A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of serving in the position of official time keeper for a local candidate forum. Hosted by the North Idaho College Communications Department, the forum offered municipal candidates for Mayor and City Council of the city of Hayden to answer constituent questions and introduce themselves to the voters. Though I do not live in the city of Hayden, and was not familiar with any of the candidates nor the politics of the city of Hayden, this was a great opportunity to observe direct political campaign communication with a relatively unbiased perspective.
There were two mayoral candidates: Nancy Lowery, who has served on the Hayden City Council for 12 years (3 terms), and the incumbent Ron McIntire, who has served as Mayor of Hayden for 3 terms (12 years). From a messaging standpoint, I had trouble distinguishing between the two candidates. Both candidates list growth and attracting new business as their highest priorities, followed by responsible use of tax payer funds. Both candidates expressed a strong desire to strengthen ties between the City of Hayden and North Idaho College (NIC). Lowery spoke of a desire for more transparency in city government, and more involvement by the council with the hiring of city employees. McIntire acknowledged a very tough business environment, tight budgets and demonstrated a greater depth of knowledge of city affairs than did Lowery. Lowery framed her messages with a very up-beat and positive outlook for the city. McIntire, on the other hand, painted a bleak picture with hope for the future that I interpreted as a pragmatic approach. McIntire used anecdotes and stories to illustrate his answers to questions. For example, he expressed dismay at losing the competition for a Caterpillar distribution center to the Spokane West Plains area citing restrictions, regulations and Idaho’s right to work laws as contributors to losing the bid. Several times McIntire jumped in when other candidates misrepresented facts about the city, or were unable to answer questions. He was able to cleverly portray himself as the serious, informed, methodical and business oriented candidate. Lowery, in contrast represented energy, passion and a desire to work hard. It appears that “age and maturity” out performed “dedication, passion and energy” at the polls; McIntire won re-election with 65% of the vote. However, only 23% of registered voters in Hayden turned out for this election.
In addition to the mayoral candidates, there were two candidates for council member positions in attendance. The candidate for council position 3, Roger Sasterfiel, ran unopposed for his incumbent seat. Like incumbent mayor McIntire, Saterfiel showed a strong knowledge of the city, the issues and a clear vision for the future of the city of Hayden. Saterfiel is noted in the area as the long time Director of the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department. His name and reputation are spotless, and he is highly respected for his vision, innovation and management skills. It is no big surprize that he runs unopposed. I doubt anyone would be able to easily unseat him in his position as Hayden city council president.
Finally, only one of the two candidates for council position 1 participated in the forum. A conspicuously empty chair with a name tent in front of it held center stage amid the rest of the candidates for the duration of the forum. Probably not the best way to get noticed if you are running for a competitive position. The other candidate, Tim Timmons was less than stellar in the first impression department IMHO. He owns a local construction company and his campaign has been heavily funded by the local Reagan Republicans, even though these municipal elections are non-partisan. He responded to several questions with false information that was amended by other candidates during the forum discussions. For example, one question posed to the candidates concerned the lack of public transportation in Hayden, and whether the candidates would support efforts to introduce public transit in the city. Mr. Timmons pretty much ruled out the option as too expensive for a small town whereas the other council candidates and both mayoral candidates noted that partnerships had been struck with CityLink. CityLink is a free public transit bus funded primarily by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, that services the northern Idaho counties and does, indeed, serve Hayden. Service is limited at this time, but all candidates except Timmons indicated strong support and hopes of extending service as funds are available and needs identified. Timmons actually won the election for council seat 1 with 61% of the votes cast.
In addition to the mayoral candidates, there were two candidates for council member positions in attendance. The candidate for council position 3, Roger Sasterfiel, ran unopposed for his incumbent seat. Like incumbent mayor McIntire, Saterfiel showed a strong knowledge of the city, the issues and a clear vision for the future of the city of Hayden. Saterfiel is noted in the area as the long time Director of the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department. His name and reputation are spotless, and he is highly respected for his vision, innovation and management skills. It is no big surprize that he runs unopposed. I doubt anyone would be able to easily unseat him in his position as Hayden city council president.Finally, only one of the two candidates for council position 1 participated in the forum. A conspicuously empty chair with a name tent in front of it held center stage amid the rest of the candidates for the duration of the forum. Probably not the best way to get noticed if you are running for a competitive position. The other candidate, Tim Timmons was less than stellar in the first impression department IMHO. He owns a local construction company and his campaign has been heavily funded by the local Reagan Republicans, even though these municipal elections are non-partisan. He responded to several questions with false information that was amended by other candidates during the forum discussions. For example, one question posed to the candidates concerned the lack of public transportation in Hayden, and whether the candidates would support efforts to introduce public transit in the city. Mr. Timmons pretty much ruled out the option as too expensive for a small town whereas the other council candidates and both mayoral candidates noted that partnerships had been struck with CityLink. CityLink is a free public transit bus funded primarily by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, that services the northern Idaho counties and does, indeed, serve Hayden. Service is limited at this time, but all candidates except Timmons indicated strong support and hopes of extending service as funds are available and needs identified. Timmons actually won the election for council seat 1 with 61% of the votes cast.
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