Kootenai County Sheriff
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Benton E. “Ben” Wolfinger (R) | 39,739 | 72.46% |
| Bob Foster (I) | 8,238 | 15.02% |
| Tom Dickson (I) | 3,584 | 6.53% |
| Joe Bodman (I) | 3,284 | 5.99% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
Voters in Kootenai County will elect their first new sheriff in 13 years with the retirement of Sheriff Rocky Watson. Four candidates on the Nov. 6 ballot are vying for the job of the county’s top law enforcement officer. The sheriff serves a four-year term. The salary is $84,873, not including benefits. Jail overcrowding, retention of deputies and the department budget are top issues in the race.
The Candidates
Benton E. "Ben" Wolfinger
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 63
- City:
- Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Sheriff, Kootenai County
Education background: Earned associate of science degree in law enforcement from North Idaho College, and advanced and management certificates from the Idaho Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy.
Political background: Elected sheriff in 2012. Served as Coeur d’Alene City Councilman from December 2000 to January 2006. Served on the Governor’s Traffic Safety Commission for about 15 years.
Work experience: Wolfinger was hired as a deputy in 1983, at age 21, and has worked in or managed all aspects of the sheriff’s department since then. He has worked as a North Idaho College Law Enforcement Program Instructor and is past chairman of the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee.
Family: Married. Has two sons.
Complete Coverage
Huckleberries: Wolfinger defends right to miss recent gun rally
An Athol gun lover gave new Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger a razzberry for not attending that Second Amendment rally in Coeur d’Alene on Jan. 19. In a letter to the Coeur d’Alene Press, Michael Alexander said: “Where were you? Do you not support the Constitution which you were sworn to uphold?”
Huckleberries: Breakthrough for common good – imagine that
’Tis nice that warring elected officials in the Coeur d’Alene area could come together, as in times past, to do the right thing for the common good. The tentative deal struck Thursday for the sale of Person and Bryan fields for $750,000 by the Coeur d’Alene City Council and the school board was Coeur d’Alene at its best. The cash-strapped school district will get money to help fund a new administration building. The city will be guaranteed perpetual use of two parks that it already maintains in older parts of town.
Huckleberries: Family ties run deep for patient sheriff’s deputy
In the “Chip Off the Old Block” department, a Bayview man owes his life to a Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy who didn’t shoot first and ask questions later. Deputy Brad Wolfinger found himself facing an armed domestic-abuse suspect when he answered a call in Bayview on Monday.
Kootenai County sheriff candidates
John Green AGE: Not given