The Idaho Way: Don’t let political agenda ruin success of College of Western Idaho
By Scott McIntosh, opinion editor
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By most accounts, the College of Western Idaho has been a raging success. Its $139 per credit cost is low and affordable for most students.
The college’s property tax levy rate is the lowest among all of Idaho’s community colleges. Started from nothing just 15 years ago, the school now boasts an enrollment of 24,000 students.
The board just hired as president Gordon Jones, who was founding dean of Boise State University’s College of Innovation + Design and was the managing director for the Harvard Innovation Lab at Harvard University.
As part of its $15 billion expansion in Boise, Micron announced a partnership with College of Western Idaho to prepare students for the Micron Technician Apprenticeship Program.
The College of Western Idaho is on a roll.
The last thing College of Western Idaho needs is a slate of politically motivated board members who seek to meddle in the day-to-day operations of the college and go on a scavenger hunt to root out what they perceive as indoctrination.
Read our full editorial here on why we should avoid what happened at North Idaho College.
Advisory question on the ballot
One unusual feature of your ballot on Election Day will be an advisory vote on tax cuts and education funding increases. It was placed on the ballot during the recent special session, where the Legislature laid out a plan to use Idaho’s massive budget surplus on a mix of tax cuts and education spending increases.
When you read the advisory question, you’ll probably roll your eyes. And there’s good reason to do so. This question is a trap. It is obviously a trap.
But it’s a trap you should shake your head at, laugh at, then walk right into.
Read our full editorial here on why you should still vote “yes.”
Idaho Statesman polling
The Idaho Statesman has commissioned a poll, surveying residents’ opinions on such topics as abortion, LGBTQ rights, medical marijuana and education. We’ve been rolling out the results this week.
Abortion
Poll results: Just more than half of the respondents said they believe abortion should be legal in all cases (26%) or with some limitations (25%) — a total of 51%. Forty-six percent said they believe abortion should be illegal in most cases, with most of those (33% of respondents) supporting exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Six percent said abortion should be illegal with the only exception being to save the life of the mother. Seven percent said it should be illegal in all situations, and 3% weren’t sure. Read the full story on the poll results here.
Moderate majority: Now that we’ve measured public attitudes, we can state pretty conclusively: The extreme stance the Idaho Legislature has taken on abortion is overwhelmingly unpopular with Idahoans. Read the full column here by opinion writer Bryan Clark.
Gay rights
Poll results: Most Idahoans believe state law should protect people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a new poll commissioned by the Idaho Statesman. The survey data indicates broad support for updating the Idaho Human Rights Act to include protections in housing, employment and other areas for gay, bisexual and transgender Idahoans. Read the full story on the poll results here.
Elections
Poll results: Nearly one in three Idaho adults believes widespread voter fraud took place in the 2020 U.S. election and that former Republican President Donald Trump truly won, according to new poll results commissioned by the Idaho Statesman. Read the full story on the poll results here.
Education
Poll results: Nearly two-thirds of Idaho residents don’t want taxpayer money to be used to fund private school educations, according to new poll results commissioned by the Idaho Statesman. Read the full story on the poll results here.
‘Hell, no,’ Gov. Otter says on amendment
A small question on your November ballot could have big, detrimental consequences for Idahoans if approved, writes former Idaho Gov. Butch Otter in a guest opinion this week.
Idaho legislators want you, the voters, to amend our Idaho Constitution and allow them to easily call themselves back into session, setting the stage for a full-time Legislature like California and other left-leaning states.
Idahoans need to vote no on SJR 102.
I won’t just be voting no on SJR 102. I’ll be voting, “Hell no!”
Read Gov. Otter’s full guest opinion piece here.
All of our endorsements
That’s a wrap, folks. With Election Day almost here, the Idaho Statesman editorial board has been interviewing several candidates in federal, state and local races that will be on the ballot.
We asked federal candidates about such important issues as gun control, the federal budget deficit and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 2021.
Statewide, we interviewed the candidates for governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor and superintendent of public instruction on a host of issues about public education funding, election integrity and abortion.
Similarly, we asked several legislative candidates about their positions on education funding, school vouchers, gay marriage, property taxes and sales tax on groceries.
We even interviewed all of the candidates for Ada County Commission and asked them about budgeting priorities, how to address homelessness, the decision to appoint Ryan Cole to the Central District Health board, and the development of Expo Idaho and the county fairgrounds.
In all, we interviewed more than two dozen candidates in more than a dozen races, and are weighing in on a constitutional amendment and an advisory vote on the ballot.
Following is a rundown of our endorsements and recommendations. Click on each link to read our full endorsements and reasoning.
Idaho governor
We continue to believe that incumbent Republican Gov. Brad Little could cement a legacy as one of Idaho’s greatest governors, with a little bit of courage, vision and boldness. But we also know that he has missed opportunities to show those traits when they were needed. Little is facing a challenge from Democrat Stephen Heidt, a veteran, retired teacher and prison instructor from Marsing.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho lieutenant governor
Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke, a Republican, is facing off against Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler. Both are highly qualified, and we found ourselves agreeing with Pickens Manweiler on a host of issues. We are concerned that Bedke has kowtowed to the far right wing of his party too much, leading to a burgeoning of extremism in the party and the Legislature.
