Taylor hired as county PIO

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Sam Taylor wasn't without local government work too long.

Taylor, who was Coeur d'Alene's deputy city administrator from May 2016 through February, was named Kootenai County's public information officer on Friday afternoon.

The sheriff's office has its own public information officer, but county officials believe it's the first time there will be a PIO in the commissioners office. The position has been discussed for several years.

"There's been a longtime need for a PIO," Commissioner Chris Fillios said. "As a county, we've been deficient on getting information to the public. Sam brings a strong background in social media and press relations.

"We've heard from a number of people that the county does a good job, but a poor job of communicating. We believe this will go a long way to help our constituents know how we function as a county and who is responsible for what. It's about time that we go down this road."

Taylor, who will start work on Monday, will also fill public information requests, be involved with the review and approval of expenditures, follow up with pending issues from meetings, assist with advisory board appointments and help create resolutions that are adopted by the commissioners.

Commissioners also recently approved up to $40,000 to purchase equipment to televise meetings, and Taylor will assist with that project as well, Fillios said.

Fillios said Taylor will be available to assist other county departments with information needs besides the commissioners office if other elected officials desire.

Taylor will make $48,000 per year — less than half the wage he made at Coeur d'Alene.

Taylor resigned from Coeur d'Alene in February after he was arrested by Rathdrum Police and cited for DUI. He pleaded guilty to DUI, was placed on probation and was required to perform 10 days of community service.

Fillios said Taylor was the runner-up candidate for the newly-created position of senior business analyst that was filled by Nanci Plouffe, who started on June 7 and is making $59,000.

"When we interviewed Sam a few months ago, he was very forthcoming about his situation," Fillios said. "We did conduct a thorough background check and we didn't believe (the DUI incident) was enough to prevent his hiring. We understood the situation. It was a difficult time in his life with a number of unfortunate circumstances that seemed to converge. We don't hold that against him, and we believe we found the right person for the job."

The position that went dark in the commissioners office was the administrative secretary position formerly held by Alethea Carpenter. The county needed to pay an additional $15,000 — the pay difference between the jobs — to create the PIO position.

Fillios said the PIO position was not advertised because Taylor was identified to fill the position based on his interview and application for the business analyst position. Agencies are not required under law to advertise for positions, he added.

Commissioners were originally opposed to creating two new positions in their office, so Fillios and Bob Bingham opted to support the business analyst position. However, Carpenter's resignation then created an opening to fill with a PIO instead, Fillios said.

Commission Chairman Marc Eberlein said he opposed filling the vacancy with a PIO.

"I think it could be a useful position with good intentions, but it costs money," Eberlein said. "It all adds up to more tax dollars and we have a business analyst now. I'm not in favor of expanding government. When people have too much time on their hands, they have to think of things to do."

Taylor’s role at Coeur d'Alene included overseeing the arts council. He was responsible for the city’s parking measures and enforcement and was the city’s public information officer.

Taylor, a Coeur d’Alene High graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho and a Master of Public Administration degree from Kent State University. He worked at several newspapers before entering public service, and was assistant city administrator of Ferndale, Wash., and the city of Morro Bay, Calif.