CdA council candidate wants to make the Lake City an ‘innovation hub’

A Coeur d’Alene entrepreneur running against a longtime incumbent says he can fix the budget by finding creative new revenue streams.

Jeff “Doc” Larson said he filed to run against Councilwoman Amy Evans for the district 2 seat after listening to grumblings in the business community about the council and because no one should run unopposed.

“It became one of those situations where you can either complain about things or you can do something about it,” Larson said.

Evans did not respond to requests for an interview. Her campaign website says her priorities include creating jobs and supporting local businesses, housing, expanding recreation and cultural opportunities, and preserving the city’s unique charm and livability.

“As a mother, a professional, and lifelong Idahoan, I care deeply about the future of Coeur d’Alene,” Evans said in a statement on her website. “I am running for re-election to ensure we continue to grow in a way that supports families and businesses, strengthens our schools, and protects the character of our community.”

Evans has served three terms on council since 2014. Prior to that she served on the city planning commission for six years.

She works as vice president of programs at Idaho Youth Ranch.

In previous interviews, she highlighted her efforts to save Sorensen Elementary when it was slated to be closed in the mid 2000s.

Larson served seven overseas tours in the U.S. Army first as a medic (hence the nickname “Doc”), then in counterintelligence. He moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2017 to help care for his stepfather. Since then he has worked as a tech entrepreneur.

He founded a cyber security company called Quantum Star Technologies Inc. He is CEO of Pantheon Business Development Group that offers mentorship for startups, and he is chief operations officer for The Ryzosphere – a new platform that helps farmers navigate the supply chain.

“I believe we can use emerging technologies to make things way more efficient,” Larson said.

City government could help make Coeur d’Alene an “innovation hub” by partnering with universities and startups on energy, data infrastructure and other tech to lower costs or generate revenue. For example, it could partner with building owners downtown to install high tech solar to feed into the grid.

“We need to really, really look at other forms of revenue to offset the general fund so that we’re not hammering taxpayers,” Larson said.

In September the city council approved a budget that raises property taxes 3% and takes 1% of foregone taxes, while also taking $1.8 million from the general fund balance.

Larson said this was due to the council’s lack of foresight and years of kicking the can down the road. He said the city needs to be thinking about the long game. Coeur d’Alene’s rapid growth will slow because it is running out of space.

He suggested the city work with businesses to create internships to encourage young talent to stay in the area.

While the city needs to bring more money in, Larson doesn’t see major areas that could be cut. Once on council he would take a deeper dive to see what could be trimmed, but the trouble is the same number of staff have been doing more and more work with the same resources for years, he said.

“Most cities have a lot of fat to be cut, special interest type programs, etcetera, but I don’t see Coeur d’Alene having a lot of them,” Larson said. “We are going to have to look at different ways to bring revenue in.”