NIC trustees
Jim Hammond is Post Falls’ city administrator, a former mayor and former councilman. Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood serves on the local school board. Tyler Allen Smith’s political career included a stint on the student council in high school.
The three have varying levels of political experience, but one thing in common: A desire to shape the future of Coeur d’Alene’s rapidly growing community college. They’re vying for a seat on North Idaho College’s board of trustees in the Nov. 2 general election.
Smith, 19, is an NIC student whose platform includes a push for student representation on the board of trustees.
Through tuition and fees, Smith said students “are putting about a quarter of the money in the pot. One board member should be there to represent the students.”
A 2003 graduate of Superior (Mont.) High School, Smith said he has grown fond of North Idaho and is comfortable committing to a six-year trustee term. He has a couple more years left at NIC and plans to stay in the area after he completes his criminal justice degree.
Smith is an NIC cheerleader, works at the Goose Grill in the NIC Student Union and has lived on campus. He served on the residence hall council.
Wood, 43, is the police department’s public information officer. She is married to David Wood and has an 18-year-old son, Bryan, who attends the University of Montana.
She recently took classes at NIC as she completed her master’s degree at Lewis-Clark State College. She also attended NIC when she was younger.
Wood said she felt great support from the college as a nontraditional college student and wants to help promote that opportunity for others. Now that she’s done with school and is an “empty nester,” Wood said she has plenty of time to dedicate to the trustee position, while maintaining her commitment to the Coeur d’Alene’s School Board.
She said her experience on the school board would aid her in the role of trustee. She’s also an advocate for keeping the college affordable.
Hammond just completed a term on the state Board of Education and was recently appointed as chairman of the state’s Charter School Commission. The 54-year-old city administrator is married to Cyndie Hammond and has three sons and four grandchildren. Before becoming city administrator, Hammond was an elementary school principal in Spokane and Post Falls.
“I don’t want to make judgments about the issues before the board until I’m elected and have a chance to see all sides of the issues,” Hammond said. Some candidates base their campaign on certain issues, he said, then are elected, “get the full picture” and change their views.
He said he does want to help NIC remain affordable and accessible for students, though. He said the college needs to provide as much access as possible for all students, whether they’re seeking a degree or a professional or technical certificate.