POCATELLO — Robert Poleki, the incumbent Bannock County Clerk, was not on the ballot during the May 15 primary elections.

Instead, Poleki has been focusing his efforts in the private sector with his invention, and according to a post on his Instagram page on Jan. 11, he auditioned for ABC’s “Shark Tank.” However, he cannot discuss any of the progress he’s made with the show.

His invention is called the Washie. Poleki says it’s an affordable, self-cleaning toilet seat for public restrooms.

Washie toilet seats dispense a disinfectant soap on the top of the seat, allowing the customer to use a toilet paper to wipe the rest of the seat clean.

Poleki says this will cut down on maintenance time and that it’s more cost-effective than paper seat covers.

Four years ago, Poleki’s son was using the restroom in an airport, and he just about sat on a “disgusting toilet seat” before Poleki grabbed a paper towel with soap and cleaned the seat off for him.

This is where Poleki first got the idea for the Washie. And since then, he has worked to build Washie to a point where it is today.

Poleki said that after Washie’s launch, he received a lot of positive feedback.

The company officially launched May 9. And in the next day, Poleki was contacted by three major fast-food chains and two of the largest companies in the bathroom industry.

Poleki wasn’t ready to say who those companies were, but he recently spoke by phone with a rep from Sonic Franchises.

Much of the effort he put into the Washie was design work and prototyping. Poleki said that he was able to find everything he needed in Pocatello or Boise.

Over the course of three years, Poleki and his attorney have been going back and forth with the U.S. Patent Office. And currently Poleki just has a short waiting period for the patent after he signed the last of the documents and paid the final fees.

Local radio personality Kelly ‘Martinez’ Rodriguez took Poleki’s place as the Democratic candidate for clerk on the primary vote ballot. Rodriguez is currently lined up to face Republican Jason Dixon in the Nov. 6 general election.

Poleki contacted Rodriguez when he decided that he wouldn’t run for re-election and urged him to run for the position.

“Kelly has always been someone in the community who volunteers his time, and he’s someone who just cares about the community and wants to be in a leadership position,” Poleki said.

Poleki said that he’s worked on this invention for four years and he’s deciding now to put everything on the line. So that won’t allow him to run for public office.

“I served my community the best that I can, and now I’m taking this opportunity to do what’s right for my family and my parents,” Poleki said.

But Poleki said that his departure from politics isn’t permanent and that he’d be back in a year or two.