Kleeburg, Beck both boast experience in District 1 race

Experience matters to the two candidates running for the Nez Perce County District 1 commissioner seat.

Challenger Jim Kleeburg said his service on the Lewiston Planning and Zoning Commission combined with his 12 years on the Lewiston City Council put him in a position to lead the county during uncertain times. And incumbent Don Beck said his first two years in office have taught him the ropes of county government, skills he wants to take into his first four-year term on the commission.

One of those skills is cooperation, Beck said. While the county has had some rocky relationships with the city of Lewiston in the recent past, he said his monthly meetings with City Manager Alan Nygaard during his year as chairman of the commission have been enlightening. That’s been especially true as the parties try to see eye-to-eye over matters like the replacement of the outdated county courthouse.

“I think communication is the biggest key to resolve some of the issues we’ve had,” Beck said, citing differences over the Lewiston Urban Renewal Agency and development standards in the Area of City Impact as additional examples.

On the courthouse, Beck has called the building a safety hazard for its employees and users, and he would like to see a replacement on the same Main Street site in downtown Lewiston. But that would likely require the removal of the neighboring Lewiston Police Department, a proposition that would cost the city an estimated $7 million, at the least.

“I’d like to stay here and work out something with the city and the police department,” Beck said of his desire for a second term.

Kleeburg said he is tired of the animosity that has grown between the city and county, especially since the vast majority of county residents also live within the city limits. And he pointed out that District 1 is almost entirely comprised of the city.

“I don’t think that the city has been represented on the county commission for 10 years,” Kleeburg said. “If you’re going to run for District 1, you should represent the citizens of District 1.”

Kleeburg qualified that statement by saying that he would still pay attention to the issues and concerns of those outside his district. He also pointed to his past collaboration with county officials, specifically work a decade ago to forge a joint powers agreement for the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport, which is jointly owned by the city and county.

The agreement was designed to get city and county politics out of the running of the airport, a goal that fell by the wayside in recent years. But Kleeburg said the current composition of the airport board seems to be working well — even though there are still warring factions outside the board — and he wants to continue high levels of county support in the future.

He also said the commissioners and city council should push for Clarkston and Asotin County to help fund the airport, even though they sit across the Snake River in Washington.

“It’s a (Lewiston-Clarkston) Valley transportation hub,” Kleeburg said. “What’s good for the airport is good for the Valley as a whole.”

Beck has voted for increased support for the airport in both of his two years on the commission. He said the timing is ripe to replace the direct flights to Boise and Seattle the region lost when Horizon Air left the facility in 2018 because airlines are struggling because of the pandemic and may be looking at smaller markets to replace lost business.

Like Kleeburg, Beck said he wants more cooperation between regional entities. One possibility would be working toward the consolidation of the separate city and county emergency dispatch services. And one existing effort is the push by the county in conjunction with the Clearwater Economic Development Agency, the Nez Perce Tribe and other entities to expand rural access to broadband internet. That amenity would go a long way toward fostering more economic development and better communications regionwide, he said.

On his economic development record, Kleeburg recounted the effort while he was Lewiston’s mayor to get P. Kay Metal to select the city for its second-largest manufacturing site. He said that under his leadership, the city worked with the Idaho Department of Commerce to get the grant that allowed the city to waive $85,000 in development fees. The move sealed the deal, Kleeburg said, and the ammunition industry supplier brought dozens of jobs to the area.

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or at (208) 310-1901, ext. 2266.

Don Beck

Office sought: Nez Perce County Commission District 1

Party affiliation: Republican

Age: 69

Education: Four years college, no degree.

Work experience: Retired from Idaho Fish and Game.

Previous public elected office: Two years as Nez Perce County commissioner

Family status: Married, three children and five stepchildren.

Website: Don Beck for Nez Perce County Commissioner on Facebook

Jim Kleeburg

Office sought: Nez Perce County Commission District 1

Party affiliation: Independent

Age: 62

Education: Bachelor’s degree in forest products and business management from the University of Idaho.

Work experience: Outside sales representative, Early Bird Supply

Previous public elected office: Three terms on Lewiston City Council, four years as mayor.

Family status: Married, two adult children.

Email: jimkleeburg@gmail.com