COEUR d'ALENE - Derec Aujay wants to freeze city government spending.

The political newcomer said, if elected, he would explore avenues to ensure Coeur d'Alene City Hall doesn't increase its spending as Kootenai County unemployment hovers around 12 percent.

"No raises, no increases, no borrowing," Aujay said. "We're not talking about eliminating anything, reducing anything at this time, we're just talking about a freeze across the board."

The defense contractor for the U.S. Air Force and current North Idaho College student is running for City Council Seat 3. It's the first stab at politics for Aujay, who moved to Coeur d'Alene in 2005 from Santa Rosa, Calif.

While the 41-year-old said he doesn't have a complete grasp on the ins-and-outs of all local government issues, Aujay was disappointed in the administration's handling of the McEuen Field redevelopment project. He said he believed the council adopted the reconstruction plan without considering enough of the public's concerns.

"I'd replace all of them except Edinger," Aujay said, referring to City Council President Ron Edinger, who was the lone member to vote against the conceptual plan. "We don't have the money for it."

He said he supports putting the plan to a public advisory vote. He said grants, an avenue the city said it would explore to help fund the park overhaul, are still tax dollars from somewhere, which he doesn't support.

"Grant money means somebody else is paying for it," he said.

If elected, he said he would dive head first into all the issues.

"I haven't researched every topic enough," he said, calling the city "still pretty healthy."

While his campaign platform is geared on freezing government, he said as a first-year general studies student at North Idaho College, he mostly supports the education corridor expansion project there.

"I'm still kind of out on the boat on that," he said. "We need more hard industry."

As far as freezing city employee wages, it could require eliminating collective bargaining agreements the city has with its three collective bargaining agencies. Aujay said he would explore ways to do that.

"Is it fair?" he said about city employee raises and merit increases adopted in the fiscal year 2012 budget. "No. Is it right? Don't know ... I could entertain that idea" to eliminate the representation.

Aujay is not married and does not have children.

Dan Gookin, Patrick Mitchell, George Sayler and Annastasia Somontes are also running for Seat 3, which is open. Incumbent Al Hassell is not seeking re-election.