COEUR d'ALENE - Pat Whalen shocked the audience Thursday night when he confessed to a driving under the influence conviction in 2006.

But even more shocking was that he accused his opponent's wife, Cathyanne Nonini, of trying to use that information to get him kicked off the board of the Boys and Girls Club.

"In 2006 I got a DUI," he said, during a candidate forum at North Idaho College. "I was embarrassed and ashamed then, and I am embarrassed about it now in front of you."

He said the admission at the Republican primary candidate forum for the May 20 election, hosted by the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls chambers of commerce, was because Nonini was pushing the issue and Whalen wanted to clear the air.

Sen. Bob Nonini, who Whalen is challenging in Legislative District 3, at first ignored the comment, but The Coeur d'Alene Press Managing Editor, Mike Patrick - who was moderating the forum - wasn't going to let it go.

"I am sorry, I just have to come back to this, Pat," Patrick said. "Can you talk a little bit more about how you introduced this?"

Whalen said he was made aware of the issue when the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club called him on Thursday morning to tell him about an email that had been sent to the club's national headquarters.

"Let me just jump in here because since Pat is challenging me," Nonini responded. "Everybody knows my background. The Spokesman Review brings it up all of the time.

"In fact," Nonini continued, "Pat Whalen has brought it up in a number of candidate forums. He says 'Google is a person's best friend. Just Google Nonini.'"

Nonini said what he is doing is nothing more than what Whalen has done to him. He said his opponent has ridiculed him at least four times in various candidate forums.

"Yes, 35 years ago I had an arrest. It's been dismissed and I have no conviction, as Pat does with his DUI conviction." Nonini said. "Pat is running a little bit scared. He is quick to criticize me, now that his issue is out there."

The Spokesman Review reported in 2001 that Nonini was arrested in 1983 on a charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The charge was later dismissed. In the late 1980s, Nonini allegedly acted as a confidential informant for a major undercover drug operation, the story said.

Whalen denied bringing the issue up.

"Zero is the number of times I have said that," Whalen said. "I don't think I have engaged in any ridicule."

That wasn't the only dust-up at the forum, which was held in Boswell Hall on the North Idaho College campus.

In the Legislative District 4 debates, State Rep. Luke Malek launched a few barbs at State Rep. Kathy Sims.

During a discussion about a tax rebate incentive program the Legislature passed earlier this year, Sims said she voted against it because it gave employers incentives for moving to Idaho, and does nothing for business owners like herself, who created 50 jobs with no tax incentives.

Malek said the bill, which he voted for, does benefit existing business that are expanding in Idaho to create more jobs.

Sims went on to talk about a bill that she tried to push through the legislature this year, which would exempt military pensions as taxable income. Sims visited Idaho National Laboratory recently and learned that exemption is the best way to attract military-trained nuclear experts to the live in Idaho.

"Kathy, I have a question for you," Malek said. "On one hand you say we need a more fair tax, and then you want to do a special interest tax exemption that is going to treat individuals who aren't bearing the tax burden.

"House Bill 420 was a tax shift."

Sims fired back, saying it wasn't a tax shift at all.

"It just simply says that if you are retired military, regardless of age, you will not be charged Idaho income tax on your retirement pay only," she said.

"Which shifts the burden to other Idahoans," Malek said, adding that was why the bill failed in the House.

Sims said the bill failed in a House vote because the legislature wanted to adjourn early.

Later, in a discussion about Common Core education standards, Mary Souza, who is running against Sen. John Goedde, said she would favor standards that were generated at the local level by individual districts.

Sims said she doesn't like the standards because of the data collection portion of Common Core.

Malek jumped into the debate, saying that standards are needed.

"To use this tin-foil hat commentary that they are trying to make everybody into cookie cutters, to score political points on a system that is going to make sure our kids are successful while maintaining local control, I think is extremely disingenuous," Malek said.

Souza asked Malek if that comment was aimed at her comments.

"No, I was referring to Ms. Sims," Malek said.

While things didn't get as heated in Legislative District 2 debates, the were some clear differences of opinions on many of the issues.

Eric Redman, who is challenging State Rep. Ed Morse, said he favors the state taking control of federal lands to create more jobs.

Morse said there have been many legal opinions that show that is highly unlikely to happen.

"The sagebrush rebellion in the 1970s entailed some of that litigation that was unsuccessful," he said. "This issue has been around for about 150 years, and is not something that is going to get reconciled quickly, and it's not going to be something that is going to be a big economic boost."

Morse said it would be a good goal to work toward, but he believes a better goal would be better management of the land because the federal government holds the title to that land.

Fritz Wiedenhoff, who is running against State Rep. Vito Barbieri, agreed with Morse, saying in his opinion it is not viable to try and take the land back.

Barbieri, on the other hand, sided with Redman.

"There are varied opinions by attorneys on this issue," he said, adding that the state needs to take control of the lands to control the regulations on that land.

"As it is, the Forest Service thinks it owns the roads in those forests, but they don't," he said. "The law is very clear that the counties control those roads.

"They are eager to shut them off, and we have no power to stop them."