Former county commissioner, drone maker challenge councilwoman in CdA council race

Two candidates are looking to shake up a city council race in Coeur d’Alene, while three-term councilwoman Kiki Miller seeks re-election.

Former Kootenai County Commissioner Bill Brooks and former city council candidate JD Claridge are running against Miller for the District 6 city council seat.

Brooks and Miller did not respond to interview requests.

Miller owned Kagey Company Inc., a local marketing, publication and promotions firm, from 1992 to 2023, according to her city council bio.

“I am running for city council to continue ensuring that everyone in our community is heard and supported,” Miller said in a statement on her campaign website. “My focus is on solving community challenges together by involving the creative vision of all residents. Over the years, my work promoting service and civic projects has helped shape our city for the better.”

Miller listed her extensive community service and civic involvement, including leadership roles with the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and the domestic violence prevention center Safe Passage.

Representing Coeur d’Alene, Miller organized the Housing Solutions Partnership in Kootenai County to address growth and affordability issues that escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. She stated that she plans to continue working on this issue, as well as promoting jobs and education, while fostering strong fiscal management.

Brooks served one term as county commissioner, but chose not to run again last year when his seat was up. He did not list a campaign website in his city election filing.

Brooks served in the U.S. Army Security Agency as a linguist and interrogator during the Vietnam era, according to his bio on his personal website. He founded a consumer protection agency in Illinois and held executive positions in health care and telecommunications. After moving to Coeur d’Alene in 1999, he became a real estate broker and a licensed independent insurance adjuster. He also wrote a biweekly consumer advocate column for the Coeur d’Alene Press using the tagline “I’m in your corner.”

Claridge is CEO of xCraft, a Coeur d’Alene-based drone design and manufacturing company he co-founded in 2014. He wants to bring more conservative values to the council while representing constituent interests north of Interstate 90, rather than focusing on downtown.

Claridge lost a bid for city council in 2021 against Woody McEvers and another candidate with 43% of the vote. With President Donald Trump back in office and the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, Claridge said the political climate is different and more people are embracing “traditional family values.”

Claridge is a board member for Citizens Alliance of Idaho, a conservative organization and political action committee that encourages elected officials to pledge to a defined list of five things they will do and five things they will not. For instance, they will vote to support “individual medical freedom and privacy” and “expanding education freedom.” They will not vote “to give any new power to the federal government.”

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, the official Republican party, endorsed Claridge for the race. The relatively moderate group North Idaho Republicans endorsed Miller.

Like other candidates, Claridge said affordable housing is a top priority. However, he wants to limit vertical growth from apartment buildings and high-rises, and expand opportunities for modest single-family homes on smaller lots.

“I want to encourage home ownership,” Claridge said. “I think that’s a great way for people to buy in to the community.”

He wants to limit unnecessary surveillance, since he has noticed security cameras and license plate readers proliferate around town, and city council has discussed adding audio recording devices.

“I understand to some level why some of that is needed, but I do think it is excessive.”

Finally, Claridge said he wants to uphold family values in the governing process. For the most part, family values have not been discussed by the council except for a resolution it passed in June.

The resolution declared the time from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day as “Traditional Family Values Month” in Coeur d’Alene, and defines traditional families as “consisting of a natural mother and father, children, and extended family.”

Claridge said the council passed it begrudgingly in response to public pressure.

“I think that was almost forced; they had to do it,” he said.

Some council members have participated in Pride in the Park, Claridge said.

In 2013, the city passed a nondiscrimination ordinance that protects “all persons, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.”

“Obviously we have those people in our community too,” Claridge said, “but there has been much more favoring of that community over the family-value-friendly community.”