Kootenai County residents didn't want much change with their highway districts on Tuesday, when they voted to keep all the incumbent commissioners in the Lakes and Post Falls Highways districts.

The only district to see new commissioners was Eastside, where one incumbent was ousted and an open commissioner seat was filled by a candidate who won by five votes.

Chris Fillios scraped by with a win of five votes over the other leading contender for the Eastside sub district 1 seat. Fillios earned 31.63 percent of the vote, barely beating Lorna Casey-Kaiser who took in 31.18 percent.

"We may ask for a recount," Casey-Kaiser said on Tuesday night. "That was pretty close."

Mark Addington took the Eastside sub district 3 seat with 54 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Jimmie Dorsey.

Marv Lekstrum retained his sub district 3 seat at Lakes District with 38 percent of the vote, and Monty Montgomery held his sub district 2 seat at Lakes with 43 percent of the vote.

Lynn Humphreys carried the Post Falls Highway District election, keeping his sub district 3 seat with 60 percent of the vote.

Addington doesn't have any big plans yet for Eastside Highway District, he said after earning 592 votes for his district 3 seat.

Addington believes he came out ahead, he said, because of disappointment in the current commissioners.

"I think the voters were ready for some new blood in there, some new people," he said.

Addington, who works for Addington Excavating, added that he will wait to address the controversial local improvement districts the current commissioners had approved, which recently went to the Kootenai County commissioners for review.

"It's not even in our hands, it's at Kootenai County," Addington said. "We'll see what happens there."

Dorsey, who brought in 241 votes, said he was surprised to have lost his seat after six and a half years in office.

He also attributed it to ill will over the LIDs, and a lack of understanding over how they work.

"What they (residents) don't understand is the limited funds we have, that all we are able to do is the best job we can to keep the roads in their current shape," said Dorsey, whose term will finish at the end of September.

Thomas Little, who also ran for sub district 3, earned 262 votes, or 23 percent of the votes.

The race for the Eastside sub district 1 had been sweatingly close between Casey-Kaiser and Fillios.

Fillios came out on top, with 353 votes over Casey-Kaiser's 348.

Casey-Kaiser said she was concerned about the election outcome.

"It's frustrating that it didn't happen," she said.

Whether a recount happens or not, she added, she will continue to fight against the LIDs she has led local protests against.

"I'm concerned with what direction the highway district will go in," she said.

Fillios could not be reached late Tuesday night.

David Dasher, who also ran for sub district 1, garnered 183 votes. Joseph Whipple, who also campaigned for the seat, brought in 232 votes.

The sub district 3 seat is currently held by Dick Edinger, who didn't run for re-election.

Lynn Humphreys was elated to retain the sub district 3 seat he has held for 16 years at Post Falls.

Humphreys earned 890 votes on Tuesday.

"I feel very privileged to have had such a nice turnout and such a group of fine folks that supported me for all the years," he said.

Montgomery was pleased that both he and Lekstrum were re-elected to the Lakes Highway District seats.

"That's what we were striving for, to keep our teamwork going and in the same direction that we were going," said Montgomery, who took in 1,594 votes.

He hopes the voters showed their approval of cost-cutting measures the commissioners have recently pursued, he added.

"I hope that's why we got the vote," Montgomery said.

Chris Kraft, who also ran for Montgomery's sub district 2 seat, earned 1,086 votes. Corky Witherwax, who also campaigned for the position, brought in 995 votes.

Lekstrum also believes it was the savings the commissioners have pursued that allowed him to keep his sub district 3 seat with 1,408 votes.

"We're just going to continue doing the things we do, continue to find ways to save," he said.

Diane Fountain, who had competed against Lekstrum, took in 1,018 votes. Daniel Malcolm, who also ran for the sub district 3 seat, came in just behind Lekstrum with 1,234 votes.

Post Falls subdistrict 1 incumbent Terry Werner ran unopposed.

Both the Worley district commissioners for sub district 3 and 2, George Miller and Tami Gauthier, ran unopposed.