GOOKIN: Procedural objection to election

I have no qualms with our mayor, and I am not here to discuss his controversies, petty or large in accusation. I did not vote in the mayoral election, but I am confident that Dan Gookin will faithfully serve our city of 57,000. However, I object to the procedure by which he was elected last November.

I am not the most well-versed in which specific voting system Coeur d’Alene uses, but I believe my position reflects a common-sense understanding of how popular elections should function. After Gookin was declared the winner, I assumed the aggressive Kootenai County election cycle ended, and moved on. It was only after his inauguration that I looked further into our mayor’s history.

While reviewing publicly available information, I found something highly unusual: Mayor Gookin was elected with only 34.19% of the vote. I am not joking, but perhaps I am the fool for learning so late. That means nearly two out of every three residents did not vote for him. Again, this is not an attack on him as a mayor, but on the process itself. Being elected with a near SUPERMINORITY is abysmal and pathetic. I am disappointed at this revelation.

While runoff elections can result in lower turnout, they ensure that the winner has majority support. A runoff between Gookin and runner-up Debbie Lofftman would have produced a clearer mandate. It should not matter whether one voted with the KCRCC or the NIR; being elected with 50-percent-plus-one has long been an American standard. For these reasons, I believe the procedures for electing the mayor should be amended to require a majority vote.”

JOSE CHRISTIAN TAYLOR

Coeur d’Alene