Read our endorsement in this race here.
U.S. Senate
Idaho’s senior senator, Mike Crapo, has been in elected office for nearly four decades, three of which were spent in Washington, D.C. This year, Crapo’s Democratic challenger is David Roth, an Idaho Falls man whose previous political experience consists mainly of heading the Bonneville County Democratic Party and launching an unsuccessful local legislative race.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho’s 1st Congressional District
The decision to endorse Kaylee Peterson was not a hard one. For starters, there was no way we could endorse Rep. Russ Fulcher. Fulcher refused to be interviewed by the editorial board, and we do not endorse candidates who do not have the commitment to transparency to answer basic questions. And, more fundamentally, Fulcher betrayed his country in the wake of the 2020 election. He voted to object to the certification of the election, not because there were any serious questions about the election’s legitimacy, but for political reasons. It was dishonest. It was cowardly. It should disqualify him from office.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho attorney general
If elected Idaho attorney general, Republican Raúl Labrador promises to be a conservative partner with the Republican-dominated Legislature. We have no doubt he would be. And that’s what worries us. It is clear that Labrador would base decisions on partisan politics and become an activist attorney general seeking to strip individual rights based on the latest Republican outrage or culture war issue.
Read our full endorsement in the race here.
Idaho superintendent of public instruction
Idaho voters have two excellent choices in the race for Idaho superintendent of public instruction. Republican Debbie Critchfield, who defeated incumbent Sherri Ybarra in the May primary, is facing Democrat Terry Gilbert.
Read our endorsement in this race here.
Ada County Commission
Incumbent commissioner Rod Beck voted to strip funding from the successful New Path housing program and appointed Ryan Cole to the Central District Health board. Thomas Dayley, as state legislator in 2016, voted to cap the homeowners exemption, a fateful decision that has created today’s residential property tax crisis.
Stan Ridgeway and Patricia Nilsson are running against them.
OK, I’ve given you enough of a hint about who the Statesman endorsed. But you should read the full endorsement anyway.
Idaho Senate, District 15
Democrat Rick Just and Republican Codi Galloway are running for an open Senate seat in Boise’s purple District 15, seeking to replace Fred Martin, whom Galloway defeated in the Republican primary.
Galloway, who wouldn’t interview with the editorial board, voted as a state representative for a bill to criminalize librarians and favors school vouchers.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho House, District 15A
Idaho Rep. Steve Berch earns the Idaho Statesman’s resounding endorsement for reelection to his House seat in Idaho legislative District 15. The Democrat is running against Republican Steve Keyser, who did not respond through his website or via email to invitations to interview with the editorial board. The Statesman will not endorse someone who does not agree to an interview. Regardless, Berch has proved himself as an effective legislator. The retired computer programmer and marketing manager for HP has served two terms in the House in District 15.
Even if Republicans jam really bad legislation through committee or through the House, Berch makes them earn it.
Read our full endorsement of Steve Berch here.
Idaho House, District 15B
The race for Idaho House seat B in District 15 features two newcomers: Democrat Jeff Nafsinger and Republican Dori Healey.
Nafsinger has deep roots in the local area. He’s worked for many years selling plumbing supplies — the kind of work that gets you out in the community, where you get to understand the problems facing a wide variety of Idahoans. And it shows. Nafsinger has a clear vision of the problems facing Idaho, and he has articulate proposals to solve them.
Read our full endorsement in this race here.
State Senate, District 16
Democrat Ali Rabe is seeking her second Senate seat, but this isn’t a reelection campaign. Rabe moved out of her previous legislative District 17, where she was elected to the Senate, and now lives in District 16. She is running for the open District 16 Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Grant Burgoyne, a Democrat who is endorsing Rabe.
Read our full endorsement here.
State House, District 16A
Democrat Soñia Galaviz, Republican Mark Montoya and independent Wayne Richey are running for this open seat in the House, previously held by Democrat John McCrostie. Soñia Galaviz presents a singularly compelling case for voters in the race for the District 16A seat in the Idaho House. Our editorial board unanimously endorses her in this election. Read our full endorsement here.
Senate Joint Resolution 102
Idaho legislators want you to pass a constitutional amendment that would let them call themselves into a special session for whatever reason they want, whenever they want. The amendment, which appears on your ballot as Senate Joint Resolution 102, requires just a majority to pass. This one is a resounding “no” from us. We have a long list of objections:
Read our long list of objections here.
Advisory question
Even though it’s a trap that’s poorly worded, you should still vote “yes” on an advisory question that will hold legislators’ feet to the fire on education spending. Read our full editorial here explaining why.
I’m listening
Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
Find me on social media:
Twitter (my DMs are open)
What you’re saying
This week, we received letters to the editor on new Idaho education report card from the Heritage Foundation, what so-called “conservatives” believe in and support for Stan Ridgeway for Ada County Commission. You can read these and more letters by clicking here.
You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here.
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