'They want to keep it going'

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene City Councilman Dan Gookin went into Tuesday’s election hoping to get a little more than 50% of the votes.

He got 60%.

As far as the 12-year councilman is concerned, it’s clear that means a few things.

“People are happy with the direction of the city and they’re happy with their representation,” he said.

Gookin received 6,371 votes to 4,265 for challenger Clark Albritton to remain in Seat 3.

There are no major issues that have divided citizens in the city, Gookin said Wednesday. No controversies, heated disagreements or political battles have split the six-member council, and people have noticed. 

He said there is respect, consistency and dignity on the City Council.

“The city is well run and they want to keep it going,” Gookin said.

Incumbents Gookin, Christie Wood and Dan English were all easily reelected to four-year terms Tuesday.

Wood was pleased to receive 6,228 votes, 58%, to 4,447 for challenger Brian Winkler, for Seat 1. She also said the winning ways of incumbents was a sign the people approve of the City Council’s performance and that they see the city is in good shape. 

“The results are really just reaffirming that we’re moving in the right direction in Coeur d’Alene," she said. “I am obviously very happy about it. I really appreciate that the voters of Coeur d’Alene trust me to continue on in this role.”

Wood, elected in 2019, said she thinks incumbents received strong support because people trust them, and they don’t want to see the discord that's on the North Idaho College board of trustees happen on the City Council.

“We received a tremendous amount of support from people concerned about what the alternative would be,” she said. “They don’t want that kind of environment to come to the city.”

English, an eight-year councilman, said he was thankful to be among the incumbents reelected, “particularly by such good margins.

“For elected officials, elections are really the only performance review we have,” he said. 

English received 5,360 votes, 51%, while Roger Garlock received 4,155, 39%, and Rob Knutson 1,033.

English said the incumbents winning handily is a sign that residents have noticed their values and integrity in representing the people and carrying out their duties as elected leaders.

"That’s what it says to me," he said.

He added there is a civility on the City Council when it comes to governing.

“I think we demonstrated that,” he said. “It’s not really about political philosophy but connecting with people.”

Challengers said they gave it their best.

Clark Albritton, who received 4,265 votes in his bid to unseat Gookin, said he learned quite a lot about the process that will be invaluable for future campaigns. 

“Although we did not prevail, I believe our campaign helped focus discourse on issues that will unfold in the coming term," he said in a prepared statement. "We did not make a compelling case for a majority of voters this round, and we will learn and grow from that experience."

Garlock, who lost a narrow Coeur d'Alene City Council race to Amy Evans in 2021, said he won’t run again. He said he’ll probably stay behind the scenes, helping other challengers for office.

“I still believe there need to be changes at City Hall,” he said.

Garlock said it’s difficult for challengers when different groups and unions “come out against you” and rubber stamp those holding office.

“There’s a lot of factions out there and most of them just make assumptions about who people are and what they stand for,” he said.

Rob Knutson, a relative newcomer to Coeur d'Alene politics, pulled in 1,033 votes to finish third in the Seat 5 race.

He said he was pleased to get more than 1,000 votes. He enjoyed campaigning and said he will reassess things next year and decide if he will try again. He plans to continue to attend City Council meetings and keep tabs on issues before it.

“Public involvement really makes a difference," he said.

With the campaign behind them, the winners are looking ahead to four more years.

English said he enjoys the interaction with residents at meetings, listening to their concerns and being part of solutions.

Some key issues he wants to address include traffic and affordable housing. 

“We’ll see what comes along," he said.

Wood wanted to stay on the council because “I love where I live. I like being involved in the decisions that affect our beautiful city.”

She said she wants to talk to legislators about the requirements of establishing a resort tax to help fund local services and revisit annexation fees.

Wood said she and her team worked hard on her campaign since March, and it paid off.

“It’s great to know our citizens paid attention,” she said.

Gookin said his campaign made a tremendous effort to encourage people to vote. He wanted a good turnout because the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, which endorsed his opponent, has a strong core.

“We needed to energize a lot of people,” he said.

Gookin said his warnings about the acrimony on the NIC board and the Community Library Network board “resonated with a lot of people.”

He said downtown parking and building height restrictions, public transportation, watch-dogging the city's budget and asking questions people want asked are among his goals.

"It’s a job that needs to be done. I enjoy doing the job,” he said. “I enjoy representing the people.”

    Wood
  

    Gookin