JD For CDA 2021

I am excited to announce my campaign for Coeur d'Alene City Council Seat 4 in the upcoming 2021 election.

I am running with the goal of keeping Coeur d’Alene clean, beautiful, and a great place to visit and raise a family. Low crime rates, low taxes, and responsible growth are three areas that I am most passionate about. I plan to accomplish these goals by supporting law enforcement, limiting taxes despite increasing property values, and limiting high-density housing. Ensuring that developers cover all costs of new developments is a top priority for me; I want to be sure that such costs are never passed along to the taxpayers.

 

 

I  was officially endorsed by the Kootenai County GOP as of September 9th, 2021.

As a member of the city council, I plan to host regular town hall meetings to ensure my constituents have opportunities to have their voices heard. Over the course of my four year term, I would aim to prioritize the needs of the community while upholding individual citizens’ rights.

For instance, when asked about my views on the role of city council in public health decisions, I maintain a primarily hands-off approach.

“By and large, city council should stay out of public health decisions. Personal health is an individual decision. When it comes to true public health matters, the authority rests on the public health organizations that oversee it, but having said this, the US constitution grants individual freedoms which no public agency has the right to reverse.”

I am an Idaho native and CEO of xCraft, a local drone manufacturer based out of downtown Coeur d’Alene, which I co-founded in 2015. 

“As a business owner, I know the importance of responsible growth at a pace that is sustainable. I also know the importance of being fiscally conservative and investing in projects that contribute to the ultimate vision of the business, long term. When it comes to local government, I plan to manage our budget the same way. - Jerry “JD” Claridge

I have been married to my wife, Kara, for 20 years and together we have 5 children, 4 girls and 1 boy. We attend Heart of The City Church in Coeur d’Alene and regularly serve at homeless shelters and food banks around town. With a passion for this community, I am very excited at the prospect of giving back to Coeur d’Alene.