Marc Eberlein - 2024 Kootenai County Commissioner Seat 1 Primary Candidate
In a recent interview, Marc Eberlein, a Republican candidate for Kootenai County Commissioner in District 1, outlined his background and key policy positions. Eberlein, a semi-retired professional with experience in drafting, programming, and mechanical design, has lived in Kootenai County for 24 years. He has some college education, boasting a high GPA and self-taught expertise. Previously, Eberlein served four years as a county commissioner for District 1, an experience he believes uniquely qualifies him for the role without requiring a significant adjustment period.
Eberlein’s primary focus if elected is to address issues related to property tax and budgets, which he considers the most pressing concerns in the county government. His previous tenure as commissioner, he asserts, demonstrates his capability to engage effectively with constituents, having consistently responded to their communications including calls, emails, and meeting requests.
On the topic of federal funding, Eberlein expressed skepticism about accepting federal funds that impose conditions, preferring instead to explore other avenues that maintain local control. He positions himself as a proven leader with a solid conservative track record, arguing that his deep familiarity with the responsibilities and challenges of the commissioner’s office make him the best candidate for voters seeking efficient and responsive governance in Kootenai County.
May 9, 2024
MORE EPISODES
Cheri Zao - 2024 State Senate District 5 Primary Candidate
Cheri Zao, a retired medical professional and Republican candidate for State Senate District 5, presents her views in a recent interview. With an educational background in Chemistry and Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a Medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Zao has been a resident of Kootenai County for 35 years. She criticizes Idaho’s current public education funding as confusing and insufficient, advocating for legislative improvements to make the system more understandable and equitable.
On constituent communication, Zao plans to utilize her website (cherizao.com), which she describes as informative and interactive, in addition to regular email correspondence, town halls, and speaking engagements. She emphasizes the importance of being responsive to constituent needs and concerns.
Addressing affordable housing, Zao identifies the issue as a key motivation for her candidacy. She points to the large-scale purchase of residential homes by private equity and hedge funds as detrimental to housing affordability and advocates for legislation to protect local interests and control.
Zao supports the Idaho open primaries ballot initiative, arguing that closed primaries unfairly restrict independent voters. She believes that open primaries offer a fairer choice to all voters, regardless of their party affiliation.
In her concluding remarks, Zao positions herself as a proponent of conservative values, civility, and community strength, urging voters to support her candidacy based on these principles.
May 11, 2024
Carl Bjerke - 2024 State Senate District 5 Primary Candidate
Carl Bjerke, a Republican State Senate District 5 primary candidate, has an extensive background in public safety and legislative roles, which he believes qualifies him for re-election. With an associate degree in Respiratory Therapy and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership, along with specialized training in incident command and management from prestigious institutions, Bjerke has built his career on a robust educational foundation. He moved to Kootenai County in 2017, drawn by family ties and retirement plans.
In terms of public education funding, Bjerke recognizes Idaho's constitutional commitment and suggests simplifying the funding formula while exploring creative funding methods to alleviate property tax burdens and enhance school choice options. Communication with constituents, particularly during legislative sessions, is challenging due to the volume of communications; however, Bjerke prioritizes accessibility via text and phone, encouraging engagement outside of session times for policy discussions.
On affordable housing, Bjerke sees a need for local solutions and possible legislative changes to support faster development processes, favoring a task force approach to address the mismatch between job availability and housing. He opposes the Idaho open primary ballot initiative, fearing it could lead to ranked-choice voting, which he views as detrimental.
Bjerke positions himself as a candidate dedicated to public service, touting his legislative achievements and ongoing commitment to improve Idaho through experienced and collaborative governance, making a strong case for his re-election based on a track record of service and a platform focused on practical, localized solutions to state issues.
May 10, 2024
Dave Raglin - 2024 State Representative District 4, Seat B Primary Candidate
In an interview, Dave Raglin, a Republican candidate for State Representative in District 4, discussed his extensive background and his plans for addressing key issues in Kootenai County. Raglin, recently retired, has a diverse professional history spanning 38 years across various sectors, including transportation, logistics, and rail industries. He also operates a local agency aiding developmentally disabled adults with his wife.
Raglin expressed concerns about the current state funding for public education in Idaho, advocating for permanent solutions to improve the educational system rather than temporary fixes. He emphasized the need for community and legislative collaboration to address educational inequities and enhance the quality of education.
On housing, Raglin highlighted the local crisis where wages haven't kept pace with rising home prices, making housing unaffordable for many, including essential workers. He proposed a comprehensive strategy involving community leaders, local builders, and non-profit organizations to address this issue effectively.
Regarding constituent communication, Raglin plans to ensure transparency and responsiveness through regular updates, town hall meetings, and a robust social media presence.
Raglin supports the Idaho Open Primary ballot initiative, arguing that it promotes inclusiveness and reduces polarization by allowing independent and third-party voters to participate in primaries.
He concluded by emphasizing the need for unity and shared community values in addressing local issues, advocating for a collaborative approach to preserve the cultural and foundational roots of Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho.
May 10, 2024
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:24:08
Helo Hancock
Good evening everyone. We're going to hear another perspective from one of the other three candidates running for the Kootenai County commissioner seat one tonight in that candidate is Marc Eberlein. And Mark's with us here tonight. So, Marc, why don't you take one minute and introduce yourself and tell us why you're running for office?
00:00:24:10 - 00:00:51:23
Marc Eberlein
How are our children going to be able to live in this wonderful community that we have? It's virtually impossible for them to even just even even a rental house is horrifically expensive. So those are some of the concerns that I have. Property taxes are just getting way out of hand. It's, the budgets are the budgets are getting really huge.
