Boundary County worker gets GOP nod for treasurer

Boundary County voters picked a longtime county employee as the Republican nominee for county treasurer, according to Tuesday night election results.

Jennifer Fessler, chief deputy treasurer for 6 1/2 years, easily beat two other challengers to clinch the nomination. In final, unofficial results, she had about 70 percent of the votes.

Fessler, of Bonners Ferry, will go on to face Democrat John R. Sanders, of Naples, in the general election. The winner will succeed outgoing treasurer Wilma DeVore.

“I want to try to keep the lines of communication open between the taxpayer and our office,” Fessler said Tuesday night. “I just like to serve the public.”

Ron Sukenik, of Bonners Ferry, who has spent 17 years working for Boundary County as district court bailiff and jury commissioner, received about 20 percent of the vote, according to early returns.

Clorrisa Koster, 35, of Naples, chief deputy of the Bonner County treasurer’s office, received about 9 percent.

In Shoshone County, voters in the Democratic primary gave the nod to county treasurer Ellen Sauer, who has held that position since 1998. Sauer, 57, received 68 percent of the vote with 14 of 19 precincts reporting.

Melba Bencich, who holds a supervisory clerical job at a local business, challenged Sauer for the job – her second attempt. Bencich also ran unsuccessfully in 1982.

The treasurer’s main task is collecting and managing tax receipts for the county. But the elected official also serves as chief investment officer and handles the estates of deceased residents with no wills or heirs.

With only one other full-time and one half-time position in the office to help with those duties, the Shoshone County treasurer must be adept at balancing a variety of tasks, Sauer said during the race. She said she is working to streamline the office by overseeing a new tax-collection and management computer system.

In Benewah County, the incumbent assessor, Teresa A. Jeffrey, was leading with 61 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary. Jeffrey, of St. Maries, was elected in 2002 and has worked in the assessor’s office for about 22 years.

Kathy Tweedy, who worked in the assessor’s office from 1991 to 2000, challenged Jeffrey for the job. She also ran for the position four years ago – as a Republican. Tweedy is a medical records technician at Benewah Community Hospital.