ATHOL - Josh Spencer said he has fallen in love with Idaho and the city of Athol.

"I'm 38 years old and not going anywhere else," he said. "We moved out here because I wanted my kids to be raised in a small-town environment. I want to be as involved here as possible, and being part of the City Council seems the best way to do that. I'm one of the younger generation who wants to keep things the same."

As to the first thing he'd do if elected, he said, is he wants Athol to have its own website.

"There's a lot of history here and I think it's silly we don't have a website. I'd be willing to offer my own time to do this."

Spencer was raised in Yuma, Ariz., and has a bachelor's degree in business communication. He and his wife have three young children, two of whom go to the local school.

When discussing the growth issue, Spencer is a strong defender of small-town life.

"The people who move to Athol choose to move to a small town. Here you have the advantage of being part of a community, but it's important you also support that community. If that means you have to pay a little more at the local market, that's what you do."

Spencer said he does not support a wastewater treatment plant in Athol.

"Everybody's on septic now," he said. "I feel like I'm going to touch the pulse of the town and say that most of the town doesn't feel it's necessary. I don't think it's time to consider something like that."

As for the proposed 56-acre Hughes Investments development on the northeast corner of Highways 95 and 54 - currently in litigation - Spencer said that would be a no-go as well.

"I don't feel like local people want to see it here," he said of the proposed grocery, hotel, restaurants and travel center. "At the beginning, when they put up the hotel, they'll use Athol services. But over time, they'll put in a fast food outlet and pretty soon the Athol connection will be gone.

"I'm not an advocate for getting a whole bunch of tourists here. We want to provide a small-town service for people - a stopping point from A to B. But we don't want to be a theme park destination."

Regarding his qualifications for the position of City Council, Spencer said he considers himself a "pretty vocal guy."

"I recently started a local business - North Idaho Concepts - and when you do that, you're going to do a lot of marketing," he said. "Over the years, I've done a lot of management. To make something successful, you've got to have all the skills."

Spencer's platform takes a citizen-centered approach.

"My job is to convince people I'm going to relay whatever they're trying to say out there. City Council is a form of government where decisions are made based on what the people want.

"The life I like is the self-sustaining life. You continue your education by living it. I hope that in 20 years, Athol looks the same as it looks now."

n Incumbent Shane D. McDaniel declined to be interviewed by The Press.

n Daniel Ratcliff is running as a write-in candidate for Athol City Council Seat 4.