COEUR d'ALENE - Candidates seeking election in nonpartisan races in Kootenai County will now have an opportunity to receive endorsements and campaign funds from a newly formed political action committee.

The founding board of the PAC, Balance North Idaho, announced the committee's formation Monday in Coeur d'Alene.

"The name that we've selected is very meaningful to our cause," said Eden Irgens, a downtown business owner and the PAC's board president.

Several nonpartisan elections, with ballots that do not indicate the political party affiliations of candidates, will take place in Kootenai County on May 21. School, library, hospital and water district trustee positions as well as highway district commissioners' seats are up for grabs throughout the area. City councilman and community college trustee positions are also elected on nonpartisan ballots. A city council election will take place in November.

Irgens said political party members tend to take their voting cues from candidates' party affiliations rather than the individuals' qualifications.

"Everything is moved very far to the right in this town," Irgens said.

Mic Armon, another local businessperson and former North Idaho College trustee, serves as Balance North Idaho PAC's board treasurer.

Armon said the PAC will provide a mechanism for campaign support that's now unavailable to many individuals seeking election in races with nonpartisan ballots.

Candidates will be selected for support by the PAC through a comprehensive interview and analysis vetting process, Armon said.

"We want to focus on candidates able to set aside their political beliefs," said North Idaho Balance PAC board member Sara Meyer.

The new PAC's leaders declined to name other organizations, but said there are partisan groups in Kootenai County that provide significant funding to candidates in nonpartisan ballot races.

Since 2009, the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, a group of local political activists who work to elect conservative candidates, have supported several candidates who have won seats on Coeur d'Alene's City Council and trustee seats at North Idaho College and on several local school boards.

"On the school board and the city council, we now have members that have brought in their ideology," said Balance North Idaho PAC board member Steve Widmyer, a local restaurant and retail business owner.

The PAC leaders plan to pay particular attention to the school trustee election in Coeur d'Alene. Four of the five Balance North Idaho PAC board members live in the city and several have children now attending Coeur d'Alene public schools.

Elva Allan, whose children are members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, said she's involved with the PAC because of her kids.

Meyer said she grew up in Coeur d'Alene, and left for a few years, but returned because she loves the region.

"I want my children to come back here," Meyer said.

The PAC board members also plan to focus on candidates seeking election to the two seats open on the Kootenai Hospital District board.

Ron Lahr, the president of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans group, told The Press Monday that the group is considering running candidates in the hospital board election and the local library district race, where three seats are up for election.

"We're always encouraging Republican activists to run for office," Lahr said.