Gus Johnson should move back into his Kootenai County commissioner office.

He has no business invading the vacant office of the county’s building and planning department director. That space should be reserved for a professional with extensive education and experience. Not a county commissioner who was unceremoniously dumped in the spring Republican primary by voters who were unhappy with the commissioners’ lack of direction on growth issues, among other things.

Johnson, who’ll step down as commissioner next January, claims he’s not the interim director or a potential applicant to become the next director. And fellow lame-duck Commissioner Katie Brodie backs him up. Brodie told The Spokesman-Review: “He’s there to see how they operate, what the processes are, if we’re being as efficient as possible.” Johnson, however, has had almost six years to learn what the planning and building departments do.

Commissioners are elected to set policy, hire staff and monitor performance, not to be the staff. Public board and staff functions should be separate so that the board can be independent in its assessment of how staff is working. Brodie and Commissioner Rick Currie should demand that Johnson concentrate on his primary duties and move quickly to fill the planning director vacancy.

The planning and building staffs are facing a tough workload as they struggle to overcome the departure of longtime planning director Rand Wichman, who resigned to start a private consulting business. They don’t need to have a commission chairman who’s known for his hot temper meddling in their routine decisions. The surreptitious phone calls made by staff to Wichman indicate that Johnson’s presence is causing morale problems.

Johnson’s surprise move comes at a time when the planning department has started the process to overhaul the county comprehensive plan.

The comprehensive plan rewrite is vital for Kootenai County’s future, with developers pressing the commissioners for amendments and zone changes to build huge developments and golf courses on Lake Coeur d’Alene and other major projects elsewhere. It will provide a road map for future planning decisions. It’s crucial that the process take place in an even-handed, above-board manner. It’s also important that Johnson doesn’t interfere with the process.

Johnson has slightly more than four months remaining in his second term. He should spend that time performing the complicated work his job entails and not simply focus on building and planning. The time to preserve the Rathdrum Prairie from development has passed Kootenai County by. The next group of county commissioners should deal with emerging planning decisions in the hinterlands.