00:00:52:01 - 00:01:20:01
Marc Eberlein
And I don't see the purpose or the reason for why. previously, when I was a commissioner, we had the biggest budget we had was, was $90 million and change. And that was only six years ago. And today it's trending upwards at, a level six. I think it's actually 12%. And so what's. Well, how much bigger is the budget going to get?
00:01:20:03 - 00:01:48:15
Marc Eberlein
Are we going to have to go into forgone taxes at some point in time? And that's a that's a big bad thing. I don't know if you're familiar with, forgone taxes, but it's it's disastrous.
Helo Hancock
Well thank you. There's definitely a lot on your mind and a lot that you're, you're running to address. And and I appreciate you articulating those.
00:01:48:17 - 00:02:12:23
Helo Hancock
We have a few questions for you. tonight we have three, and we're going to give you two minutes for each one of these questions. The first question, is going to be named one thing the county commission could do to improve the quality of life here in Kootenai County and explain how you would work to implement that.
Marc Eberlein
Quality of life in Kootenai County.
00:02:13:01 - 00:02:49:16
Marc Eberlein
They could they could make property taxes lower if they so chose. but the commissioners really don't have too much to do in the realm of. It's private property. And so we don't in this nation, we don't unlike Russia or other countries, we don't, we don't force people to do one thing or another. And it's, it's freedom of property rights.
00:02:49:16 - 00:03:14:05
Marc Eberlein
And it's like that.
Helo Hancock
Okay. the second question we have for you, Mark, is and again, you're going to have two minutes for this one to is, you know, a lot of people when there's a primary election, see that there's more than one candidate from the same party running for a certain position and oftentimes wonder, well, what?
00:03:14:07 - 00:03:42:02
Helo Hancock
They're from the same party. and we're, you know, a pretty, close community. What how different can they really be? And so the question I think we have for you is, what what sets you apart? What makes you different from the other candidates running for seat one?
Marc Eberlein
That's that's my strongest suit I can hit. I can hit the road running in day one.
00:03:42:04 - 00:04:15:00
Marc Eberlein
There's a lot of, a lot of things that take place in budgets when you're creating them. And that's the primary function of, of of a commissioners task. one of the one that impacts the whole entire county for everything from all the way from public safety to to on property taxes to airports. And there's there's a lot of things out there that can be impacted with it and the knowledge that that I've gained.
00:04:15:02 - 00:04:40:12
Marc Eberlein
Dan Green was a, we became friends. We used to be at each other's throats. And then Green was, he was a genius when it came to, to budgeting. And I learned from him, and I'm that's I learned a lot from Dan. And some people claim he's, you know, he's not conservative, but he has his own way.
00:04:40:12 - 00:05:09:23
Marc Eberlein
And, I was very happy to be able to work with him.
Helo Hancock
The last question we have for you, is definitely something that is on the top of a lot of people's minds here in Kootenai County, the G word growth. And, you know, growth is is something that seems to you hear a lot about. People complain about traffic getting across town, housing issues, other things.
00:05:09:23 - 00:05:42:00
Helo Hancock
But, if you're elected, how will you approach growth and the issues around growth? And how do you see that being managed long term here in Kootenai County?
Marc Eberlein
Well, growth is a function of private industry. If they if they want to build something, they build it. If it's a if it's appropriate, we need to be sure to do it in certain manners so that people aren't hurt and I mean financially or physically hurt.
00:05:42:02 - 00:06:22:23
Marc Eberlein
And. If, if you if, if cities and counties don't, provide certain necessities, people can get hurt. And one of the things that I find is, when a development comes to be even if it's even it's a good development, I believe that they should be putting up the infrastructure, not only the sidewalks and that type of stuff, but if we're if growth is going to continue, then all of a sudden, who's going to pay for the fire halls?
00:06:22:23 - 00:06:51:10
Marc Eberlein
Who's going to pay for the schools? Because there's, you know, the typically the, the developers of give a piece of dirt to somebody to build a school on or, or a fire department or whatever. Well, shouldn't that be part of the, the need of of that project? And I, I think that the, the, the developers need to, pick up the tab.
00:06:51:12 - 00:07:20:04
Helo Hancock
Okay. Well, that's the last of our specific questions. And to wrap things up, Marc, you're going to have one minute to give us a closing statement. Any final thoughts you have about the race, or your candidacy? So, so take 60s and go ahead and give us your closing statement.
Marc Eberlein
Well, I would say that, we need to have responsible stewardship of public funds.
00:07:20:09 - 00:07:55:18
Marc Eberlein
That's a big one. we need to have public safety that's adequate. we have, fiscal responsibility. You know, there's things that we can do to preserve the property tax dollars and keep them down. And we need to if, like, the the foregone tax is a that's a horrible thing. And if we if somebody makes a big mistake on a project, on a building project or whatever it may be, all of a sudden forgone taxes could come into play.
00:07:55:20 - 00:08:23:15
Marc Eberlein
And I don't I don't know what the last commissioners have done for foregone tax, because they can quiet back and where they can or they can forgive the whole thing. And those are those have disastrous consequences with forgone taxes. Thank you.
Helo Hancock
Great. Well, thank you very much for your responses and for your time and for helping inform the voters of Kootenai County about the issues you you stand for.
00:08:23:15 - 00:08:30:09
Helo Hancock
And, and things you'd like to accomplish if elected. So thanks, Mark.
Marc Eberlein
Thank you.