A surprise development

Kootenai County Commission Chairman Gus Johnson moved into the vacant office of the county’s building and planning department director Wednesday.

County officials have been trying to fill the position for two months, since longtime director Rand Wichman quit to start a private consulting business.

Johnson’s sudden presence in the office raised red flags among some professional planning staff, as well as outside observers, but Johnson insists he’s there merely to gain a better understanding of the position so county officials can make a wise decision on the eventual hire.

“I’m not the interim director,” he said. “I’m just down there to help staff through the process. Without having a real director down there, they needed some direction on some things. … I’m just kind of observing right now. I’m going on trips with building inspectors, watching what happens at the front desk.”

Will Johnson be making any decisions in the department’s day-to-day operations?

“No! No! No!” said Commissioner Katie Brodie. “He’s there to see how they operate, what the processes are, if we’re being as efficient as possible.”

The county’s three commissioners decided Tuesday afternoon it would be a good idea for Johnson to move into the office, Johnson said. He said he will be there “as long as it takes.” This could mean through January, when he leaves office. Johnson said he was “not at this time” considering applying for the position.

Johnson and Brodie were voted out of office in the May primary election. Growth was a top issue in the race, with challengers and voters expressing anger over the county’s handling of the recent super-heated expansion, which has clogged roads with traffic and is quickly consuming remaining open spaces.

Johnson said he wants to be a part of the office so he better understands what type of leader it needs. Commissioners are considering splitting the position and hiring both a building director and planning director.

The county continues to advertise for a building and planning director, but the ads have attracted only a small number of responses, Johnson said. The job has a minimum salary of $55,300.

Former Planning Director Wichman said he had been contacted by several former staff members concerned by Johnson’s presence in the office.

Wichman stressed that he wasn’t accusing Johnson of meddling, but he said county leaders need to act quickly to hire a professional planning director. Staff “need to be able to do their job without interference from elected officials. That’s what the director did – he provided that buffer,” Wichman said. “You gotta have that position filled. It’s not that the commissioners are down there meddling, but the commissioners don’t always understand what we do and why we do it. Staff doesn’t understand why the commissioners can’t see things their way. That’s the role of the director of that position – to bridge the communication gap.”

Kootenai Environmental Alliance Director Barry Rosenberg called the position “extraordinarily important given what’s going on and all this rampant development.”

Rosenberg said county leaders need to make sure the position remains independent of political whims. Commissioners must ultimately approve proposals that go through the Planning Department. If Johnson were to take an active role in the department’s business, “that would be completely inappropriate,” Rosenberg said. “That would make him the judge and the jury.”