Behler, Hasselstrom vie for Lewis County Commission seat
May 4—The two Republican candidates for the District 3 seat on the Lewis County Commission have deep ties to the area and years of dedicated community service.
Tracy Behler, 60, and Eric Hasselstrom, 51, both of Winchester, are competing for the commission seat being vacated by Mike Ponozzo. There are no Democratic candidates in the race.
Behler comes from a longtime farming family and currently works for the Lapwai School District as a speech and language pathologist. She is nearing retirement with the school district and is looking for new ways to serve the community.
"I've done different things within the community ... and now would like to get back in," Behler said.
"The county commissioners have been doing a great job and when I was aware that Mike wasn't running, I thought this would be an opportunity to support the community again."
Behler served 16 years as a commissioner for her local highway district and was on the state board of highway districts. She has been an emergency medical technical volunteer, worked with the Craigmont library's summer reading program, and on a parent support and fundraising group for the Highland School District.
Because she hasn't been directly involved in county governance, Behler said she would approach the job with an eye to learning about the commission and the issues facing the county. One of those issues, she said, is dealing with the county's solid waste program, which is a major expense in the county's budget.
"Until I get there, I'm not knowing exactly (what the issues are)," she said.
"But I've previously been involved in programs for people who were indigent, had mental health issues ... and I worked in long-term care," Behler said. "I would like to be more involved," in those issues.
Behler is married and has three grown children and three grandchildren.
Hasselstrom farms about 3,000 acres near Winchester, raises about 800 head of sheep and also operates a gravel business with his son.
He's been past president of the Idaho Grain Producers and served on a conservation committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers. He's also been on the Lewis County Soil Conservation board for 15 years, served on the Winchester City Council and has been a volunteer firefighter.
"I know that Lewis County's pretty strapped for funds and I was hoping I could get more involved and see if there were other ways ... to get more funding," Hasselstrom said.
That could involve looking for grants and other sources of revenue, he said.
"I think one of the biggest things as county commissioner is to make sure you're in communication" with other agencies and state lawmakers.
"With the Legislature, they pass legislation for the big counties and don't think about how it affects small counties," Hasselstrom said. "I'm hoping to look out for Lewis County. We're getting a lot of growth and a lot of people moving in and we need to be forward-thinking about infrastructure and planning to make sure we're not behind."
Hasselstrom is married and has three children.
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
