Item: Purtee named trustee: Commissioners fill vacancy on Cd'A School Board/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: After two hours of interviewing and an hour of discussion, all in front of a crowd of more than 100, the Kootenai County commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday evening to select James Purtee to fill the Zone 1 trustee seat on the Coeur d'Alene School District board. Emphasizing that any of the six applicants for the vacant seat were well qualified and could have served the district well, the commissioners noted that Purtee, owner of Jimmy's Down the Street restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, has shown repeated interest in seeking a board position and will bring decades of financial experience to the five-member board.

DFO: Commissioner Tondee raised a good point re: Purtee coming within 7 votes of winning a trustee spot in a race three years ago.

Question: How does this appointment affect the balance of power on the split Coeur d'Alene School Board?