Council candidates sound off

COEUR d’ALENE — Seventeen candidates for city council seats in four cities fielded questions Monday night in a virtual town hall forum.

The two-hour webinar was put on by the joint public policy committee of the Coeur d’Alene Regional, Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum chambers, in partnership with the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press.

Helo Hancock, CEO of Beacon Clinic, and Tyrel Stevenson, legislative director of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, acted as moderators.

A range of topics were covered including growth, housing, preserving quality of life, budgets and traffic.

Here’s a summary of candidate responses.

Post Falls City Council

Joe Bodman is a retired police officer with 32 years of experience and has called Post Falls home for 35 years. He is seeking Seat 5.

He pointed out the city is currently down 14 police officers.

“The growth has taken over the city but we’re not responding to the emergency services like we should be,” he said.

Bodman said public safety is his top priority, as well as the rising cost of housing.

“I think the seniors are getting taxed out of their homes and we need to try and figure out a way to take care of that problem,” he said.

Joe Malloy has been on the City Council 12 years and has family ties in Post Falls that go back more than 50 years. He is seeking Seat 3.

He said he often receives calls from people concerned about growth and locals being priced out of the market.

“If we don’t build additional housing, prices will go up and up,” he said, adding tiny houses and changing zoning codes could be part of the solution.

“I believe new growth to the greatest extent possible needs to pay for itself,” he said.

Malloy said he is the only incumbent seeking office, has a proven track record and residents know what to expect from him.

“I do believe experience counts,” he said.

James Steffensen is seeking Seat 1. He moved to Post Falls 13 years ago and is a bank project manager.

His priorities include job creation, public safety and smart, sustainable growth.

“We’re a victim of our own growth here. That’s why we have to control the growth,” he said.

He said attracting large companies would create jobs and build the tax base. The right type of development must be done in the right area, he said.

Steffensen said decisions must be made on what’s best for residents today and in the future.

“We’re a victim of our own success. Everyone wants to move here,” he said.

Samantha Steigleder is seeking Seat 1. An emergency room nurse, she said after attending Planning and Zoning and City Council meetings, she heard many concerns of residents and wants to be their advocate and stand for a “community-first environment.”

Steigleder said developers must be held accountable for delivering what they promised. She said Post Falls is seeing a lot of high-density projects that are affecting the quality of life.

She said she could be a strong and smart council member who would stand for the community.

“A vote for me is really a vote for yourself,” she said.

Cherilyn Towne is seeking Seat 5. She said she lived in the city for 16 years and the area for 32 and wants to stand for the people.

“I will represent our community with honesty and integrity,” she said.

She said many people feel like they have no input on what’s happening in the city and are struggling to survive.

“It’s a sad tragedy from the growth in our community,” she said.

Towne said she would work with developers on affordable housing.

“Together, let’s build a brighter future for Post Falls,” she said.

Randy Westlund is seeking Seat 5. He is a software engineer who runs two small software businesses.

He said his wife’s family has long ties to Post Falls.

“I’m running because I love Post Falls,” he said.

Westlund said there must be a vision of where the city is going. Homes must be built with families in mind. Instead, he is seeing more high-density apartments and expensive houses going up.

He would like to see the city encourage small businesses.

“It should be possible to raise a family on a single income,” he said.

Rathdrum City Council

Steven Adams said he is seeking reelection to Seat 2. He served in the Navy and worked for NASA for more than 30 years and taught at the community college level.

His career has been funded by taxpayers so he would like to serve the taxpayers in return, he said.

Adams said surveys show Rathdrum residents want slow growth and preservation of the Rathdrum Prairie, which is why he said he was elected.

“We need to slow down. It’s hard to do but we’re starting to move in that direction,” he said.

Molly Bauer is seeking Seat 2. A lifelong Idaho resident, she moved to Rathdrum from Post Falls in 2019 and loves the small-town feel.

“I firmly believe the strength of our community lies in the relationships we build,” she said.

If reelected, she pledged to increase community participation and invest in the city's infrastructure.

“I think that’s most important,” she said.

Bauer said she would continue to make Rathdrum a city people would be proud to call home.

Hayden City Council

Roger Saterfiel is seeking reelection to Seat 3. He said he is running to protect the quality of life he has enjoyed for 62 years.

“I want my kids and grandkids to have those same opportunities,” he said.

