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Nonini leads in District 5

Bob Nonini, left, and Frank Henderson, both Republican legislative candidates in Idaho, confer during returns Tuesday evening at a nonpartisan event in Post Falls. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Erica Curless ericac@spokesman.com(509) 459-5439
Bob Nonini, left, and Frank Henderson, both Republican legislative candidates in Idaho, confer during returns Tuesday evening at a nonpartisan event in Post Falls. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Republican Bob Nonini will likely replace legislative grande dame Rep. Hilde Kellogg in the Idaho House and it appeared the rest of the district also will remain Republican.With 41 percent of the precincts reporting, Nonini was leading his District 5 challengers Democrat David Larsen and Constitution Party candidate Rose Johnson.

In other District 5 races, former Kootenai County Commissioner and Post Falls mayor Frank Henderson, a Republican, easily was beating out Democrat challenger Lyndon Harriman.

And Sen. Dick Compton, R-Coeur d’Alene, was soundly winning re-election against Democrat challenger Ian Stenseng.

Nonini, the former Kootenai County Republican Central Committee chairman had 64 percent of the vote compared to Larsen’s 32 percent and 4 percent for Johnson.

As a pro-business candidate Nonini wants to see fewer taxes and more local control, especially when it comes to protecting the Spokane River and Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

“I just feel I understand the issues and I can immediately go down there and do something,” Nonini said. “I feel like I have a jump start on the process. It’s like I’m a freshman and a half.”

Larsen, a retired math teacher, said he was running to bring balance back to the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Bob Kelly of Post Falls voted for Larsen because of his interest in education.

“He doesn’t have a real simplistic idea of what education should be,” Kelly said, adding the Republicans are concentrating too much on teaching to standardized tests.

Johnson ran on a pro-life, pro-gun, pro-God platform and wants judicial accountability. Regardless of the outcome of her legislative race, Johnson plans to get an initiative on the 2006 ballot that would make judges more accountable by opening up the disciplinary process to public scrutiny.

Kellogg, the vice chairman of the powerful House Revenue and Taxation Committee is retiring at age 85, after 22 years in the Idaho House.

In the race for Seat B, Henderson, a Republican, had a large lead over Harriman.

Henderson had received 69 percent of the vote compared to Harriman’s 31 percent.

At age 81, Henderson said he has the energy and local government experience to represent the district well.

Harriman, a Canfield Middle School teacher, said he ran for the Legislature because he thinks the Republican dominated leadership is hurting education in Idaho. He also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2002.

“What really bothers me is the working class family is not going to have a voice in Legislature,” Harriman said. “All the Republican candidates in District 5 said they support business. None of them talked about supporting the employee, the working class or the family.”

Henderson, who beat Rep. Charles Eberle, R-Post Falls, in the May primary, already has a bill nearly ready for introduction at the 2005 Legislature that would allow counties to charge inmates for pharmaceuticals, doctor visits and other housing costs while they are in jail. He said it would save the county thousands of dollars each month. He also supports the concept of freezing property tax values for homeowners who have lived in their house more than 10 years.

District 5 voters were overwhelmingly re-electing Compton to the Idaho Senate.

Democrat challenger Stenseng, 24, had 30 percent of the votes compared to Compton’s 70 percent of the votes.

Compton, a retired IBM executive who sits on the Jobs Plus board, was first elected to the Senate in 2002.

He said his strong leadership is needed because of Idaho’s tough financial questions. He added that his local government experience also will be a benefit.

Compton said one of the session’s main issues may be determining how to handle water rights. He said it’s critical for North Idaho lawmakers to ensure the Panhandle is equally considered in any water rights discussions.

Stenseng said he ran to represent the “average Joe” – young people like him who can’t find jobs locally or jobs that pay well and have benefits.

The Evergreen State College (Olympia, Wash.) graduate works at an independent media production firm in Spokane. This was his first run for public office. Even though he knew his chances were minimal, Stenseng said he didn’t like the idea of Compton having no challenger and no accountability.