COEUR d'ALENE - Eastside Highway District voters will choose from three candidates, who hope to become commissioner on May 19.

Incumbent Chris Fillios is facing two challengers, Terry Wall and Graham Christensen, in the upcoming election.

Fillios has served on the district's board for three and a half years. He initially ran for the seat to stop the former commissioners who were trying to create local improvement taxing districts a few years ago.

Fillios said after winning the election he has learned a lot about transportation and he would like to serve another term.

If re-elected, Fillios said he would work to increase funding to the highway district, and his second priority is to address the district's maintenance issues.

"Our forest reserve funds were cut back this year by 90 percent," he said, adding Congress has restored most of those funds.

That combined with an increase in the state gas tax should help the district, but Fillios would like to see more grant money as well.

Fillios said over the past 10 years, more than 80 percent of the money Eastside has spent on roads has come from state or federal sources, not from local taxpayers.

"We do our best to guard the residents' tax dollars," he said.

Wall said he is running because he is retired, after a 41-year career as a helicopter pilot, and now he wants to give back to his community.

As a pilot, he said, he worked five weeks on and five weeks off. In his off time he started a construction company, so he has experience in maintaining equipment.

As a pilot, Wall also managed an international medivac unit, with a fleet of several helicopters and jets.

His No. 1 goal, if elected, is to leave a legacy with the district.

"I want to leave the district in a better place than I found it," he said.

For the last five years, Wall said, the district has raised property taxes a full 3 percent per year. He would like to see the district rely more on grant money.

"That would be a nice legacy to leave behind," he added.

Christensen is running because he feels like he has a lot of experience to bring to the table.

"This is something that fits my skill set," he said, adding he has been a field engineer on road projects for the past few years.

"I know what makes a road fail, and how to fix it," he said.

Christensen said his first priority would be to stabilize the district's funding stream, and help the district stay on budget with certain projects. He said there have been some recent cost overruns due to unforeseen environmental issues.

"Eastside doesn't have a lot of money," Christensen said, adding he has a degree in environmental engineering. "I can help make sure we aren't going over budget due to environmental issues."

Another issue Christensen sees is the lack of a transportation plan. He said by creating a transportation plan, the district would become eligible to seek out more matching grants.

"Most of the projects take advantage of matching funds," he said.

Graham Christensen

Age: 42

Education: Bachelor's degrees in chemical and environmental engineering.

Experience: Field engineer on several road projects in Washington County, Oregon. He also owns Harmony House Assisted Living and has experience managing staff.

Residency in district: Three years, but 10 years in Kootenai County.

Chris Fillios

Age:66

Education: Bachelor of Science degree, and master's in art

Experience: 3.5 years as highway commissioner, and 20 years of experience in high tech. Currently a licensed Realtor and appraiser.

Residency in district: 12 years

Terry Wall

Age: 65

Education: Four years of management and accounting classes

Experience: 30 years of managing an international flight department.

Residency in district: 33 years of owning property in district

Did you know?

• Highway district commissioners are responsible for the maintenance and construction of all secondary roads within their districts.

• Under Idaho statute, salaries for highway district commissioners are fixed by the commissioners in each district and they are part of the annual budget.

• Eastside Highway District is governed by a three-member commission. The commission chair is paid $800 per month and the other two commissioners receive $700 per month.