Westlund to seek Post Falls City Council seat

Randy Westlund has announced his candidacy for the Post Falls City Council.

Described in a news release as “a local software engineer, entrepreneur and family man,” Westlund has lived in Post Falls for five years and his wife's family has been in Idaho for generations. He is running on a platform of Christian stewardship, family values, local resilience and fiscal responsibility.

"I’m running for Post Falls City Council because I want my great-grandchildren to grow up as part of a thriving, resilient, local community here in North Idaho," Westlund said in the release. "Our civic duty doesn’t end at the ballot box; the health of our society relies on good men stepping forward as public servants to help direct our city along a path that leads to good outcomes for everyone."

Westlund’s campaign is centered around several key issues, including growth management, small business entrepreneurship, family formation, fiscal responsibility and fostering a unique sense of place for Post Falls.

On growth management, Westlund proposes to prioritize the needs of local residents, slow prairie expansion to match aquifer and roadway capacities, encourage private investment to create a walkable downtown and enable developers to build affordable starter homes.

In terms of small business entrepreneurship, Westlund aims to legalize a variety of garage-based businesses, build small retail spaces downtown for local businesses and encourage domestic food production and participation at farmers markets.

Westlund also emphasizes the importance of family formation, advocating for local policies that prioritize Idahoan families, making it possible to buy a house and raise a family on a single income, and creating good local jobs and thriving industries.

On fiscal responsibility, Westlund plans to carefully forecast future spending when evaluating new infrastructure projects and ensure that new developments can sustain their future infrastructure maintenance without increasing taxes.

Finally, to foster a unique sense of place for Post Falls, Westlund proposes to promote local festivals, host quality public art and provide more places for small businesses downtown.