County Commission, district 3

The district covers the northeast portion of Kootenai County, including parts of north Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Hayden Lake, Rathdrum and Bayview. Incumbent Commissioner Dan Green did not seek re-election. Bob Bingham, who lives in the Spirit Lake area, won a four-way Republican primary with 29 percent of the vote. He faces Russell McLain, a Republican who is running as an independent, in the general election. This is for a two-year term.

Bingham, a retiree who lives near Athol, is founder of the North West Property Owners Alliance, a conservative property and privacy rights group. Bingham has spent years poring over county land-use regulations and the budgets of local taxing districts, and posts his analyses online. “Like many citizens, we are very frustrated with our government. They keep raising our taxes and heaping more regulations on us,” he said. “If elected, I plan to do things differently by revealing much more about what local government is doing. With far greater transparency, citizens will more easily be able to hold government accountable.” He has outlined his goals in a “PACT” with voters.

McLain, who lives above Hayden Lake, said he’ll work to promote economic development, including expanding the aerospace industry in the county; tackle the growing heroin problem; and partner with North Idaho College to provide county internships for professional-technical training students. McLain said he would have dropped out of the race if either Leslie Duncan or Duane Rasmussen, both Hayden residents, had won in the primary. “But the group of like-minded thinkers that Bob (Bingham) associates himself with, well, they don’t impress me that much,” he said. McLain added, “This county has been good to my daughter and I. … I love this county. I want to keep it a good place for everyone.”