John Green, a Kootenai County sheriff's candidate, was present at the first meeting of United Conservatives of North Idaho, the re-invented Rally Right group, but was the only candidate to miss the sheriff's forum sponsored by the Reagan Republicans Thursday.

Jail expansion, unionization, deputy retention and gun rights. Three of the four Republican candidates for Kootenai County sheriff fired off reasons Thursday why they are the best officer for the job. Bob Foster, Keith Hutcheson and Ben Wolfinger each have decades of law enforcement experience and each is vying for the department's top post. Something should be done with increasing the jail if the demand calls for it, the candidates said, though they differed on what option they would support. "I'm not opposed to tents," said Foster, a code enforcement officer with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, who began his law enforcement career in 1967 in California. Exploring cheaper options, if they meet regulations, should be the first choice, he said, referring to the tents Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio set up in Arizona/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Should the Kootenai County sheriff use tents to house prisoners more cheaply, like controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio does?