LACEY MOEN

Hearing Lacey Moen talk about growth reminds listeners of a motivational speaker. Never before has anyone sounded so delighted to talk about expanding sewer lines.

“I love that this is a question that’s happening right now,” she exclaimed at the Oct. 3 Candidate Forum sponsored by The Press. “I love that Coeur d’Alene is so desired, that people are moving here. I think this is a situation of, ‘We’re doing [our] jobs right.’ Twenty years ago, we were trying to figure out how to get people here, and now they’re here, and now we’re trying to figure out where to put them.”

That enthusiasm is what she said will carry her to victory this November in her run against incumbent Dan English for his City Council seat, as she looks to translate her age into youthful momentum.

“At one point,” she said, “all of us have been 36 years old. It’s that perfect age where you’re still looking to the future with hope and optimism, but you also have enough wisdom of the past.”

Moen, owner of Coeur d’Alene’s Earthly Beauty Bar, emphasized that as a business owner, her hope and optimism should never be confused with naiveté.

“I think it’s really easy to stare at the negative,” she said. “I think it’s easy to see what’s not working, and I understand why people are. I have to think every day about how I can put food on my daughter’s table, keep the lights on and still reinvest in my business. I understand what it’s like to struggle, and I understand what it’s like to succeed. It breaks my heart when I hear people talk about how they can’t afford to live here, because I’m in the same boat. My rent went up last year, and I had to scramble to figure out how I was going to make everything work...I think the Council needs that kind of representation.”

Moen is taking every opportunity to capitalize on her age. She started a social media campaign asking for $36 donations, a number that not only represents her age but also the 2018 median age in Coeur d’Alene. She began an aggressive push to register voters, regardless of their political leanings. Two youthful notions close to Moen’s heart emerged during her interview: child care and admitting what you don’t know.

“Something that’s killing families in Coeur d’Alene right now is the cost of child care,” she said. “I think some of that comes with communities and neighbors coming together, but a lot of that comes with education. We need to do a better job trying to communicate programs and projects out there that can assist a ton of families. A lot of that information is very hard to find.”

When informed of the City’s Child Care Commission, she paused, let out a whiff of disbelief and continued.

“I’ve been living here my whole life,” she said. “I’m a single mom who’s always researching ways to better help my family in this community. And do you know when I first heard of [the City’s Child Care Commission]? Just now.”

Without missing a beat, Moen pressed forward.

“If I didn’t know about it,” she asked, “what’s the chance that Sally Down The Street — someone who’s just trying to make ends meet, someone who doesn’t have a spare second to go looking for this information — what’s the chance she’s going to know about it? That’s why we need better communication from this City to its constituents.”

When asked why she was running, Moen circled back to the topic of children.

“Being rooted in Coeur d’Alene,” she said, “I want to continue to grow. I’m running for my daughter. I’m running for everyone else’s children. I’m running for our children’s parks. I want to see Coeur d’Alene benefit the children who live here.”

TOM MORGAN

Tom Morgan believes in repairing the disrepaired. He also believes in not fixing what’s not broken.

The 51-year-old Coeur d’Alene native, 31-year veteran in the HVAC industry, husband and father of three has no problem speaking from a fresh perspective. At the October 3 Coeur d’Alene Press forum, each candidate weighed in on the prospects for an urban renewal district to revitalize East Sherman Avenue. Each candidate gave some version of the same response: East Sherman is in need of a change, East Sherman is in disrepair, East Sherman needs an economic boost.

Each candidate, that is, except Morgan.

“East Sherman is one of the last pockets of affordable housing in Coeur d’Alene,” the candidate for Seat 5 told the audience, “and urban renewal would disrupt that. I personally think — while East Sherman is not as busy as downtown — it’s vital.”

Morgan is pushing forward his candidacy with optimism: not political optimism that relies on polls or name brand, but optimism toward the problems and issues the city and its government faces. In other words, he believes in the resiliency of Coeur d’Alene.

“I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life,” he said. “I love this city as much as [the other candidates do]. My one goal is that every person — every human — that lives in this city can live their best possible lives.”

