Business Group Backs Panabaker, Johnson Donations To Commission Candidates Come After Cutoff For May Disclosure

Campaign donations for two Kootenai County Commission races were released this week - but didn’t include large donations from a powerful business group.

Concerned Businesses of North Idaho has contributed $1,000 to the campaign of incumbent Commissioner Dick Panabaker in the District 3 race and $950 to Post Falls Mayor Gus Johnson’s bid for the District 1 seat.

Those Republican races will be decided in Tuesday’s primary election.

Both donations from Concerned Businesses came after the May 7 sunshine law reporting deadline, so they did not show up in mandatory contribution lists released this week.

Deedie Beard, Kootenai County elections supervisor, said any contribution of less than $1,000 that is received after May 7 does not have to be disclosed until June 22 - a month after the primary.

Bret Bowers, acting executive director of Concerned Businesses, confirmed the contributions to Johnson and Panabaker, but would not answer questions about the timing of the donations.

Concerned Businesses is made up of area business owners who pay dues to join the group. The organization scrutinizes government spending, lobbies on issues such as the proposed Coeur d’Alene Community Center and supports candidates during elections.

Johnson is running against fellow Post Falls residents Kevin Krieg, Merlin Berger and Bob Hunt for the District 1 seat.

So far, Johnson has raised the most money - about $9,470 - in the race to replace Dick Compton, who chose not to run again.

“I had a lot of people support me that I’m thrilled with. But I do wish the process was different,” Johnson said of accepting donations. “I want to stay on the issues as much as possible.”

Kevin Krieg had the second highest contribution total with $7,177.50. However, $3,150 of that amount came from Krieg and he has pledged to spend an additional $2,400 on his own campaign.

Merlin Berger - who listed donations totaling $4,120 - has support from several members of Concerned Businesses, but he did not win that organization’s money.

“I think I have some pretty solid support,” Berger said. “I didn’t get into this thing to buy the vote.”

Johnson acknowledged the perception of his taking money from Concerned Businesses.

“The connotation is that they bought you,” Johnson said of the donation. “But I’m not somebody who can be bought.”

Hunt chose not to accept campaign donations.

In District 3, incumbent Panabaker has raised a total of $3,138 for his race against fellow Hayden residents Rich Piazza and Greg Wells.

One-third of Panabaker’s contributions came from Concerned Businesses.

“Those people are good people,” Panabaker said of Concerned Business members. “They understand what keeps the community going.”

Piazza, who has launched an aggressive campaign to unseat Panabaker, reported contributions of $1,575.

The other candidate in that race, Wells, reported $300 in contributions - all from himself. Wells’ report also indicates that $900 has been pledged from Nickel’s Worth.

Panabaker’s total this year pales in comparison to the $30,000 he raised to unseat incumbent Mike Anderson in 1994.

“We got a real bad start this year because of the term limit thing,” he said of 6th District Judge Randy Smith’s March ruling to put off the effects of voter-approved term limits until the Idaho Supreme Court can review it.

“So in all honesty,” Panabaker said, “I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been.”