KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Voters in Kootenai County will choose their next Sheriff in the November election.
Four candidates are running for the position, including current Sheriff’ Bob Norris.
The three other candidates are Justin Nagel, Dan Wilson and Kyle Woodward.
Each candidate brings something different to the table and believes they are the best person for the job.
Norris has held the position since 2020. Before that, he worked in the LA County Sheriff’s Office.
“I bring a resume of proven experience over the last for years. We are going to continue to protect people’s rights, especially as it pertains to the second amendment right, the right to bare arms,” said Norris.
Norris said he has accomplished a lot in his tenure, but his opponents don’t agree.
Candidate and Kootenai County native, Justin Nagel, said he believes Norris’ leadership is corrupt and that, as sheriff, he would prioritize representing the people who live in the county.
“It’s not a matter of disrespecting the people that work here. It’s that the ones that are respectful for the community need support from somebody, and they don’t get it from our current sheriff or past sheriffs,” said Nagel.
Dan Wilson, another candidate in the race, said he was inspired to run after what he calls a “lack of vision” from the previous sheriff.
He said, as sheriff, he would focus on taking stronger policies and auditing the agency’s budget.
“I plan on bringing extreme ownership to the sheriff’s office. Not only do we have a crisis when it comes to management inside the sheriff’s office, regarding personnel, we’re 20 down in the jail and six in Patrol 901. We’re having to have retention bonuses just to maintain staffing levels. It’s time that somebody with a lot of administrative background and law enforcement heads up the agency i order to provide the services that the general public needs,” he said.
The youngest of the four candidates, Kyle Woodward said his age lends itself to a much-needed fresh perspective for the office.
“Being young is a benefit for me. I am aware of a lot of problems that older generations are not, and we are able to go in without bias,” he said. Woodward said he would prioritize bringing more transparency to the Sheriff’s office and it’s actions.
If reelected, Norris said he would focus his next term on tackling the fentanyl crisis.
Early voting begins October 21 and goes through November 1. Election Day is November 5. For more information on Idaho’s General Election, click here.
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