Mayor Dan Gookin

Dan Gookin moved his family to Kootenai County in 1993.  He's been involved with the Festival of Trees in the 1990s, and in 1997 took the role of Artistic Director for the Lake City Playhouse.  In 2002, Dan moved into the City of Coeur d'Alene and became involved in politics, working as an activist for transparency and accountability in local government.

Dan was first elected to the Coeur d’Alene city council in 2011. He served three-and-a-half terms before being elected mayor in 2025. He is known as a budget hawk and isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions.

Professionally, Dan is best known as the founder of the For Dummies book series, having written the original book, DOS For Dummies, in 1991.  All told, Dan has written over 180 books on technology, with over 12 million copies in print translated into 32 languages.  He does online training with LinkedIn Learning and engages in other creative endeavors.

First and foremost, Dan considers himself a father, having raised four boys in Idaho.  He enjoys woodworking, playing the piano, riding his bike, cooking, playing racquetball, and making lists of things that he enjoys doing.  He holds a BA in Communications/Visual Arts from UCSD.

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