County candidates face the public at forum

SANDPOINT — Broadband Internet, fiscal moderation and new jobs: these were the the primary itches that Bonner County wants scratched if Thursday night’s forum was any indication.

Local candidates gathered at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to answer the public’s questions. The panel included Brian E. Orr (D) and Mike A. Nielsen (R) for County Commissioner District Two, Lewis Rich (R) and Mel Davis (D) for County Commissioner District 3 and Bud Mueller (R) for clerk of district court. Mueller’s opponent, Marie Scott (D) was unable to attend.

Throughout the night, there was some confusion about the precise nature of a county commissioner’s authority. The candidates explained that the board of commissioners set budgets, administrated roads and oversaw other matters of infrastructure.

“But the biggest thing a commissioner can be is a cheerleader for the county,” Orr said.

 The panel said that commissioners can work their spheres of influence to encourage the county in a positive direction.

According to Rich, the board of commissioners can’t directly finance one of the public’s big demands: broadband Internet. However, they can speak to the right people and work to entice private enterprises into Bonner County.

 Turning Bonner County into an attractive location for businesses also defined the candidates’ approach to creating new jobs. That can be done, the panel said, through tax incentives and similar strategies.

The candidates offered different experiences to convince voters of their merits. Orr and Rich cited their past work on the board. While Orr pointed out his day-or-night availability to the public, Rich invited the public to examine his record. 

“I’ve been straightforward with the public,” Rich said. “When I said I was going to do something, I did it.”

Davis highlighted her work in business administration and emphasized the importance of education. “When one of our local schools was in trouble, we banded together to prevent it from closing, and we did,” she said.

Given his professional background with police departments, Nielsen said he aimed to keep Bonner County a safe place for residents. “Public safety is one of the biggest responsibilities in government, and I have more experience in that area than any other candidate,” he said.

Mueller said he is running for county clerk to promote fiscal moderation and an openness of information. “I believe that there’s an issue of over-collected taxes, and I want to address that,” he said.

Each candidate agreed that there is a need to abandon partisan preference and work as team to better Bonner County.