Knutson seeking election to Cd’A City Council

COEUR d'ALENE — Rob Knutson announced his candidacy for Coeur d’Alene City Council Seat 5 in the Nov. 7 election.

Knutson is challenging incumbent Dan English, who was elected to Seat 5 in 2015. This is Knutson’s first candidacy for public office.

He decided to run after observing what he describes as “a tendency of the City Council to avoid substantial scrutiny of the city’s more-consequential proposals,” said a news release.

“Resolutions and bills proposed by the city haven’t failed in roll-call voting at all this year. The only motions going to a roll-call vote in 2023 that were voted down by a majority of the City Council and were related to denial of the largest annexation of land into the city in decades,” Knutson said in the release. “In fact, the vote represented the only tie-breaking vote by the mayor so far this year. In effect, the council says ‘no’ only to saying ‘no.’ Most resolutions are adopted, often without meaningful comment by council members, let alone any debate.”

Knutson’s goal is to foster more discussion and bring greater scrutiny to issues of consequence, the announcement said.

“Most city business is, and should probably remain, on that spectrum of boring, but necessary in order to keep things operating smoothly. However, with the more-complex matters like annual budgets and housing, I’d like more meaningful analysis and foresight from the city,” Knutson said in the release. “This lack of foresight was demonstrated by recent city concerns over summer water use. Six months ago, when citizen concerns were raised about the Coeur Terre development to the west, the city said there was adequate water. Now, that no longer appears to be true. If water was always an issue, why did the city promote the annexation so heavily? It doesn’t make sense.”

Knutson has lived in nine different cities in three different states. He has worked as an environmental scientist or program manager for more than 20 years, contributing to a wide array of projects involving wastewater treatment, linear gas and electric facilities and entomological research. He owned and operated a small consulting business for more than seven years.

He and wife Suzanne have raised two children; a daughter who is a travel agent and a son who is a commercial helicopter pilot/mechanic serving as a crew chief in the Idaho National Guard. Idaho has been their home for nearly seven years.

“If you vote for me, I can’t promise you a pony or, like in other parts of Idaho, that your wildest dreams will come true,” Knutson said, in the announcement. “I can, at least, deliver more thoughtful analysis than what is currently being offered.”