray said.
Voters in the Northern Lakes Fire District will determine the fate of a $2 million permanent override levy on the Nov. 2 ballot. The increase would cost taxpayers about $30 per $100,000 of their property's assessed value annually.
NLFD officials said the funds would go toward 12 firefighters/EMTs and two support staff for a new fire station built between Hayden and Rathdrum. The levy proposal requires 66% support to pass.
The second question is a recall effort to remove Lakeland Joint School District Board Trustee Michelle Thompson.
Only individuals that live in LJSD Zone 3 will be eligible to vote on the ballot question. The recall must have a majority approval equal to or exceeding the number of votes Thompson received during the last general election.
Voters must register by Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. to participate in the November election. Virtual registration is available at voteidaho.gov.
Citizens can request an absentee ballot until Oct. 22 at voteidaho.gov or download the form at kcgov.us/301/Absentee-Voting. All mail-in submissions must be returned to the Elections Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Early voting is available from Oct. 18 to Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coeur d'Alene Elections Office. Polling places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. To find your polling place, visit kcgov.us/321/Polling-Place-Look-Up.
Same-day registration and voting are available on Election Day at a polling place.
Remaining city candidates as of 5 p.m. Friday:
Athol City Council
Seat 1 — Mark Dane, Mary J. Zichko, Stephen Cutaiair*
Seat 2 — Darla Knickerbocker Kuhman, Jeanette Kramer*
Seat 4 — Shane D. McDaniel*, Tammy Porter
Coeur d'Alene Mayor
Jim Hammond
Joe Alfieri
Michael Lentz
Coeur d’Alene City Council
Seat 2 — Amy Evans*, Morgan Dixon, Roger Garlock
Seat 4 — Grayson L. Cross, JD Calridge, KC Reese, Woody McEvers*
Seat 6 — Elaine Price, Kiki Miller*
City of Dalton Gardens Council, two seats
Carrie Chase, Curt Jernigan, Justin Rupinski, Ray Craft, Scott (Scooter) Jordan, Susan J. Supp, Tyler Drechsel
City of Fernan Lake Village Council
No applications for Seat 4 as of Sept. 10
City of Hayden Council
Seat 2 — Ed DePriest, Nicole Barnett, Richard 'Dick' Panabaker*
Seat 4 — Jeri DeLange*, Sandy White
City of Huetter
No applications for the two-year term council seat as of Sept. 10
City of Post Falls Mayor
Austin Hildebrand
Bobby Wilhelm
Daniel Temple
Ronald G. Jacobson*
City of Post Falls Council
Seat 2 — Alan Wolfe*, Josh Walker, Louis Reuter
Seat 4 — Bob Flowers, Nathan L. Ziegler, Steve Anthony*
Seat 6 — Eric Klinkhammer, Kenny Shove, Linda Wilhelm*, Lori Allen, Tara Polley
City of Rathdrum Council
Seat 1 — Darrell Rickard*, Matt Spindler, Neil G. Oliver, Yevgeniy Pinchuk
Seat 3 — John Hodgkins, Kurt Schwab, Michael Fox
City of Spirit Lake Mayor
Allen D. Tesky
Jeremy Cowperthwaite* (councilman)
Kendall C. Ebert
City of Spirit Lake Council, two seats
Charlene Phipps, Darrell D. Woods, Eli Gosman, Mark Privitt
Fire District candidates as of 5 p.m. Friday:
East Side
Sub District 1 — Fred Fricke*
Sub District 3 — Akos Ador*
Hauser Lake
Sub District 3 — Michael "Shane" Kamps*
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue
Sub District 3 — Andy Boyle*, Shawn Smidt
Sub District 4 — Keither "Hutch" Hutcheson, Paul R. Wagner*
Sub District 5 — Gerald Johnson, Michael Hunt*
Mica Kidd Island
Sub District 3 — Larry Mundt*
Northern Lakes
Sub District 1 — John Horn, Michael Pearce*
Sub District 3 — Dennis L. Amende*, Marc Ghiraduzzi
Sub District 5 — Doug Duncan, Terry J. Thompson*
Spirit Lake
Sub District 2 — Gary A. Pfahler
St. Maries
Sub District 1 — Kevin M. McHail*
Sub District 2 — Helen P. Muffy*
Timberlake
Sub District 2 — M. Melanie Savage*
Sub District 4 — David "Rudy" Rudebaugh*
Sub District 5 — Sam Rick Conner*, Todd Amende
Worley
Sub District 2 — Gary Drechsel*
Sub District 3 — Edward M. Joy*
School District candidates as of 5 p.m. Friday:
Coeur d'Alene #271
Zone 1 — Allie Anderton, Annie Winston Poetker, Lisa May*
Zone 4 — Jeff Zember, Lesli Bjerke, Lindsey Swingrover
Zone 5 — Glen Campbell, Rebecca Smith*
Lakeland Joint #272
Zone 4 — Chrisdee Imthum, David M. Quimby, Mark Worthen
Zone 5 — Debbie Major*, Robert (Bob) F. Jones
Post Falls #273
Zone 1 — Dave Paul*, Guy McAninch, Lori Wilson, Neil Uhrig, Tana Wrublik
Zone 4 — Bridget Malek*, Chrystal White, Logan Creighton
Zone 5 — David J. Reilly, Jake Dawson, Lyndon Harriman, Megan Rounds
Kootenai Joint No. 273
Zone 1 — Heather Wilcox*, Richard Meyer
Zone 4 — Ellie Getchius, Tina McGann, Vicki Haney
Zone 5 — Cheri Thaut, Thomas Reinhardt*
Plummer-Worley Joint No. 44
Zone 1 — Michelle Grossglauser
Zone 3 — Ida J. Gustin (JR)
*indicates incumbents
Elections Office Info: 208-446-1030, www.kcgov.us/31/Elections