Commissioner, District 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| David Stewart (R) | 24,052 | 66.52% |
| Jerry Shriner (D) | 12,106 | 33.48% |
* 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
The district includes Post Falls and the northwest corner of the county. Republican nominee David Stewart, who lives on Cougar Bay, was motivated to run for the seat to help protect private property rights from changes in the county’s land use code update. He said land use regulations must strike a balance between property rights and community interests. Democratic nominee Jerry Shriner, who lives on 60 acres on Rockford Bay, said the county still needs sound land use planning but that he, too, supports private property rights. Other issues include the county’s long-running effort to ease jail crowding; county employee pay and morale; and high employee turnover in the sheriff’s office and jail.
The Candidates
David Stewart
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 61
- City:
- Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Occupation:
- County commissioner, business owner
Stewart was elected to a two-year term on the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners in 2014. He is seeking re-election to a four-year term. He is married with two sons and lives in Cougar Bay.
Stewart owns ProFormance Lube Center in Spokane. Prior to that he worked as a custom home builder and real estate developer. He was involved in several multimillion-dollar projects, including the Arrow Point resort on Lake Coeur d’Alene, that he said gave him experience managing teams of people and large budgets.
He attended OMC Technical Training School in Kent, Washington, and studied real estate at North Idaho College. He is a certified boat mechanic and formerly worked at Tobler Marina in Hayden.
Jerry Shriner
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 81
- City:
- Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Retired corrections administrator
Shriner worked in probation and parole, then for residential treatment nonprofit organizations, in Alaska. He retired in 1997 as special assistant to the Alaska commissioner of corrections; operated construction company in Kootenai County; started Harmony House Assisted Living homes in Hayden, serving young adults with head injuries or mental health issues. Shriner has a bachelor’s degree in education form the University of Idaho. He is married with four children. This is his first run for office.
Complete Coverage
Land use proposal drives Kootenai County races
A proposed overhaul of Kootenai County’s land development rules whipped up a storm of criticism last year and drove the three county commissioners to dump a Texas consultant hired to do the update. The controversy over the ill-fated Unified Land Use Code also motivated two small business owners – both champions of private property rights – to run for the county Board of Commissioners.