Lamanna quits sheriff's race
PRIEST RIVER — Calling it the hardest decision of his life, Bonner County Sheriff candidate Tony Lamanna has withdrawn his name from the 2008 political race. Citing the negative process of running for office and the fact that family has expressed a concern for his well being, Lamanna has changed his decision to run for the top office.
“I regret having to withdraw because this has been a lifelong dream of mine. I have been training for it. The 2004 election did sour me on the politics involved with the office of Sheriff. There’s a lot of garbage involved and if it was just law enforcement it would be a different story,” Lamanna said. “We take a law enforcement oath and that’s all that should be important, but unfortunately politics play heavily into the equation,” he added.
Lamanna’s withdrawal clears the way for Larry Hanna to secure the Democrat nomination in the May 27 primary election. Hanna would face the winner of the five-way race for the GOP nomination. Contenders in the Republican race include Rocky Jordan, Evan “Chip” Roos, Geoff Rusho, incumbent Elaine Savage and Daryl Wheeler.
Lamanna ran against Savage in the 2004 election that went down to the wire, separating the pair with just several dozen votes. Third candidate, James “Bean” Johnson amassed 4,007 votes which was the strongest showing in Bonner County for an independent.
Lamanna was then appointed Police Chief of Spirit Lake. He held that office for under two years, resigning after failing a small portion of a physical fitness test.
According to Lamanna, he surpassed requirements in four of the five POST physical fitness test. Competing with several injuries, Lamanna missed the 1.5 mile run/walk in less than 17 minutes, 17 seconds by just a few seconds. Close doesn’t count in the state certification, and no leniency was given for the circumstances and timing.
“I tried my best to pass the test and had trained for months for it. I suffered a stress fracture to my foot the day before the test and ran with my foot taped. I reached down inside of myself to go beyond the pain, but I found my limit,” Lamanna said.
Although disheartened at the time, Lamanna was able to come back to his position as West Bonner County School District Resource Office, a position he truly loves because of the students.
“Children are more honest than adults. They don’t pull any punches and you know where you stand with them. They don’t play games,” Lamanna said.
Lamanna is a Priest River native and has strong roots in the community. Always there for Special Olympics or wearing a dress for a fundraiser for Sweets n’ Drinks, he is the go to guy for support that benefits the community.
As for the current Sheriff’s race, Lamanna states that he would only endorse two of the candidates but won’t publicly state who they are. He would like to remind the public not to be fooled by hot air— “there’s no place for that in law enforcement.”
“Don’t vote for signs. Do your homework on the candidates for position of sheriff. There’s a lot that are just trying to sell themselves to the public. There’s more expected of public officials than the average citizen and you see a lot of abuse in politics,” Lamanna added. “I really do have the true interest of the people at heart. I love the people of this community and feel I could of made a difference in the position of Sheriff.”
Lamanna would like to thank everyone that has supported him in the past and those that are still calling to try and persuade him to reconsider this decision. He has notified election officials about his intent to withdraw, but his name will still be on the ballot in May.
Sheriff’s candidates
• Larry Hanna (D)
• Rocky Jordan (R)
• Chip Roos (R)
• Geoff Rusho (R)
• Elaine Savage (R)
• Daryl Wheeler (R)