John Padula
Name: John Padula
Position Running For: County Commissioner
Phone: (208) 704-1492
Address: 23367 W HWY 53, Post falls, ID 83854, United States
Website:
Twitter:
Email: johnppadula@gmail.com
Tell us a little about yourself and your family, how long you have lived in the area and your occupation.: My name is John Padula, I’m 45 years old and I have lived in North Idaho basically my whole life. My wife’s name is Amanda Padula. We have been married for 12 years. We have four beautiful children, three daughters, and one son. Our family loves the outdoors, and we absolutely love North Idaho. My wife works at a private Christian school as a third-grade teacher. I have been the outreach pastor at the Altar Church For approximately 10 years.
I came to know Jesus 15 years ago. He gave me a heart for people. Immediately after salvation, God gave me a passion to serve my community. I love this community, and I want to do whatever I can to help maintain a healthy, safe environment for out children and grandchildren to grow up in. It’s very concerning what’s happening nationally and even locally. There is a very dark agenda that wants to destroy families, that wants to destroy our community, and wants to destroy the United States of America.
We feel extremely blessed to live in Kootenai County, one of the most beautiful places on the planet! We are here to serve, and to help our community in anyway that we can.
1. Do you have experience as an elected official and if so, what was your position, and how would you describe your voting record?:
At this time, I do not have any experience as an elected official. My voting record has always aligned with strong conservative values, and I have always supported the Republican party.
2. Please tell us about your activity as a Republican. Have you previously voted for candidates of other parties? If yes, explain.:
I have always supported the Republican Party. I have publicly supported candidates that are vetted and supported by the KCRCC. I’ve made sure that the people I’m in contact with know who is being recommended by the KRCC. I’ve never voted for any candidates of any other party.
3. What is the purpose of government?:
The purpose of government is to uphold the United States Constitution, and to keep law and order. Government, whether local or national, is there to protect the citizen’s freedoms and rights. The government represents and works for the people, by whom they were elected by.
I’m not running because I desire to be in government, or honestly to be in politics at all, I’m running because I see what’s happening to our community and I am very concerned. I want to further serve my community in a way that I believe God is calling me to serve.
4. Describe why you are running for this particular office. What are your qualifications? What are your goals?:
There are a couple reasons why I want to run for County Commissioner. The first and most important is because I believe that this desire came straight from God. I have no desire to do this in and of myself. My life is pretty peaceful right now, and I love what I currently do. However, I cannot deny the conviction I have to do this. Next, I believe we should all be running in areas we feel we can make a difference and hold the line. The seat I would qualify for is up for election in 2024 and if elected I would represent the interest of the people of Kootenai County to the best of my ability.
As for qualifications, I’ve been on the Deacon board at the Altar Church for almost 10 years, dealing with the budgeting and finance of the Church. I’ve also been the Director of Set Apart Discipleship, a 501(c)3 for 12 years, also responsible for the finance of the ministry. I have recently been voted on the Board of Directors for Cornerstone Christian Academy, and I’m the vice president for Mighty to Save Ministries. All four of these entities are nonprofits, and finance is one of the main responsibilities of the board.
My goal would be to always vote in favor of the interest of the people of Kootenai County and to make sure the budget is balanced to meet the needs of both the county employees and the citizens, without uncalled for tax burdens. I would always hold my conservative values and support the other commissioners in theirs.
5. Describe experiences where you are or have been engaged such as non-profit organizations, clubs, churches, boards, commissions, etc., where you have been of service to others.:
As stated on question #4, I have served on several boards for the last 10 years. I have also been the outreach pastor at the Altar Church for 10 years. My wife and I have also had over 570 people live with us in the last 12 years of our marriage, all coming out of addiction. We do outreach locally, feeding those in need and offering hope through Jesus Christ. We do ministry in Seattle, Spokane, and other places as we are able. I also work at The Good Samaritan Rehabilitation, representing our clients in court and advocating for those attempting to enter our program.
6. Do you describe yourself as fiscally conservative? Please, elaborate.:
Yes, I do. I believe overspending by our government, both locally and nationally, is one of the many things that is destroying the fabric of our nation. We are in desperate need of a financial overhaul. We need to downsize government and put that money into building our communities into safe and productive places to live. The government needs to spend tax dollars on things that the government should pay for, not on things they should not.
7. Do you consider yourself as socially conservative? Please elaborate.:
Yes, I do. As of 2009, my life has been radically changed. Before I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I had no boundaries, no structure, and no moral compass. Since I was born again and have surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, I do not partake in things that do not glorify God. Nor do I put myself in situations that are not above approach.
8. Describe which party platform best aligns with your positions on public policy (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Constitutional Party) and where do you disagree with that platform.:
My values align with the Republican platform. I do not disagree with the platform, although I do disagree with how some proffessing Republicans use the platform.
9. Do you have any history of tax liens, criminal record, bankruptcy or conflict of interest that may affect your future decisions or desirability to be voted into office?:
I do not have anything that would keep me from qualifying. I have a lengthy criminal history, all before finding Christ in 2009. I had two felonies, one for possession of methamphetamine 1997 and one felony for escape in 2001. In 2019 I received a full pardon for both of them. I also had several misdemeanors before 2009, but none that would prevent me from being elected. My misdemeanor record consist of, but is not limited to: drug paraphernalia, driving without a drivers license, no insurance, concealed weapon and frequenting, which were all before I came to Chris in 2009. All of my law-enforcement contacts since then have been positive, outside of a boating ticket in 2015, which was due to not knowing some boating rules. I took a course after that to learn all of the rules and regulations for boating.
If all of these things were not in my past, I would not be able to hold the positions that I have been elected to on certain boards, or hold my position as one of the pastors at the Altar church. My life was completely redeemed 15 years ago, and I have not looked back.
10.Describe how you will make yourself available to your constituents and vote as their representative with FORTITUDE, adhering to the values and answers you have stated above.:
My heart is to stand in the gap for the people in our community at any cost. I will be available to my constituents by telephone, email or by public meeting, to always know their needs and concerns and how I can address them.
Being in ministry for the last 15 years, I’ve learned that there’s opposition every day. No matter how hard it gets, I’m not willing to compromise my faith or my conservative values for anything or anyone. I will stand on the fact that God comes first and my integrity and my values as a believer will supersede anything that comes my way.