OPINION: Elected to govern, not go viral

In North Idaho, winning the Republican primary most often means winning the election. While that gives Republicans a considerable margin for error, it doesn’t give anyone a license to govern badly.

There is a crucial difference between winning an election and governing once you get there. Campaigning rewards passion and the occasional well-placed sharp elbow, rhetorically speaking. Governing requires judgment, restraint, competence, and remembering that the institution you oversee doesn’t belong to you.

Lakeland Joint School District provides a perfect example in our cautionary tale.

The district has cycled through four superintendents in four years and numerous board clerks. Earlier this year, trustees placed the then-superintendent on paid administrative leave after less than a year. The district is liable for roughly $200,000 to complete his contract while also paying his replacement.

Former superintendents, employees and community members even called on trustees to change course or resign. Whatever anyone thinks about the personalities involved, that isn’t what healthy governance looks like.

Unfortunately, North Idaho has seen this movie before.

North Idaho College spent years under accreditation sanctions stemming from board governance problems. Voters eventually changed the board. This February, NIC returned to good standing.

That part of the story matters. Voters are not powerless when elected officials lose sight of the job. They can replace them.

There is an interesting footnote. Trustees Tarie Zimmerman and Brad Corkill, both elected in 2022, are up for election again this November and neither drew an opponent. That doesn’t mean every voter agrees with every decision they’ve made. It does suggest stability and competence have political value too.

The same applies beyond education.

City council members must keep streets maintained and budgets balanced. County officials must run offices efficiently, meet deadlines and provide taxpayers accurate information. Legislators must understand the laws they pass and consider what happens when those laws reach the real world.

Once elected, the job changes. Spoiler alert: You aren’t simply representing the people who put your sign in their yard or applauded your speeches. You represent the people who voted against you too. They pay taxes. Their children attend the schools. They drive the roads and use public services. They have every right to expect competent government even when they disagree with you politically.

Conservative principles matter. And competence IS a conservative principle.

Government should be limited, accountable, and responsible with taxpayer dollars. That becomes harder to defend when elected officials create unnecessary lawsuits, constant turnover, costly payouts, or institutional pandemonium.

Another mistake elected officials make is assuming their loudest supporters represent everyone who elected them.

Facebook is a terrible focus group. Social media rewards outrage. It doesn’t tell elected officials what parents, taxpayers, and business owners consider good government.

Eventually, voters notice.

In May, Republican primary voters overwhelmingly rejected incumbent Kootenai County Assessor Béla Kovacs. Allyson Knapp won 65% of the vote. Kootenai County did not suddenly become liberal. Republican voters exercised quality control by electing a different Republican.

Republicans can support conservative principles and still expect the people they elect to behave professionally and do the job. Those should go hand in hand.

Voters will tolerate disagreements, tough decisions, and honest mistakes. What wears people out is chaos: drama instead of results, personal grievances weaponized in the public square, and meetings that become political battles.

Elections determine who gets the job. Governing determines whether they keep it.

Good government rarely goes viral. Maybe that’s because good government can be pleasantly boring. In this writer’s opinion, boring is highly underrated.

Do the job. Respect the institution. Remember who you work for.

And voters, remember who works for you.

It’s the Idaho way.

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Becky Funk is a member of North Idaho Republicans and former Legislative District 4 Republican Chair