Omodt seeks District 3 commission seat

SANDPOINT — Luke Omodt announced his candidacy Wednesday for the Bonner County District 3 county commission seat.

A lifelong Bonner County resident who grew up in the Selle Valley, Omodt is running as a Republican in the May 2022 primary election. The seat is currently held by county commission chairman, Dan McDonald.

Omodt teaches government at Bonners Ferry High School. He will be retiring from the Idaho Army National Guard in March 2022. He was appointed to Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission in December 2021.

“I decided to run because I’m frustrated with the tone of our politics, the challenges associated with growth and maintaining our rural character, and most importantly that we get the government we elect,” Omodt said in announcing his candidacy for the.

In the announcement, Omodt said his campaign will focus on three areas:

• Responsible growth is among those areas.

The county's Comprehensive Plan needs to be updated and its zoning ordinances and land use maps reflect the priorities of its citizens, Omodt said.

• Labor and infrastructure challenges within Bonner County is another.

Stable, predictable, efficient, and constitutional government creates the framework for citizens and business to be successful, Omodt said.

• The duties and role of a county commissioner as written in Idaho Code form the third part of his campaign focus, Omodt said. Civility, pragmatism and principled leadership are needed in the county, said Omodt.

"Bonner County’s future is bright," he said. "The Cabinet and Selkirk mountains frame fertile agricultural/timbered lands as well as Lake Pend Oreille and Priest Lake; however, it is the people who make this place home."

After 23 years of military service to Idaho and the United States, Omodt said the time has come to focus on local issues.

"I am running for Bonner County commissioner to honor our past and invest in our future," he said. "Bonner County deserves leadership that is pragmatic and principled and I am prepared to provide that leadership."

Information: lukeomodt.com