SANDPOINT — Longtime Sagle resident Fred Arn has announced his intent to run for the Bonner County Commissioner District 1 seat in November’s election as an independent.  

Arn said his campaign is rooted in a desire to ensure accountability for sustainable growth throughout Bonner County and to provide competition in local government. A longtime republican, Arn has chosen to run as an Independent because he believes it will allow him to run his campaign without interference from the Bonner County Republican Central Committee.  

In his career and life, Arn said he met many Russians and Eastern Europeans and spent a “fair amount” of time in Romania. 

“One of the things I learned was how the communists gained power and kept power. And when I saw what the Republican Central Committee did, I went, ‘okay, wait a minute, I've seen this before,’” Arn said. “People have the right to pick and choose who they want. And if you present one part and one candidate and say, ‘now you get to vote,’ then that’s not really a free choice.”  

Arn said his goal isn’t a lifelong career in politics, but rather that he’s seeking a four-year term to create accountability throughout the county, specifically related to land use. He noted the controversy surrounding Camp Bay as another staple reason for his campaign, sharing that he intends to take a deeper look at issues like Camp Bay to understand how public property and processes are handled.  

“When people have been in positions for an extended period of time, sometimes they lose sight of the fact that we’re in a democracy, and the voters actually have a say as to what happens,” Arn said. “I’m going to take a very close look at that; that’s one of the things that I’m particularly interested in.” 

Arn brings to the table a variety of experience as a 30-year photojournalist, university instructor, a contract trainer who trained former communist officials in democratic values, a consultant for the FBI Cyber Crimes Unit, small business owner, and a United States Marine Corps veteran, among a handful of other volunteer efforts throughout Bonner County and several counties in California.  

“I have no party loyalty to protect. As a lifelong registered Republican, I’m running as an independent; I answer to no caucus, no committee, and no donor. Only to you,” Arn said in a blog post.  

Running as an independent, Arn stresses the importance of voting for a person, not just a party. In a blog post Aug. 31, Arn said that voting “straight Republican ticket” in a “blue majority state” made a statement, but that isn’t the case in Bonner County. He said it’s important to focus on local issues, not just party affiliation.

Arn's name will appear on the ballot during the Nov. 3 general election, challenging Steve Smith for the District 1 commissioner seat for Bonner County.