District 9 candidates discuss issues

Published by admin on Thu, 11/01/2018 - 10:03am

The two GOP incumbents and two Democrat challengers vying for Idaho House seats A and B in legislative District 9 attended a candidates night event on Monday in Weiser. Democrat Chase Van Weerdhuizen answers a question, above. He is running against Rep. Judy Boyle, left. Allen Schmid, center, is challenging incumbent Rep. Ryan Kerby, right. Photo by Steve Lyon
By: 
Steve Lyon
The four candidates running for two seats in the Idaho House from District 9 attended a candidates forum on Monday evening sponsored by the Weiser Chamber of Commerce at the Vendome.
 Commitments elsewhere limited the number of candidates for state offices and audience members who showed up. 
 Local candidates for county offices, all of whom are unopposed in the Nov. 6 midterm election, also introduced themselves.
 The audience did get to hear from the four District 9 candidates on a host of state issues. The candidates were given two minutes for introductory remarks and then responded to questions. The forum was moderated by Weiser businessman Patrick Nauman. 
 The candidates were asked about Proposition 1 on the general election ballot. The ballot measure would restore horse racing at tracks in Idaho and allow betting on video racing terminals, which some have compared to slot machines.
 Democrat Chase Van Weerdhuizen, who is challenging incumbent Judy Boyle for seat B, said it’s been a controversial issue. He said the horse racing machines probably would not pass muster in the courts if challenged as unconstitutional. Idaho’s constitution prohibits slot machines. 
 Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, said the betting video machines were legal until just a few years ago, when lawmakers banned them. The thinking was that Gov. Butch Otter would veto the ban and rework the regulations. That didn’t happen when Otter’s veto came too late.
 Kerby, who has served two terms in the Idaho House, said he never heard anyone complain about the machines when they were operating at horse tracks, but when they were pulled he heard from upset horse owners, feed suppliers and people who frequented the tracks.  
 Kerby said he would like to see the Idaho Supreme Court decide the issue of whether the machines are legal.
 Allen Schmid, a Democrat seeking seat A in District 9, said Prop. 1 is more about big money and big gambling than it is about preserving horse racing in Idaho. He was not in favor of the measure.
 Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, had not arrived at the forum when the question was asked.
 All the candidates were asked how they felt about marijuana legalization in Idaho, if it ever came up for a vote. 
 Van Weerdhuizen said he would support marijuana as a cash crop for Idaho farmers and also for medical uses. Idaho could learn from neighboring Oregon, where voters approved recreational marijuana use. That state distributed too many licenses, he said.
 Kerby said he is opposed to recreational marijuana use. People have told him it’s a gateway drug that leads to additional problems, such as driving under the influence. 
 “I just don’t see the benefit of it,” he said.
 Boyle also said she is not in favor of legalizing marijuana in Idaho. She said she grew up in the 1960s and saw friends get involved with drugs and their experience was negative.
 Schmid said there are a lot of other issues involved with legalization of marijuana. He supports the decriminalization of marijuana for small amounts. 
 He said Idaho needs to be in sync with surrounding states that have approved recreational use of marijuana. 
 Asked about charter schools and school funding, Kerby said he supports them and they offer parents and students new avenues of education. He has previously voted against vouchers for Idaho students to use at private schools.
 Kerby said lawmakers are currently in the process of revising the funding formula for public schools in Idaho. He said Idaho is making progress toward bringing up salaries for teachers.
 Schmid, whose wife is a teacher, said he is in favor of more funding for public schools. 
 He supports the parents’ rights to place their children in private schools but would not support spending public money on private schools.
 Idaho has brought funding for public schools up to 2008 levels but that is a decade ago, he said.
 Van Weerdhuizen said he would work to make sure all students get a chance at post-secondary school education. The issue he has with charter schools is their ability to cap enrollment, which public schools cannot. The result is charter school students can outperform public schools and there is a question of fairness.
 He said the tax cuts approved by the Idaho Legislature during the last session were irresponsible in light of education funding.
 Boyle said she supports charter schools and what they can offer. Charter schools can specialize in STEM or arts education for students with those talents and aptitude.
 She noted that Midvale public schools have 100 kids and spend $15,000 per student annually, yet the go-on rate for post-high school education or vocational training is only 17 percent.
 “I wouldn’t say that is great,” she said.
 She said she favors the choice for parents to send their children to public or private schools. 
 As far as money for education, she noted this will be year five of the career salary ladder for teachers in Idaho, an effort to bring those salaries up to what neighboring states are paying.

Category:

Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

Connect with Us