'Only I can be their papa'

COEUR d’ALENE — In his career, Coeur d’Alene Mayor Jim Hammond served on countless commissions and boards. He was a state senator. Principal. City administrator. Councilmember.  

“I’ve done a lot of things,” he said as he sat in his office at City Hall. “That's kind of at the expense of being home with the kids.” 

But no more.

Hammond said he will resign as Coeur d’Alene’s mayor effective Aug. 31. He and his wife, Cyndie, plan to move to Fort Collins, Colo., to be near his stepson, his wife, and two grandchildren, ages 6 and 8, who don’t have other family in the area. 

“There's plenty of people who can be mayor, but only I can be their papa,” Hammond said. “That’s the reason we’re going to head out.” 

Hammond, 74, said he feels bad about not finishing his four-year term that began in January 2022, but his oncologist and family physician have been urging him to step down as mayor and take life at a slower pace. 

He lost his father and two brothers to cancer. 

“I’m doing well, but you just never know,” Hammond said. “It wouldn’t be good to stay here as mayor, get sick, and not be able to provide the support those children need.” 

He said it will be “damn hard” to leave North Idaho, which he has called home since 1973. He has four grown grandchildren in the area and many friends. 

“They’re very important to us,” he said. 

Hammond was raised in Missoula, Mont. The Carroll College graduate earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and later a Master of Education Administration at Whitworth College and then studied public administration through the University of Idaho. 

He worked as an elementary principal in Washington and Idaho, served as Idaho State Senator and mayor of Post Falls, Idaho, president of City Council, and commissioner for Planning and Zoning in Post Falls. He served as both the Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene city administrator. 

“We’re very comfortable here,” Hammond said. “It’s a bit frightening to drop all that and try to start over somewhere else.” 

But they’ll go because he knows just how important a role grandparents can play in the lives of their grandchildren. 

As a boy in Missoula, both sets of grandparents were within walking distance of his home. 

One grandfather owned a Coca-Cola bottling plant, and Hammond recalled sitting on the back porch with him drinking a small bottle of Coke and mowing his large lawn on a corner lot. 

His other grandparents often had their grandkids stay with them. 

“They were certainly important to me growing up,” Hammond said. 

He said he wants to be there for his youngest grandchildren when they need someone to pick them up at school, or simply just spend time with them playing games, reading or watching the sunset. 

“It’s wonderful to have family around,” Hammond said. 

He and his wife have purchased property in Fort Collins, are having a home built and will sell their home in Idaho. 

Hammond, a fiscal conservative, is confident he is leaving the city of Coeur d’Alene in good shape in finance, infrastructure, planning, staffing and leadership. Crime, he points out, is down despite a growing population. 

“Our police are doing a great job,” he said. 

He has been at the forefront as the city’s reputation has been stained by two racial incidents earlier this year. 

The City Council recently approved a new hate crime ordinance, which Hammond supported. 

He said the city has been strong in resisting efforts by racists and bigots to gain a foothold in Coeur d’Alene, while at the same time, it has led efforts for civility in all situations. 

“We can kindly disagree with one another,” he said. 

Hammond has been known as a calm, steady voice of reason during his time as mayor. He said he has emphasized all people must be treated fairly, with dignity, and are accepted. 

“I think that’s one of the most important things we can do,” he said. 

Hammond wants Coeur d’Alene to be known as a city of acceptance and kindness, which he believes it is but for a few that have received attention. 

“Those folks that want to be anything else won’t feel comfortable here,” he said. “I don’t want them to feel comfortable here. I don’t want them to think it’s OK to be that way. It certainly is a passion of mine that all people are treated fairly and with kindness.” 

Hammond has been a leader when it comes to volunteering. He has served on Post Falls Planning and Zoning, Idaho State Building Authority, Idaho Racing Commission, Panhandle Area Council board, Post Falls Chamber of Commerce board, Idaho State Board of Education, United Way, Post Falls Food Bank and the Post Falls Education Foundation.  

And that’s just some. 

“It's in my DNA to be involved,” Hammond said.  

He doesn’t see it as an obligation. 

“Look at all the opportunities I’ve had to be part of this community,” he said. “How blessed was I?” 

But Hammond makes it clear he wants to use his remaining years on Earth wisely, and nothing tops being a grandfather and being there for Beckett, 8, and Calder, 6. 

“Because I’m the only one who can do that,” he said. “I’m the only one who can be their grandfather.”