Strategery, Range Involved In Elex

Ron Lahr’s Strategery public relations organization and Range NW, associated with Balance North Idaho, are heavily involved in the candidacies of four individuals running for Coeur d’Alene mayor and City Council positions. According to the 30-day pre-election campaign finance reports, 82.5 percent of the campaign spending by the three Reagan Republican candidates for council — Noel Adam, Sharon Hebert and Chris Fillios — has gone to the Strategery organization: $4307 of $5219. Additionally, mayor candidate Mary Souza has spent 38.6 percent of her campaign expenditures with Strategery — $6086 of $15,747. Lahr and senior Strategery consultant Jeff Ward are also founders of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. Meanwhile, Souza’s opponent, Steve Widmyer, has spent almost 90 percent of his campaign expenses with Range NW, whose co-founder Eden Irgens is president of Balance North Idaho. Two of the three BNI-endorsed candidates for City Council — Kiki Miller and Amy Evans — have combined to spend 62 percent of their campaign expenses with Range NW — $3035 of $4881. The final BNI-endorsed candidate, incumbent Woody McEvers, hasn’t spent anything with Range NW.