Pam Baldwin

Even behind the desks in her tucked-away workspace, Pam Baldwin’s office hums with the industry of work.

“A job like this teaches you to be efficient,” she said. “It teaches you to always evaluate where you can save money, to look at your budgets, and to make sure you’re getting the best deal for the dollar. We owe the community that.”

Baldwin seeks to represent her community after the Nov. 5 election, in which she is running opposite Mary Zichko for Seat 1 on the Athol City Council. The 50-year-old purchasing agent at Kaiser Aluminum — and Idaho resident since 2003 — said community and family live at the heart of her decision to run for office. She added that her new husband Troy, his son 25-year-old Brant, and Baldwin’s 24-year-old daughter Megan inspired her to run because she wants to keep Athol a small town for as long as possible.

“There are two kinds of growth,” she said. “There’s quick, or there’s smart. I learned early in my life the importance of keeping a small-town feel, something that will disappear if we don’t grow with some thoughtful planning and some caution. I see [the chance] of a lot of quick growth, and that could lead to different results than we want.”

She cited the construction of Super 1 Foods as an example of smart growth, saying smaller Athol businesses can still thrive despite the larger competition.

“That was an example of this fear of growth we all share,” Baldwin said. “It could have been built quick, rather than smart. Now, because it was done right, people have made it part of life here in Athol. It doesn’t always happen like that.”

She said two examples of dangerous growth in Athol’s future could include plans for a new hotel and a new truck stop, two potential projects she won’t condemn until she’s seen the finer details.

“I would want to see all the facts,” she said. “I think every project needs to be reviewed and planned out before we can say ‘no’ completely to something. That said, Athol has other needs. The community is looking for services like urgent care, so we don’t have to drive all the way down to Coeur d’Alene if we need help. We already have a gas station; we don’t need another one.”

Baldwin added that she remains cautious on new growth projects — like the truck stop — because of specific concerns, rather than broad fears of general change.

“The biggest [issue] we face is the fear of growth,” she said. “Athol’s a small town. It’s been a small town since the day it was created. I know there are concerns with keeping it that way. Growth is going to come, one way or another, and I think everybody’s afraid of overall change. I understand that. For me, it’s about what kind of change we bring.”

Growth is a comprehensive issue that requires incremental decisions, such as septic systems over sewer systems. A candidate can be judged, she contended, by those significant choices.

“We’ll have to face the septic-versus-sewer decision at some point,” she said. “I’d hazard to guess it’ll be in the next 10 years. Me, personally? I like septic, because sewer lines mean growth.”

In Baldwin’s eyes, listening is a big part of the job.

“I decided to run because I sat through many, many council meetings,” she said. “I learned that in order to make change, you have to be in a position to listen to people. I think there are those in Athol who feel they’re not being listened to. They don’t know who to go to, or they’re going to the wrong people who can’t help. I want to be someone who will listen to the needs of the community and put their needs first.”

Mary Zichko

Listening to Mary Zichko speak, you can hear the history of Athol in her voice.

“Some days I know too much,” she said with a laugh. “Some days I feel too experienced. But that comes with life, I suppose.”

Zichko knows something about experience. The 74-year-old knows every nook and cranny of the town she’s helmed as Mayor since Bob Wachter stepped down from the position in 2018. Thrust into the role because she served as president of the City Council, Zichko now seeks to return to the position, saying she still wants to serve everyone who calls Athol home.

“I’m here for the people,” Zichko said. “That’s me. That’s the true me. I just want to help them speak up more for their needs, that people are heard on the outskirts of town.”

It’s a town whose outskirts are spreading farther and farther apart. Zichko has overseen growth as part of her tenure as mayor, an experience she said lends to her wisdom. It’s wisdom, she said, that will help guide Athol through its next big decisions.

“I think it’s important to make sure the traffic gets cleared out a little easier,” she said. “I think it’s important to get the well in, especially if the hotel is going in. I think getting the backtrail for Super 1 in and done is important. And I think getting that new trail going up from Garwood is going to be good for us.”

Zichko said growth is inevitable, but that while Athol residents should be cautious, they should also keep an open mind.

“When you look at what happened with Super 1,” she said, “we were all concerned about what it would do to the town. But they’ve been great neighbors to us. They’ve been a great part of the community. They’ve done very well, and they’ve been a real positive benefit to the town. It’s been great.”

However, Zichko added, just because one larger business comes to town doesn’t mean every bigger project should get a green light without discussion and due diligence.

“If the new hotel comes in,” she said, “they’ll have to go through the planning process, just like everyone else. But even if they do come in, there’s still room for small business. There’s still room to grow and thrive if you’re a smaller business.”

The longtime Athol resident said her years have taught her leadership means keeping a balance between knowing when to speak and knowing when to listen.

“Anyone who wants to lead here needs to learn what Athol’s all about,” she said. “They need to know about understanding people. For me, that means knowing when to listen and knowing when to speak. And when you speak, you need to know if people are listening ... To me, that’s the most important thing: that the public hears you.”

Zichko said that while she enjoys the experience as mayor, she wants to give someone else a chance to lead the town. That doesn’t mean, however, she wants to end her public life in service yet.

“I’d like to get back on the council,” she said. “That’s where my heart is.”