• HucksOnline: Did the voters of Coeur d'Alene give you & Steve Adams a mandate last night?
• Dan Gookin: The mandate is that they want a public vote on McEuen Field. Some could argue that was the public vote. But going forward they want an actual ballot for a public vote.
• HucksOnline: How would you form the question for a public vote?
• Dan Gookin: The 3 big issues are the ballfield, boat ramp, and parking garage. I'd say an up-or-down vote on each of those. A question could be: Should the ballfields be moved off McEuen to Cherry Hill. I'd specify the costs. Ditto for the boat ramp. Ditto for the parking garage. I'd also favor of asking: Would you favor the Hyatt plan for McEuen? Would you favor the Walker-Macy plan?
• HucksOnline: You still are one vote short of getting a public vote on McEuen Field. How does that figure into your thinking?
• Dan Gookin: You're assuming we're one vote short. We won't know until council meets in January how the other council members will go. You're assuming Mike, Deanna, and Woody will maintain their posture. There has been a lot of self-reflection in last 48 hours.
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Huckleberries: First, can you describe your Coeur d'Alene School Board zone?

Greg Rod: Roughly Coeur d'Alene Airport in Hayden to Coeur d'Alene Public Golf Course and then west to Highway 95. (Bill Hemenway's open seat … Greg Rod literature here. And: Terri Seymour literature here.)

• Huckleberries: The Reagan Republicans have endorsed (and are working for) your opponent, Terri Seymour . Do you think partisan politics should play a role in a Coeur d'Alene School Board race?
• Greg Rod (Facebook page here): The partisan politics is only going to create division in our schools and not help our students. We need to find a way to work together and help solve our problems. Some of the greatest things we've done as a community has been as a result of collaboration. The coming together to back (Coeur d'Alene police officer) Mike Kralicek when he was seriously injured. We supported Excel Foundation. We came together against the Aryan Nations.
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• DFO: What exactly is the Idaho Republican Victory 2010 campaign about?
• Phil Hardy (Idaho Republican Victory 2010 director): The word “Victory” campaign is a designation Republican Party uses every campaign. We haven’t had a victory campaign with staff here before. Victory and Idaho Republican Party is synonymous.
• DFO: Are you focusing on a specific race?
• Phil Hardy: Absolutely, it’s the 1st Congressional District race.
• DFO: At this point, that race for Republicans seems like an uphill battle?
• Phil Hardy: I think that’s the general impression for those who don’t necessarily follow politics that closely. This is such a solidly Republican district that we feel once we let voters know who real Republican is, we’ll have very few people to convince to vote for Raul Labrador. Rather, it’ll always be an uphill battle for Democrat to win 1st Congressional District.
• DFO: What do you make of the $1M advantage Walt Minnick has in terms of warchests?
• Phil Hardy: I have this vision in my head that the people of this district have been so well educated that a vote for Walt Minnick is a vote for Nancy Pelosi. That every time (Minnick) runs a TV ad for himself, it’s going to remind voters that they need to vote for Raul Labrador.
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Vaughn Ward, left, and Raul Labrador, center, join Bruce Reichert of Idaho Public Television for a coin toss before the pair’s statewide debate last week. The two men and candidate Harley Brown will meet in Post Falls tonight for a debate before the Pachyderm Club. (SR Photo/Betsy Russell)

• DFO: In one interview I read, the writer (Dan Popkey) compared you to Bill Sali w/a smile? Are your politics very similar to Sali’s?
• Raul Labrador: I’m very conservative. I’ve been a solid conservative vote in Idaho Legislature. I always have a smile. I get along with people. I’m always cordial friendly. I treat people with respect, whether I agree with them or disagree with them.
• DFO: I’ve kidded w/your spokesman Dennis Mansfield that you must have someone embedded in the Vaughn Ward campaign to mess things up for your opponent. How can you explain the series missteps by the other guy?
• Labrador: I don’t think I can. It’s really disappointing to see a young man who has served his country honorably … to see there may be problems of credibility and maybe of honesty. More below