Mayor Mac receives Precious Gem award

KELLOGG –– A lot can be said of former Kellogg mayor Mac Pooler.  

Pooler was the steady hand of Kellogg during some of the darkest and most challenging days ever faced by the city.  

He was there when the Bunker Hill Mine shut down in the 80s, he was there when the Federal Government deemed the area an environmental disaster site, he was there when economic recessions and global pandemics made their way through the community.  

But most importantly, he was there.  

Pooler, 83, stepped away from his seat as the leader of Kellogg last spring, after rising health concerns tipped the work/life balance against him.  

Last month, he was awarded the Silver Valley Chamber’s “Precious Gem” award, which is given to a person who has given abundantly to the local community. He was unable to attend the chamber’s award ceremony, so former chamber president Juli Zook brought the award to him. 

With a mouth like a sailor and a wicked sense of humor, Pooler has always led from a working man’s perspective, because that’s who he is.  

Pooler graduated from Kellogg High School and joined the military, he worked for the water district for years after that. He began his career in politics in the 90s, serving as both mayor and city councilman for a total of 32 years. 

“I was right here through the good times and then, when Bunker shut down, I was here for the bad times,” Pooler said.  

It’s easy to get caught up in the bad times, but under Pooler’s guidance, there were a number of positives as well.  

Things like the creation of Silver Mountain and its record-breaking gondola, the Milo Creek diversion project, Kellogg’s complete overhaul of its sewer system and fully repaved roads, were just a few of the major improvements that Pooler was near the epicenter of.  

“There were times when I enjoyed it and times when I didn’t,” Pooler said.  

Through it all, Pooler’s goal was to serve his community as best he could while striving to improve it for his residents.  

According to chamber vice president Andy Helkey, in just the past decade, Pooler was one of the primary people responsible for $200 million worth of improvements to area.  

Kellogg City Councilman Terry Douglas highlighted Pooler’s involvement with the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC), working tirelessly to improve roads and bridges throughout Idaho, but emphasizing projects in the Panhandle. 

“A lot of that money wasn’t coming up north,” Pooler said.  

“Not only did Mac stay involved in that for a number of years, but he paved the way for Rod (current Kellogg mayor Rod Plank) to take his place,” Douglas said.  

His focus wasn’t just Kellogg, during his time with LHTAC, Pooler helped get road and bridge projects done in communities like St. Maries, Bonners Ferry, Priest River, Sandpoint, Wallace, and Mullan. 

“He’s always been a natural leader,” Pooler’s wife, Francie said.  

Ironically, Pooler will have his name emblazoned forever on a new bridge that is being built this year in Kellogg on Bunker Avenue, over the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River. That bridge project is being funded through LHTAC and the Leading Idaho Bridge Program. 

"I can't wait to drive over you every single day," Zook told Pooler with a laugh.

Zook gushed about Pooler following the small gathering, where she explained why the chamber thought Pooler deserved this award.  

“I don’t think people always know what goes on behind the scenes,” Zook said. “We are extremely fortunate to have a great leader like he is. He has brought so much attention to our community and all of North Idaho through different grants and agencies, we wouldn’t be in the place we are without his endeavors.”  

Never one to miss an opportunity to tell a joke – even at his own expense- Pooler reminisced on a recent interaction he had with one of his nurses, who was caught off guard when she saw that Pooler was battling both Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. 

His answer reflects the same way he’s approached four decades of public service.  

“You know that’s fairly uncommon, don’t you?” Pooler said the nurse had asked him. “I told her, ‘If it was easy, everyone would do it.”