Candidates share their views at
Republican Candidate Forum
(We've got a
quote from each candidate included below) |
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April 12, 2018 |
Wednesday night was the night to meet area
candidates who are running to win in the upcoming
Primary election and move on to November's
general election showdown.
In a Candidate Forum sponsored by the Boundary
County Republican Central Committee, the
following Republican candidates were in
attendance:
For Idaho State Senate District 1, currently
held by Shawn Keough, who is retiring:
• Danielle Ahrens
• Scott Herndon
• Jim Woodward
For Idaho State House of Representatives,
District 1A, currently held by Heather Scott:
• Michael Boeck
• Heather Scott
For Idaho State House of Representatives
District 1B, currently held by Sage Dixon:
• Sage Dixon
For Boundary County Commmissioner, District 1,
currently held by Lee Pinkerton, who is not
running for re-election:
• Wally Cossairt
• Terry Spence
For Boundary County Clerk, currently held by
Glenda Poston:
• Beate Clark
• Glenda Poston
The candidates were seated on the stage at the
high school auditorium, and gave their answers
and opinions to questions posed by former
Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrel Kerby. The questions
had been submitted in writing by
audience members. Approximately 80 people were
present to watch the event.
You can click on this photograph to view a
larger version. (Story continues below this photograph)
The evening began with each candidate being
given time to introduce themselves and to share
some of their background, then followed the
formal questioning. Questions the candidates
addressed dealt with, among other things, their
position on abortion, schools in Idaho, their
position on gun control and the Second
Amendment, life experiences the candidates have
had that helped them to prepare to serve in
public office, and a question addressing how
much experience and knowledge each had of the
major industries in Boundary and Bonner
Counties.
This was no debate-style of Forum. With each
question, they went right down the line of
candidates, each one being given time to provide
a response. The closest thing to what might have
been called fireworks, was during the final
closing statements each candidate was allowed to
present. Danielle Ahrens, running for State
Senate, used part of her closing statement time
to call out one of her opponents for comments
she said he made about his being a political
moderate. She added that if his trend continued,
he would soon cross the line to becoming a
Democrat.
Following are quotations from each of the
candidates present at the Forum (excepting
Representative Sage Dixon, who is running
unopposed in the Primary. He yielded his time to
those who are in a race for their offices).
These quotes are not meant to make a statement
about any candidate, and bear in mind that these
are all a short part of the candidate's longer
answer to a question. These are simply quotes we
readily had at our fingertips and available to
share:
Heather
Scott: "The federal government
has no business in education. It is not one of
their delegated authorities. They give us 8% of
our education budget for our state, and for that
8% they are pretty much controlling what goes on
in our schools."
Wally
Cossairt: "When I put my mind to
doing something, I do it, and I do it right."
Glenda
Poston: Responding to a question
about integrity: "I would like to say my Mom
taught me to be honest. . . I pay taxes, and I
want to be a good steward of your taxes."
Mike Boeck:
"I spent twenty years raising my right hand,
saying I will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States. I've actually
done that, I don't just talk about it. I support
the Second Amendment, but I'm not a single issue
candidate."
Danielle
Ahrens: On growing up in a
military family (her father was a colonel): "It
was drilled into us: Service above self. Honesty
and integrity. You serve others, that's what
you're here for."
Scott
Herndon: Commenting on schools
in Idaho: "They're actually doing really well, I
have all the statistics in my folder. The
schools are not underperforming, the students
are actually exceeding the national average.
Two-thirds of our general fund goes toward our
public education. What we need, though, is we
need more competition. As far as if you ask
parents if they are satisfied with their
educational experience in public schools, less
than 50% of them are."
Beate Clark:
"Most people that do know me know that I put a
lot of high value in integrity and honesty."
Terry Spence:
"A granddaughter told me one day that guns were
bad, that they kill people. I said 'No, the
person that pulls the trigger is bad. They're
bad hearted, they're bad minded. They shouldn't
have a gun. We've got to figure out how to stop
that.'"
Jim Woodward:
"I'm a product of the public school system. . .
[My wife and I both have college degrees] from
out of the public school system. . . We got our
education here in Bonners Ferry. It was a
building block for moving on. It was based on
teachers—I can tell you all their names. It's
the value we place on the educational system."
The Primary election comes up next month, on May
15. |
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