Joe Whipple wants to keep the East Side Highway District running smoothly, he says, even in the face of budget restrictions.

"I want to stand in the gap between shortfalls in the budget, and at the same time, provide high quality service," said Whipple, running for the sub district 1 commissioner seat in Tuesday's elections.

The Wolf Lodge resident hopes to improve maintenance on East Side roads, he said, adding he has noticed some paved areas deteriorating.

"People can see that. They know that when they're driving on it," Whipple said.

The retired military pilot has experience with addressing highway issues, he said.

A property owner in the area for about 19 years, he headed up a successful dust abatement program in his neighborhood several years ago to control dust and other materials on their gravel road, he said.

"I collected money, and acted as an interface between East Side and the people," Whipple said. "We achieved our goal."

Whipple, who declined to give his age, worked as a Deputy Sheriff for the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department after his service in the military.

He doesn't support the current commissioners' decision to help fund overlay projects with local improvement districts, he added.

"I'm not for property owners matching funds," he said.

If elected, Whipple would prefer to hear the public's thoughts on the three overlay projects in Coeur d'Alene and Harrison before deciding how to pursue the improvements, he added.

"We're elected representatives, and we have to be a voice for the people," he said.

Married with one son, Whipple said he is comfortable managing large scale equipment, after working with expensive aircrafts and other machinery in the military.

"I'm familiar and experienced with that," he said.