SANDPOINT — Bonner County is pushing back against claims that it wrongfully terminated a former airport official who blew the whistle on government waste.

Jim Kaiser filed suit in 1st District Court last month alleging he was forced out his job as the county’s airports chief after drawing attention to conflicts of interest within the department and falsified time cards involving Dave Schuck, a former airport business manager who ultimately assumed Kaiser’s former role of overseeing general aviation airports in Sandpoint and Priest River.

Kaiser’s suit alleged Schuck had a conflict of interest because he worked full-time for a business which rents space at one of the airports. Kasier further alleged that Schuck, a relative of Commissioner Dan McDonald, was reporting work hours which could not be substantiated.

The relationship between Schuck and McDonald is not specified in the litigation, although McDonald said at a candidate forum on Tuesday that Schuck is the husband of his wife’s cousin.

The county’s outside legal counsel in the matter, Davillier Law Group, released a statement on Wednesday indicating that evidence is expected to emerge which will demonstrate that the lawsuit was politically timed due to its filing in the run-up to a general election in which McDonald is a candidate. McDonald, an incumbent District 3 Republican, faces Democrat Steve Lockwood in the Nov. 6 contest.

Colton Boyles of Davillier called Kaiser’s filing a “strike suit riddled with falsehoods and misinformation conveniently filed just weeks before an election.”

“Bonner County’s legal team plans to vigorously challenge the lawsuit’s claims,” the statement said.

Boyles said a full airing of the facts will show that the county has no legal liability whatsoever to Kaiser and the county has no intentions of allocating taxpayer funds to settle a matter which the county deems “groundless.”

“We expect the evidence to show that Bonner County acted appropriately and lawfully. The misguided lawsuit appears to be based in part on a statement clearly made by Commissioner McDonald in jest. We believe the evidence will show that the complaint is without merit and contains false and potentially defamatory allegations, not only against Commissioner Dan McDonald and part-time airport manager Dave Schuck, but other County employees as well. We look forward to the opportunity to defend their good reputations in court, and have the facts come to light.”

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.