Dan Sheckler: Kootenai County Republicans need new, more serious leadership

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee recommends “rated and vetted” candidates to voters in North Idaho. Many voters rely on these recommendations, trusting the Republican brand. Yet, over the past several years, the same pattern emerges: The KCRCC recommends unstable candidates lacking the temperament to govern. These poor decisions demonstrate the need for change.

North Idaho College offers a clear reminder. Governance failures by KCRCC recommended trustees led to the college facing a “show cause” sanction from its accrediting institution. Without accreditation, degrees lose value, students suffer, and the entire community pays the price. We need steady governance, not temperamental outbursts and virtue-signaling theatrics.

Voters demonstrated their commitment to responsible governance in November 2024 when they rejected the KCRCC-backed trustees at North Idaho College. Supported by Save NIC and North Idaho Republicans, the new trustees set the college on the right course and returned it to good standing.

That saga was not an isolated example.

The KCRCC majority is attracted to fringe candidates who emotionally rant, rather than exhibit the sound character to govern with seriousness. Consider the KCRCC-recommended candidate for the Greensferry Water and Sewer District as an example. In his candidate statement published in the KCRCC voter guide, widely distributed to all voters in Kootenai County, he did not address the practical responsibilities of managing a water district. Instead, he wrote: “We need to get rid of the IRS, the money doesn’t go to the United States it goes to the Bank of England.” Meanwhile, the incumbent addressed the real issue: constructing the DEQ-approved upgrades needed to ensure safe drinking water.

Yet the KCRCC chose the candidate focused on conspiracy rhetoric. He later told the Inlander, “The person I’m running against knows so much more than I do, she’s so much more qualified.” He told the Inlander that he had no relevant experience, but someone from the KCRCC asked him to run, no doubt attracted to his fantastic rants.

Most recently, the KCRCC recommended Mark Fitzpatrick for governor. Fitzpatrick built his public profile through provocative social-media posts rather than public service. The Old State Saloon X account, which describes itself as the “HQ of Mark Fitzpatrick for Idaho Governor,” posted inflammatory content lamenting “Jewish billionaires and all their influence on our own government.” On his Mark Fitzpatrick 4 Governor X account, he posted “Everyone stop paying taxes!” He posted calls for the elimination of all property, sales and income taxes. These types of online theatrics may generate attention, but governing a state requires seriousness.

Gov. Brad Little, by contrast, presides over a strong Idaho economy driven by historic tax cuts and a balanced budget. Little earned the endorsement of President Trump. The KCRCC continued its poor judgment by recommending an untested candidate known for inflammatory rhetoric over a successful sitting governor.

There are other poor recommendations coming out of the KCRCC. A particularly sad example occurred when a Coeur d’Alene school board trustee was elected with the backing of the committee. Last year the trustee was arrested for driving under the influence. According to the police report, she admitted to the arresting officer that she had recently smoked cocaine. A few months later, she received another DUI. When a recommended school board trustee commits a serious offense while in office, the public deserves a public response from the KCRCC. Instead: silence; the KCRCC failed to publicly rescind the recommendation.

This May, Republican primary voters will elect new members to the committee. In May 2024, precinct committeemen endorsed by North Idaho Republicans won 30 seats, short of the majority required to elect new leadership to the KCRCC, and necessary to get better decisions.

Many responsible citizens plan to help NIR elect that new leadership. If you think change is needed to reclaim the Republican brand for responsible governance, check out the North Idaho Republican’s website, www.northidahorepublicans.org, for future events and ways to get involved.

Dan Sheckler is a member of the Coeur d’Alene City Council and a precinct committeeman on the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. The opinions expressed above are his own.