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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Promises are meant to be kept

The Spokesman-Review

Newcomer Katie Brodie won a four-way, winner-take-all Republican primary race for a Kootenai County commissioner seat Tuesday by promising to promote economic development, to concentrate on updating the comprehensive plan and to vote to give more money to Jobs Plus.

Incumbent Commissioner Rick Currie kept his seat by pledging to continue providing strong constituent service and scrutinizing the county budget for savings to offset unfunded state mandates and budget creep.

Incumbent Commissioner Dick Panabaker joked on the radio Wednesday he’ll have to learn to walk like a duck – a lame duck.

In the short term, the county commission won’t change at all. For the next seven months, Panabaker, Currie and a third Republican, Gus Johnson, will set the fiscal year 2005 budget, conduct equalization hearings on property tax appeals and continue to oversee the daily operations of the courthouse. Then, the lame duck will fly. And Brodie – who is now a commissioner-elect because she has no general election opposition – will find that it’s easier to make promises in the heat of a campaign than to fulfill them later. She’ll also find that the media have a nasty habit of keeping track of campaign promises.

Here are the promises that Brodie most needs to keep, with considerable help, of course, from the other two commissioners:

• The county should upgrade its comprehensive plan with extensive input from a cross-section of residents.

Brodie will be on the spot here because many residents are wary of her involvement, as property manager for Idaho Forest Industries, in a controversial forested subdivision proposed for state Highway 53 and North Idaho Road. The current commission heeded neighborhood outcry and rejected the proposal. As a longtime member and former chairman of the county Planning Commission, Brodie will bring to the board valuable knowledge on planning issues. But she has to be careful not to become gung-ho for development in a county that’s concerned about uncontrolled growth. After all, the term she won from Panabaker is only for two years.

• The commission should work to bring clean industry and quality jobs to Kootenai County, including increasing public funding for private Jobs Plus and traveling with business recruiters to encourage companies to relocate. Local government should take part in economic development. But Brodie may find that extra tax dollars to fund a $50,000 annual donation to Jobs Plus are hard to come by.

• Kootenai County should work aggressively with its cities to preserve the Rathdrum Prairie. The days for grass farmers to burn their fields are numbered. As they wind down, farmers will be tempted more than ever to sell their land to developers. Something has to be done now to preserve open space and guide growth on the prairie, above the region’s sole-source aquifer and along state Highway 41.

Panabaker received our endorsement for a fourth term in his recent primary election. For nine-plus years as a commissioner and seven years before that as mayor of Hayden, he served his constituents well. He has no reason to learn how to walk like a duck, yet. Or hang his head. He was beaten by a quality opponent with a vision for the future. Her constituents should watch to see if she delivers on that vision.