Morgan spends his Saturdays volunteering at the Lake City Bicycle Collective, repairing bikes as he works with the homeless and low-income communities. The LCBC has donated 700 bicycles to low-income children, all repaired and restored by Morgan and other volunteers. He acknowledged the inevitable growth Coeur d’Alene faces will steamroll the working poor and housing-insecure if left unchecked, but that Council’s role should be to manage growth, rather than accelerate it.

“We need to tap the brakes on this growth bus,” Morgan warned. “We need to take a hard, hard look on what’s happening, growth-wise. It’s an easy statement to make, because everybody feels it. It’s going to take a lot of discussion, it’s going to take some time, and it’s going to take some conversations about every growth issue we face, from tourism to construction.”

When asked what particular challenge had the most potential to damage Coeur d’Alene, Morgan fired off his answer with earnest resolve.

“Everybody is concerned about high-density areas,” he said. “I’m not opposed to high-density areas. But it’s the cost of those areas that are hurting us. $1,000 one-bedroom apartments don’t help the housing crisis. Furthermore, I’m not sure that half-million condos are the answer, either. Those things are not built for people who live here, who drive through here everyday, who rely on local stores for what they need.”

Morgan added that regardless of the voters’ decision, tackling growth will require some work ahead.

“If anyone really wants to know what I’m about, come down to the shop on Saturdays,” he said. “I’ll be there. I’ll put a wrench in your hand and put you to work, but I’ll be there...I hope to win November 5, but win or lose, that next Saturday, I’ll still be at the shop. Still working.”

DAN ENGLISH

Dan English has seen the highs and lows of Coeur d’Alene’s political crises. Rather than overreact, he said the even keel of how he approaches the issues facing the City Council on which he sits is a testament to wisdom and experience.

“The things we’ll need to look at East Sherman Avenue and the wind-down of the Lake District - we’ll have some funding decision points we’ll need to make,” he said when asked about urban renewal. “We need to make sure whatever we decide is done with care to the people and the businesses in those neighborhoods.”

That happy demeanor isn’t meant to serve as rose-colored glasses to residents and the votes he’s seeking Nov. 5. The incumbent for Seat 5 said he recognizes the City’s obstacles ahead, but tough challenges sometimes mean caution and deliberation, rather than impulsive, inexperienced instinct.

“There’s a lot of anxiety and stress out there,” English said. “A lot of times, we feel like we’re in a never-ending state of growth. But that’s not always the case. One thing I’ve learned in my time here is, there’s no magic bullet to solve the problems we face. So we try to look ahead.”

His experience indicates there’s much more than one thing he’s learned during his longstanding local service. The Coeur d’Alene native and graduate from both Coeur d’Alene High School and North Idaho College, who went on to earn his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology, spent more than 25 years in the trenches as a licensed professional counselor. The former Kootenai County Clerk served on the Idaho Association of Counties Legislative Committee, the school board and on the adjunct faculty at Lewis-Clark State College.

English also established two local non-profits: the North Idaho Youth for Christ and the Anchor House/Idaho Youth Ranch. He credits that commitment to service as the heart behind recent endorsements from the Coeur d’Alene Police Officers Association, the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters Local 710 and the Lake City Employees’ Association, among others. He added that whatever path Council chooses to blaze, that decision must take everyone into account.

“Whether we’re talking about affordable housing, traffic or density, one thing we need to be mindful of is how the elderly and those unable to get around can manage and thrive as we grow,” he said. “We have the ability to grow as a city, but you have to do it in a thoughtful way. We’re growing fast. Everybody knows that. But we’re also growing in that senior demographic...We have to ask: How will this help seniors access health care easier? How will it accommodate traffic needs? How will it satisfy public safety issues that arise with people who need help getting around?”

While growth is becoming the issue that envelopes all other issues, English still smiled as he talked about the challenges accommodating senior citizens.

“Look, it’s an attractive place,” he said with a grin. “People want to retire here, and I don’t blame them.”

When asked if his wisdom and experience needed to tackle growth is the reason he seeks re-election, the smile never vanished as he shook his head.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “I enjoy the ‘people’ part of it. I like working with people to find a solution. I think I’m a pretty creative problem-solver and a good listener, and it’s always satisfying to find a common ground.”