Omodt announces reelection campaign

Bonner County Commissioner and Chair Luke Omodt announced Monday that he is running for re-election in District 3.

While Omodt said his first year in office has been turbulent, he is proud of what the Bonner County Board of Commissioners has accomplished by choosing to focus on statutory obligations to the taxpayer instead of the rough-and-tumble local politics.

“The motto of Idaho, ‘Esto Perpetua — may she [Idaho] endure forever,’ should always be foremost in our minds as we consider the impact of our decisions today and how they will impact future generations,” he said on his campaign website.

Omodt retired from the Idaho Army National Guard in 2022 after four deployments and 23 years before his honorable discharge from the military. He taught American government at Bonners Ferry High School for 10 years prior to his election to the board in 2022.

“Twenty-five years of public service in the military, and public and private education has prepared me for the continued challenges of office,” he said.

The completion of the Bonner County Comprehensive Plan remains his highest priority, Omodt said. This document drives how Bonner County will grow and develop, taking account of its history with goals, objectives and policies. Two of the 16 components in the Comprehensive Plan update process are yet to be completed — the Natural Resources portion, which is going before the Planning Commission next week, and the Land Use component, which is still being drafted.

Another project in the Comprehensive Plan that Omodt said will improve the health, safety and welfare of Bonner County residents in the coming year is the EMS Station 1 construction project, which will be completed in fall 2024. This station will modernize the county’s EMS, Veterans Services and coroner’s facilities, according to Omodt.

“This project has been funded through wise and prudent fiscal policy that will modernize and serve Bonner County for decades to come,” he said.

Another accomplishment Omodt reflected on from his first year as a commissioner was the Bonner County Road and Bridge Department receiving approximately $21.4 million in grants, with zero county match, funding six replacement bridges.

“We’re chasing a seventh bridge replacement and are submitting a $2.75 million grant to upgrade the Merritt Brothers Bridge in Priest River,” he said. 

With North Idaho’s lack of heavy snowfall this winter, Omodt said the Emergency Management Department’s BonFire Program will continue to protect private property at no cost to landowners by removing hazardous fuels, ladder fuels and increasing tree spacing. 

“Bonner County has grown to 52,000 people in my lifetime from the 24,000 when I first crossed the Long Bridge in 1979,” Omodt said. “Change is hard. Democracy is hard. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to prepare Bonner County for its future. Bonner County is home and it is worth it.”

Omodt said his reelection campaign will focus on common sense conservatism, fiscal accountability, as well as improved communication and transparency between taxpayers and their government. He will be taking, answering and posting questions about county government on his YouTube channel, Facebook page “Omodt for Bonner County Commissioner,” and website lukeomodt.com.

“It is an honor and privilege to work for the people of Bonner County,” he said. “I’m asking for your vote May 17, 2024.”