Library hosting candidates forum

SANDPOINT — Curious about who is running for seats on the East Bonner County Library and Pend Oreille Hospital districts?

Candidates for both races, which are appearing on the May 16 ballot, will be taking part in an April 19 candidates forum. The forum will be held at the library and starts at 5 p.m.

In a post to the library's website, EBCL officials invited voters to attend the candidate forum to learn about candidates' positions on a variety of topics.

Attendees will be able to submit questions in writing and the forum will be moderated by Ken Wood, former Sandpoint Rotary Club President.

Running for the open library district seat are incumbent Susan Shea and challenger Stacy Rodriguez. The seat is for a six-year term.

The Pend Oreille Hospital District race has four seats on the ballot and five candidates. Incumbents Bart Casey, Tim Cochran, and James Frank are all seeking re-election; the trio are joined by Cynthia Busé and Dwayne Sheffler on the ballot.

After she moved to Bonner County in 2016, she volunteered at the library for several years as a tutor in English, writing, and math.

A retired deputy district attorney from San Diego, Rodriguez spent almost 20 years prosecuting criminal cases ranging from general felonies to homicide, and child abuse and molestation cases. Since retiring, she has trained police and probation officers how to write better reports and testify in court, according to a statement she posted to the library's website.

Rodriguez homeschools her daughter and teaches an eighth-grade homeschool class at the Sandpoint Library. For the past three years, Rodriguez said she has been the speech coach for the local National Christian Forensic Communication Association club, Salt & Light Speech and Debate.

Shea, who was elected to the library board in 2017, has a lengthy career in finance. She cites that experience as helping the EBCL reduce the amount of its levy each year and steadily reduce the community's library tax contributions by declining an annual 3% increase.

A strong team player, Shea said that ability to work collaboratively with the rest of the board helps the library district be more effective and provide the best possible services to its patrons.

In a statement posted to the library's website, Shea said she is "committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of all community members."

Shea has lived in Bonner County for 30 years and has worked at Coldwater Creek, Timberline Helicopter, Southside Water & Sewer District, and was director of Bonner County’s Indigent and Charity Program.

She has been married to her husband Dan for 45 years to Dan Shea. Dan Shea recently retired from Bonner County’s Audit Department.

Also on the board are chairperson Amy Flint, vice chairperson Joan Terrell, Jeanine Asche, and Judy Meyers.

Information: ebonnerlibrary.org