COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County Commissioner Todd Tondee doesn't like the cliche "lame duck," but since he was ousted in the May primary election he has come to terms with it.

"It's kind of bittersweet," Tondee said. "I am going to miss this, but I am looking forward to a couple of opportunities."

Tondee was elected to the Post Falls City Council in 2003, and then to county commissioner in 2006. He has been in politics for 11 years.

The former Post Falls restaurateur and used-car dealer said he is not planning to seek another elected position - but he is not ruling that out either.

Tondee said he may start another restaurant, and he will keep his used car lot for awhile, but he is actively seeking opportunities when he finally relinquishes his commission seat at the end of this year.

Tondee said he has offered to sit down and meet with any successor and help him or her transition into the seat. So far, he has had no takers.

So you are a lame duck now, what do you hope to accomplish by the end of your term this year?

I am not a lame duck.

Yes you are...

Yeah, I guess I am. Actually just the day-to-day business. We have several big projects going on like the jail.

What is going on there?

We just started the judicial confirmation process to see if we are going to be able to sign a lease on a facility. If we can answer that, it's going to huge, really huge.

What else is happening?

There is an issue we are trying to resolve with the airport master plan and Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization. There is a conflict between the extension of Ramsey Road and Huetter Bypass and the expansion of the airport. So that is another issue that involves multiple agencies that needs to be resolved.

Other issues?

The facilities master plan, which really is our downtown campus facilities. We are trying to address the needs of overcrowding and inadequate facilities that we have - like the public defender's office.

It sounds like you have a lot of big issues.

All of these are big issues and they are not going away. No matter who is sitting in this chair, they are going to have to address them. Everybody has different ideas, but when you get in here and really start to understand and get educated on what is going on, you realize that you are going to have to do something. For instance, we are working on trying to find lease space for the public defender's office because his office is split in two different areas.

Anything else you hope to accomplish before you leave office?

We still have our land use stuff too. We are trying to do the needed fixes that are not controversial, more of the administrative stuff - the housekeeping stuff. But we won't get the land use stuff done during my term. It will be the next board that comes in that will have to deal with this stuff. It is kind of retro 1994, when the board got voted out, and the ordinances never got adopted to the comprehensive plan. That is one thing I regret a bit is not getting that done. I understand why it didn't get done, and I agree with that, but it would have been nice to get that done. I think that would have been a good legacy for the development and future of Kootenai County.

So there are actually four big issues?

Well that one, we are not going to be able to address any of the big issues in the seven months we have left in office. That one will definitely carry over. I am not going to rush it and try to get something done before I leave office. That's not the way I operate.

What are you going to miss the most about this job?

I am going to miss the professionalism of this staff. The staff is great and that is throughout all aspects of the county - from the electeds on down. Everyone here really cares about the county. I'll miss being involved. I will stay involved in some way, just not as involved as I am now.

In almost every job - and I would imagine especially in politics - there is usually this love/hate thing going on...

Yeah, I am not going to miss the big controversial meetings and stuff like that - or the people who personally attack you. Those things I am not going to miss. I enjoy trying to make a difference. I like to listen and try to understand the other side. That's what I think my strengths were, so I will miss that.

After this do you have any plans?

Nothing firm yet. I still have seven months left, and I am looking at options, but if somebody has an idea, I would certainly entertain it. I am going to have to do something and there are a couple of things I am toying with.

Still thinking about a restaurant?

Yeah, I have a concept going around in my head, but that's a lot of work. Then there are resources and stuff like that. I just want to figure out if that's what we want to do. You know, I am blessed. I am just so blessed. God's always taken care of me, and I think he will continue to. So I am not worried. I am still focused on this job, but I would be crazy not to be out there looking for what is going on.

If you do a restaurant what kind of a restaurant would you have?

I am trying to keep that concept quiet because I don't want someone to pick up and run with it before I can.

I don't blame you for that...

But I will say that it is something we don't have around here now.

Sit-down restaurant?

I think so.

Are you going to keep your used car lot?

I am going to evaluate that too. Since I have been commissioner, I have kind of kept that going as a place-holder, but I am going to re-evaluate that. I no longer own Little Caesars, or the pizza business. I own the real estate, but I don't own the business. To have it operate out of there at the volume I would have to have it operate, it's not going to work there. So, I am going to evaluate that and see. I am not going to say yes or no to anything right now. I have a lot of evaluating to do and some stuff that I need to go into the next steps with. There are tons of options out there.

You mentioned legacy, what would you consider your greatest accomplishment?

I can't think of anything I have done individually, we accomplish everything as a board. But one of things I wanted to do since I came in, was to create long-term planning strategies. Instead of always being reactionary, I wanted to see some planning with things like the fund balance. An example is when I got here we had just bought the Bureau of Land Management Building, but we bought it without any thought to what we were going to do with it. There was no plan for what we wanted to do with it. With this new board, we have created some long-range plans and policies that if perpetuated would keep the county from being in a reactionary mode. Jai (Nelson) helped with much of that keeping us on track and doing a lot of the work. So I guess, setting the county up for that long range vision and thinking.

What piece of advice would you have for your successor?

I would say to look into things yourself and don't take everyone else's advice. You know, everyone has their opinion on the way things should be, but you need to study and come up with your own thought process and be ready to defend that thought process. There are great people on staff, and it's not as easy as it looks from the outside. Also don't take things personal. That would be one of the biggest things, don't take things personally.

What about politics, are you planning to get back in?

I don't know. I am not going to say no, but I don't know at what level. I really enjoyed being on the city council, and I have really enjoyed this, but this is full time. It is a much bigger job than what I was anticipating, but it's been very fulfilling at times, and it's tough at times - stress. You know, I am not really affected by outside stress, but if you are, this is not the job for you.