North Idaho election roundup: Gookin wins CdA mayor’s race; Sandpoint voters approve sewage plant
Residents voted the mayors of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls out of office in Tuesday’s election, though many other North Idaho officials retained their seats.
In Coeur d’Alene, Councilman Dan Gookin beat interim mayor Woody McEvers. Gookin won the four-way mayor race with 34.2% of the vote, while GOP-endorsed Debbie Loffman took 28%, McEvers took 26.5% and John Pulsipher took 11.3%.
Win or lose, Gookin said it is always a relief when an election is over. He spoke highly of his opponents who were “very committed to each of their positions,” and he was pleased with turnout.
“The citizens of Coeur d’Alene made a good decision, and I look forward to serving them,” Gookin said.
Gookin has served on the city council since 2011. He ran for mayor on making the city administration more organized and writing an official policy manual. He is a precinct committeeman on the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, but has been a critic of the local GOP. He was endorsed by the independent North Idaho Republicans.
McEvers served on the city council from 2002 until September 2024, when he was appointed mayor.
For the city council races, the incumbents held on to their seats. In District 2, Councilwoman Amy Evans won with 60.7% to Jeff “Doc” Larson with 39.3%.
In District 6, Councilwoman Kiki Miller won with 50.8% of the vote, defeating JD Claridge with 36.2% and Bill Brooks with 13%. Evans and Miller were both elected to their fourth terms.
On the Coeur d’Alene School Board, incumbent Rick Rasmussen won with 61.2%, defeating Michael Burns with 38.8%. Rasmussen was appointed to the board in July to fill a vacancy.
Trustee Leslie Bjerke ran unopposed, but write-in candidate Tom Sanner snagged 8.2% of the vote. Bjerke was first elected in 2021.
For the Lakeland School Board, Trustee David Quimby won re-election with 61.3% of the vote against Chris Beaty with 38.7%. In a race for a different seat with no incumbent, Jeff Brodhead won with 51.4% to Allison Burnett with 48.7%. Quimby and Brodhead were both endorsed by the KCRCC.
On the Post Falls School Board, Trustee Neil Uhrig won 58.7% against Brad Harmon with 41.3%. Uhrig was first elected in 2021. Harmon is a former principal of several schools in the district.
In a separate race, Kelli Johnson beat Thomas Barrett with 76.1% of the vote. Johnson is a stay-at-home mom with a background as a behavior interventionist and has a daughter in private school, she told Idaho Education News.
As with Coeur d’Alene, in Post Falls a city councilmember beat the incumbent in the mayor race.
Councilman Randy Westlund won a three-way race against Ronald Jacobson with 38.8% of the vote. Scot Haug had 32.6%, and Jacobson, who is finishing his third term as mayor, had 28.6%. Westlund, a self-employed software engineer, was elected to the council in 2024.
In Sandpoint, voters overwhelmingly approved a $130 million bond to replace the city’s aging wastewater treatment facility, with 89% voting in favor. The bond will be paid for by ratepayers, and rates are expected to double in the next five years.