Panhandle Has Plenty Of Choices Dozens Enter Political Ring From Spirit Lake To Harrison

Sharon Bateman never thought she’d run for mayor.

But after an 11th-hour appeal from friends who believe Rathdrum officials are too close-mouthed, there she was Tuesday, collecting signatures. She filed the forms 40 minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline.

“Democracy doesn’t work unless you have choices to make,” said Bateman, a 35-year-old artist and mother of three. “If no one runs, then there’s no choice.”

Throughout North Idaho, dozens of incumbents and challengers have thrown their hats into the political ring, hoping for seats in city hall.

Some cities, like Tensed and Spirit Lake, are seeing a flurry of candidates in the wake of recent controversies. In Hauser, by contrast, there are only three candidates for the four open council seats.

In Harrison and the tiny city of Chatcolet, virtually every city official is up for election. And in Athol, longtime Mayor Jean Hill, who has shepherded her town through water crises and the state grants that solved them, has decided to leave City Hall at the end of the year.

“I’m tired,” she said recently, before leaving for a hunting trip.

In Rathdrum, Bateman’s running against Rathdrum Mayor Tawnda Bromley, who was appointed after the city recalled a former mayor last fall.

Bateman’s platform is simple: City officials need to be open and forth-right about their decisions.

“Instead of making things understandable, they’re keeping the information to themselves,” she said.

For example, she said, many citizens didn’t know the city was building a new $200,000 City Hall until the trucks began pouring the foundation. And Bateman said many citizens didn’t know the city decided to log part of its 500 acres on Rathdrum Mountain to come up with the money.

At a recent planning and zoning meeting, she said, officials wouldn’t listen to the standing-room-only crowd until two hours into the meeting, when all but four people had gone home frustrated.

“All these people want is to be heard and to understand what’s going on,” she said.

The city’s trying, Bromley said. It puts out a newsletter every three months. It held a forum on the city’s sewer woes, and an open house for proponents of a second power plant south of Rathdrum.

“I don’t feel like we’ve been closed or going over people’s heads,” said Bromley, a 47-year-old employee of the Kootenai County assessor’s office. “It’s just that we have a real tough time getting people involved. We had three budget meetings, and only two citizens showed up.”

She said the City Council agreed to post its agenda at a local supermarket and bank. Citizens can also call city hall or council members, she said.

“We’re all in the phone book,” she said. “I think the responsibility goes both ways.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CANDIDATES Here’s the list of candidates in the outlying communities of North Idaho: Athol: Mayor: Lanny E. Spurlock. Four-year council seats: incumbent Lewis T. Miller, incumbent Michael Berry, Bundy “B.J.” Chamberlain. Two-year council seat: Joel E. Jensen Jr. Chatcolet: Mayor: incumbent Maxine Fecko. Three council seats: incumbents Mary Bell, Myrna Lindstrom, Norman Odekirk. Dalton Gardens: Mayor: Arnold “Ray” Thomas. Two council seats: incumbent Roland “Ron” Koontz, Daniel J. Franklin. Dover: Mayor: Randy Curless. Three council seats: Rick Hyde, Brad Littlefield. Harrison: Mayor: incumbent Dean Christensen, David LePard, Jerry Kirkpatrick. Three four-year seats: incumbent Sharon Yablon, incumbent Kelly Grof, incumbent Stan Kvern, Ron Jeanblanc. Two two-year seats: incumbent George Shanks, Sue Dehority, Ronald Elliott. Hauser: Mayor: incumbent Ed Peone. Four council seats: incumbents Carmen Miller, Dan Eggart, Olita Johnston. Hayden: Mayor: Mike Sperle, Gordon Andrea. Two council seats: incumbent Karl Janson, Suann Dedmon, Bob Spurr, Richard W. Cook Jr. Hayden Lake: Three council seats: incumbent John Harrison, incumbent Bob Prince, Jim Ackerman, John Wilkey. Kellogg: Three council seats: incumbent Mac Pooler, James A. Joy, Bill McCauley. Mullan: Two council seats: incumbents Chuck Reitz and Walt Krulitz. Osburn: Mayor: incumbent Bob McPhail. Two year seat: incumbent Bob Ridout. Two four-year seats: incumbent Wendell Badgley, Chris Allen, Reeva Williams. Pinehurst: Mayor: incumbent Jim Hodge. Two council seats: incumbent Gary Hoffman, Betty Dudley, David Kramer. Ponderay: Mayor: Jim Hunt. Two council seats: incumbent Brad Mitton, incumbent Curtis Mitton, Barbara Trout, Roger Van Fossen. Plummer: Two council seats: David Conner, Kenneth Smith. Rathdrum: Mayor: incumbent Tawnda Bromley, Sharon Bateman. Three council seats: incumbent Chuck Holt, incumbent Joseph Hassell, Mark Worthen. Smelterville: Mayor: incumbent David Olson. Two council seats: incumbent Bill Keller, Tom Benson, Glen Christmann. Spirit Lake: Mayor: Robert Knapp, Robert R. Root, Eugene Clary. Two council seats: incumbent Jeff Brown, Martha Fairchild, Sandra Faubion, Donald Stout, Ellis “Ed” Hanna, Mike Easley. St. Maries: Three council seats: incumbents Ed Spooner, George Currier, Warren Chadbourne. Tensed: Mayor: incumbent Mariane Hurley, Shirley Lanning. Two council seats: incumbent Darrow Phillips, incumbent Gary Seaton, Shane Sanford, Effie Reid, Diane Jensen. Wallace: Three council seats: incumbents William Dire Jr., Joann Branstetter, James Fowler. Worley: Two council seats: incumbent Mark Turman, incumbent Steven P. Malone, Richard J. Wienclaw, Jim D. Sifford.