Saterfiel cited impact fees, open space, density, jobs, attracting new businesses, traffic and keeping taxes low issues he will work on.

He said much of the city’s traffic comes from other areas.

“It’s imperative that we work with our sister cities to try and relieve these traffic problems,” Saterfiel said.

He said his experience of nearly 16 years on the council is important.

“Government is a beast of its own,” he said.

Tom Shafer is seeking Seat 3. A former U.S. Air Force captain, he said he has worked in the tech industry for 35 years.

He said North Idaho is a special place, "but there are problems."

Shafer said poorly managed growth and liberal policies turned other cities into nightmares of crime, homelessness and drug use.

“I want to change this dangerous trend,” he said.

Shafer said the public works budget is overinflated relative to the city’s size, and he believes Hayden needs additional law enforcement.

He said citizens don’t want high-density housing and said apartments and townhomes are supplanting single-family homes.

“I think this is the wrong direction,” he said.

Coeur d’Alene City Council

Clark Albritton is seeking Seat 3. He said he and his wife moved here 24 years ago, so he has seen what rapid growth has done. He said he has seen the city’s budget increase from $70 million to about $130 million, and said there are “social agendas that seem to be at work.”

“I’m seeking to put a stop to that kind of thing and be a reliable voice for the people,” he said.

Albritton said he would fight for the city’s ability to have a resort tax and find elements in the budget that could be cut.

Dan Gookin is seeking reelection to Seat 3. “People call me the voice of reason,” he said, adding he fights for the common citizen.

Gookin said he has never voted for a property tax increase.

"Know that I hear your pain. I don’t like paying taxes, either," he said.

Gookin said he supports police and fire departments being properly equipped, opposed American Rescue Plan Act money and mask mandates. He said he always answers his emails and phone calls.

Gookin said he has long advocated for increasing impact fees, a move the city is currently considering.

“I always stand with the people,” Gookin said.

He said he is a budget hawk.

“I can always find something to cut in the budget,” he said.

Roger Garlock is seeking Seat 5. He said he has a 20-year love story with Coeur d’Alene, has worked with many vulnerable populations and has continually engaged with the public.

“I want to continue to have a home where residents can thrive and raise families,” he said.

Garlock said the city should have looked at increasing impact and annexation fees a long time ago, not as it is doing just now.

He was critical of the city for raising property taxes 3% in its budget.

“We can’t continue to have a burden of tax increases on the public,” he said.

Rob Knutson is seeking Seat 5. He and his wife, Suzanne, moved to the city almost seven years ago. He said he has worked as an environmental scientist or program manager for more than 20 years and owned and operated a small consulting business for more than seven years.

He has participated in many City Council and community meetings and believes he can offer sound analysis.

He said he was disappointed the forum didn't address affordable housing, an area he has studied.

“That’s what distinguishes me as a candidate,” he said.

Brian Winkler is seeking Seat 1. He said he is a Marine Corps veteran and has worked in the technology industry the past decade.

He said he has lived in cities like San Francisco and Seattle and watched them fall into patterns of crime, high-housing costs and COVID mandates.

Winkler said he does not want Coeur d’Alene to go that way and will respect individual liberty.

Winkler said he would go through the city’s budget line by line to find where cuts could be made. He said he would remove items that don’t represent the values of the people.

Winkler said he reviewed $40 million budgets in the Marine Corps.

“I know what that means to be financially prudent,” he said.

Christie Wood is seeking reelection to Seat 1. She said Coeur d’Alene has been her home for decades and has deep roots here. She worked with the police department for 26 years before retiring and served on the Coeur d’Alene school board and the North Idaho College board.

She said she has and will advocate for public safety and responsible growth.

“I’ve invested my life here,” she said.

Wood defended the city’s 2023-24 budget and 3% property tax hike the City Council approved.

She said it’s only option otherwise was to cut personnel, and she said she would not reduce public safety.

She said the city is fiscally prudent.

“I think you get a good bang for your buck,” Wood said.

Dan English is seeking reelection to Seat 5. He said he was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, has a good worth ethic and has served in many areas and roles over his career.

He said the City Council most often has not taken the allowable 3% property tax increase, though it did this year.

He said in the city’s budget, most of it goes toward contractual agreements with the bargaining units representing fire, police and city employees.

English said it’s tough to attract and maintain good employees, so the city must reward them.

“We have commitments we’ve got to honor,” he said, adding he was comfortable with the recently approved budget.