COEUR d'ALENE - Dan English is eager to spread the catch-phrase for his Kootenai County clerk campaign: He's got the skinny.

"It speaks to my experience and confidence as county clerk ... And it's a little bit about how I've lost about 95 pounds since last July," the 58-year-old said with a grin Wednesday, adding that folks do a double take since he started his aggressive diet program. "I'm back to my high school wrestling weight. So if I get any tough opponents, I'm ready to go."

County clerk since 1995, and running again this year, the white-bearded Democrat has plenty of plans for improving and sustaining the several departments he supervises.

As clerk he fills several roles - county auditor, recorder, clerk to the commissioners, clerk of the district court and chief elections official for Kootenai County. He monitors five department heads with about 90 employees, he said.

English said he has a history of efficiency.

"I really believe in cross training and cross utilization of staff," he said.

For instance, he has rotated employees to assist in other departments as demand has swelled for some and diminished in others during the recession.

"With the economy the way it is we couldn't hire anybody else, and we really shouldn't," he said.

He has been behind technological advances in the office, he said, like posting live election results, which started a few years after he became clerk.

His departments have also run pilot projects for the state, he said, making Kootenai County the first in Idaho to allow residents to file motions by fax and pay fines online.

The next advance he has his eyes on is new software that would allow e-recording for larger entities like banks.

"It would be time saving for staff, and provide better customer service," he said.

English said he has a passion for elections, demonstrated by the new state election laws he has lobbied for and in some instances helped create.

Among them, a law allowing early absentee voting at multiple locations.

"It used to be people could only vote absentee at the county election office," he said. "Now they can go to early voting at just about any city hall around the county."

He also helped change a law previously requiring counties to disqualify absentee ballots if the voter died before the election.

As two of his three children are in active military duty and Iraq war veterans, he thought the standard was a little unfair.

"I wondered if one day we'd have an armed forces member vote early and then get killed in a battle defending our right to vote," he said. "If someone votes early, that is still their election."

Born and raised in Coeur d'Alene, English now lives outside Twin Lakes.

He is a graduate of North Idaho College and San Jose University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration.

Also holding a master's degree in counseling from Gonzaga University, English worked as a licensed counselor for several years, and helped found both the North Idaho Youth for Christ and Anchor House Idaho Youth Ranch.

"People think it might be a funny degree, but having a counseling degree and working with a household of delinquent teens is a great background for an elected official," he said. "Most often you work with people who have a conflict. My temperament and background have served me well."

English was initially appointed to county clerk, and has been re-elected ever since.

He is a past president of the Idaho Association of County Recorders and Clerks, and currently serves as chair of the National Standards Board of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Although English hopes people vote for him, he said he would be content if they come out and vote at all.

"Too often elections are decided by a small number of registered voters, and an even smaller number of people who could be registered voters, but won't take the small amount of time to register," he said. "If someone wants a better government, they have to get registered, do their homework researching candidates, then make their decision count by getting out there to vote."