Results from yesterday’s local elections around the state saw Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and three incumbent city councilors re-elected; school bond and levy measures pass from the West Ada School District to the Bonneville School District in Idaho Falls; former Kootenai County Clerk Dan English elected to the Coeur d’Alene City Council, defeating incumbent Steve Adams; and Salmon voters defeating a measure to make it a crime to develop a whitewater park on city property by 62 percent to 38 percent.

Boise’s voter turnout topped 30 percent, which is high for a city election; Kootenai County had just 18.6 percent of registered voters turn out.

Bieter took 69 percent of the vote to win a fourth term against challengers Judy Peavey-Derr, 26 percent, and Seth Holden, 5 percent. Incumbent Councilor Elaine Clegg got 67 percent against a spirited challenge from attorney Andy Hawes, who ran TV ads, rare for a city council race, and got 33 percent. And incumbent Scot Ludwig defeated challenger Adriel Martinez 69 percent to 31 percent; full Ada County election results are online here. Boise voters backed a conservation levy with 74 percent in favor.

In the West Ada School District, the state’s largest, voters approved a two-year, $28 million supplemental levy, with 59 percent in favor and 41 percent opposed; it needed just a simple majority to pass. Without it, the district would have cut nine days from the school year; there’s more info here from Idaho EdNews. School levies also passed in Nampa and the Vallivue School District in Canyon County, and two bond issues were approved by Bonneville School District voters, including one for a new high school. Caldwell School District voters recalled two school board members, Leif Skyving and Amy Rojas.

Meridian Mayor Tammy DeWeerd was easily re-elected, with 78 percent of the vote against two challengers. But a Meridian library bond issue was defeated; though it earned a 59 percent majority, it needed two-thirds to pass. Full Ada County results are online here.

McCall voters approved a local sales and lodging tax, but narrowly defeated a local initiative to raise the minimum wage. 

In Coeur d’Alene, a slate of conservative candidates failed to gain traction in city races. Adams, a critic of city spending and urban renewal, got 38 percent of the vote in a three-way race in which English won with 56 percent and Bruce McNeil got 6 percent. Longtime City Councilor Ron Edinger defeated challenger Toby Schindelbeck 67 percent to 33 percent.

And in Sandpoint, voters approved a 1 percent sales tax increase to rebuild a lakefront stadium that’s used for high school sports as well as the Festival at Sandpoint; officials hope to raise $3 million over the next five years. Seventy-five percent of voters backed the resort-city local sales tax measure. There’s more on North Idaho results here, and full Kootenai County results here.

Melba voters approved allowing sales of liquor by the drink, which means the city will get its first two liquor licenses for bars or restaurants to serve liquor; only beer and wine are allowed now. The Idaho Press Tribune has more here.

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