Marc Eberlein said he is frustrated with what he sees as a lack of competence and honesty displayed by the Kootenai County commissioners.

Eberlein, 54, is running for the county commissioner District 1 seat, currently occupied by Todd Tondee. Two years ago, he narrowly lost the Republican primary.

"I know that I can help restore some trust in our local government, offer an example of public service to county employees and help them help the good citizens of Kootenai County," said Eberlein, a Post Falls Republican.

If elected, Eberlein said he would oversee a review of county finances.

He would also meet with county department heads and employees to better understand the problems they face as they work to serve the public, he said.

"County employee morale is low," he said. "I believe the county employees want to provide good service to the public, so I want to be sure they have the tools and resources to accomplish that mission."

He understands the land-use code needs a revision, he said.

He opposed the draft Unified Land Use Code.

"It did not respect the property rights of county residents, would have been costly to implement and enforce and would have unfairly burdened city infrastructure," he said. "I believe we need to review our existing code and make incremental changes to improve it."

Part of that effort, he said, would be to review the Comprehensive Plan in light of the current economic and demographic realities.

"I would insist that the needs and vision of county residents be put before those of special interests and developers," he said.

He applauded the efforts of the CDA Lakeshore Property Owners Association, North West Property Owners Alliance and the Rural Property Owners Committee.

He opposes impact fees, he said.

He said he doesn't support a restructuring of county government, and that voters rejected the idea of a county manager.

"The structure of our county government will work just fine with the right people as commissioners," he said.

He doesn't support a new county government campus complex, he said.

"Government, like a plant, will grow if put in a larger 'pot,'" he said. "I would support additional facilities only if they were essential to providing the needed services."

Finally, he said, "I do not support bringing the incarceration industry to Kootenai County."

He said the county should have enough jail capacity to deal with local criminals.

"I do not believe that importing criminals from other states and then releasing them here at the end of their sentence is a good idea," he said.

He describes himself as an independent scholar and businessman.

He and his wife Elaine have been married for 36 years, and they have four children.

"While the commissioner election is partisan, I do not believe county governance should be partisan," he said. "Honesty, common sense, practicality, fairness and a commitment to serve the people of Kootenai County are the virtues I would bring as a member of the commissioner team."