Sleepy Benewah County Politics Begins To Stir With Longtime Official Not Running, First New Face In 21 Years Assured

Sandwiched between fast-growing Kootenai and Latah counties, rural Benewah County has long been a place unto itself.

The business hub is St. Maries, far from the Interstate 90 or U.S. Highway 95 thoroughfares. The economy relies on timber, despite the tremors in that industry. And the same county commissioners have governed since the 1970s.

But change is coming.

For the first time in 21 years, there will be a new Benewah County commissioner. George Mills Jr., a Tensed farmer who took office in 1975, is stepping down.

Two Republicans and two Democrats will face off in the May 28 primary. Also, powerful Democratic commissioner Jack Buell, who represents the St. Maries area, will face two opponents in November’s election. It’s the first time Buell’s been opposed since the 1970s.

Mills represents District 2, which includes the Tensed, DeSmet, Plummer and Sanders areas.

The Democratic hopefuls for Mills’ seat include conservative Dave Johnson and author Christina Crawford, adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford.

Johnson, 51, lives in Plummer, next to a 100-acre bluegrass field.

“I want to be real cautious that we take care of the people who are already here, that we don’t zone them out of a living, be it logging or farming,” he said.

Johnson grew up in Tensed, where his father ran a Chevron station. A former logger, in 1987 he founded Johnson Contractors Inc., which builds logging roads.

Johnson said his biggest strength is his job, which takes him all over the county.

Crawford lives south of Tensed in a round house she built three years ago. It is a bed-and-breakfast inn. Hangman Creek runs through her 166-acre farm.

“I can deeply and profoundly appreciate what we have here, and I don’t want to see it ruined because nobody’s paying attention,” she said.

Crawford, 56, was raised in Los Angeles. A former actress, she wrote the best-selling “Mommie Dearest,” about abuse at the hands of her adoptive mother. She lectures on family violence, and served three years as a Children’s Services Commissioner in Los Angeles.

Crawford said the county must push for better roads and education. The U.S. 95 corridor is natural for small business, she said, and careful planning is essential to preserve the county’s strengths: natural beauty, friendly people and safe communities.

Her greatest asset, she said, is her ability to get people talking.

On the Republican ticket, former pastor Marlow Thompson is facing off with farmer Jack E. Denny.

Thompson, like Crawford, lives in the Sanders area, where he and his wife manage a Christian retreat center. On Wednesday, carpenters’ hammers rang in the air as he supervised construction of a new dining hall.

“This is workday around here,” he said. “Every day is.”

Thompson, 57, was raised on a farm in Colville, Wash. He was a Free Methodist pastor for 20 years before his current job. He represents the county on the Panhandle Health District board, and volunteers on the Tensed ambulance crew.

“I look at this (candidacy) as a way of serving people,” he said. “I have no private agenda. I think I understand some of the problems of our county, but I don’t have any quick fixes,” he said.

The county must protect farming, logging and recreation, he said.

His opponent in the primary, Denny, lives on a 1,000-acre farm in quiet Minaloosa Valley, south of Plummer. A hand-lettered sign on the road warns “Cattle Trail.”

“I believe in efficiency. We’ve had to operate the farm with a limited amount of money, and I think government has to think the same way,” he said.

Denny, 57, was raised on a dairy near Medical Lake. He moved to the Plummer farm 36 years ago.

Denny is a political veteran. He’s served 12 years on the Plummer-Gateway Highway District and more than 20 years on various agriculture boards. He also served three years on the former Plummer school board.

He said he wants to be sure farming is represented on the commission. He’s troubled by the recent grass-burning ban in Spokane.

“I have a considerable amount of experience to offer, and besides that, I’m a nice guy,” Denny said, grinning.

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