On Jan. 7, Ron Jacobson took the oath of office for mayor of Post Falls. A senior vice president of Inland Northwest Bank, Jacobson has been involved with the city for more than 20 years and served as both city council member and city council president.

Why did you run for mayor?

Any time I get involved with an organization - volunteer, nonprofit, whatever - my goal is the leadership role. I served on the council for 15 years, so running for mayor seemed the next logical step.

The real reason is I had so many people come up to me and ask me to run.

Did this public outpouring of support surprise you?

I was surprised by the vast diversity of people who asked me to run.

There were very outspoken people, people from different political parties, as well as people from different backgrounds and organizations. And this included the mayor and other councilmen.

What is the mayor's salary and how much time will the job involve?

I don't know about the salary - I have no idea what it is.

And as for the time, that's still to be determined.

I've got a flexible work schedule here at the bank and I can always come in to work earlier. No matter what I do, I won't let it impact my time with the bank.

Ever dream of doing anything other than business and politics?

If I'd had my druthers, I'd have been an NBA player - I really love the sport. My body doesn't like it anymore, though. Besides, I was too slow, didn't jump high enough and couldn't run fast enough to play at a professional level.

Sure would have been fun, though.

Mostly I always knew I wanted to get into the business world, even though I wasn't sure in what capacity.

Why did you choose banking?

After graduating, I got into a management trainee program at First Security. Then I went over to Wenatchee for a few years and worked at a savings and loan. After that I came back to Spokane at Washington Trust and just over a dozen years ago I came to Inland Northwest Bank in Coeur d'Alene, where I am today.

Will your management style as mayor be similar to that of former Mayor Larkin?

Mayor Larkin did an excellent job as mayor and it's never a good idea to try to replace the person who held the position before you. Mayor Larkin was called the 'peoples' mayor.' He was retired and spent a lot of time with the city.

I believe I'm a very collaborative type. I've talked with all the local mayors and feel that whatever benefits one city can benefit the whole area. We'll work on things together, hopefully.

Which city issues strike you as front and center?

We've delayed the appointment of committee/agency members for Planning and Zoning. And we've got to reappoint people to the Urban Renewal agency. By state statute, those terms begin in January.

I'm going to have a committee asking anyone who's interested - and those with expiring terms - to reapply. Ultimately it will be my decision as mayor to bring forth the recommendations and the council's position to decide whether to confirm or not confirm the appointments.

Anything new about that?

The extra step is that I'll have a committee of four or five people that will interview applicants. This is new. It's important as you go through an election that there can be some bias and I'm not going to let that happen.

Any ideas regarding commercial development?

I've had the opportunity to meet with a couple of companies that are looking to relocate and expand in our areas. I can present the city in a good light and I understand the needs of the companies that are relocating.

Why should a company move to Post Falls?

Since we don't have a quiver full of freebies, what can we do to make them choose Post Falls? Is that the question?

We're business-friendly here and we'll take roadblocks out of the way. We do need to look at our impact fees for building.

We also need to work with local communities and state legislators to find ways to invite business to come here. We have to be proactive.

I think we're making great progress in education with schools like NIC (North Idaho College), which is an excellent choice for kids and we're expanding professional technical training at school. These changes all help attract new businesses.

Besides your new job of mayor and your longtime career at the bank, what activities do you do in your "spare" time?

I'm always going to try to get involved in things because it's the right thing to do.

Through Rotary, I've participated in a program called Rotaplast. I traveled to Third World countries with mainly plastic surgeons who worked on cleft palates and burns. In Nepal I was an assistant patient transporter - whenever they needed something done, I did it. And in the Philippines, I ran the autoclave. Nonmedical volunteers like me paid their own way and the missions each lasted about two weeks.

What did the experience give you?

It made me sit back and think - we take so much for granted - the sheer poverty these people live in and how hopeful they are and appreciative.

It gives me an appreciation for how much we truly have. Even at Christmas, I'd rather make a donation than gifts for my wife and I. It just makes you appreciate what you have and the importance of helping others.

What about poverty right here in Post Falls?

I think if you look at the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced school lunch programs, it would surprise you. It's higher than you would think. And look at the demands at the food bank.

I think the best way to help them as mayor - I think you always have to help them help themselves and I'm trying to decide how you help them in a small community. We all have to be aware of it.

We live in probably one of the most generous communities there is. As a city, we have to continue to answer the call. I've noticed here that if there's ever a need out there, a fundraiser is organized and people support it.

Do you plan on being an accessible mayor?

Absolutely. If people want to talk with me, I'll talk. I'll meet them for coffee or just visit with them on the phone.

I'm not doing this because it's about me - it's not - I'm doing this because I bring tools and qualifications to the position that can help the city.

And I won't tell the city staff how to do their jobs. I'm there to help in any way I can. If I'm not in the newspaper, I'm perfectly happy. I give credit where credit's due and if awards are received by the city, it's because of the people who work there full time. It's not because of the mayor and council.

My goal is: Let's just make things work and get them done.