Graham Paterson has a varied political resume, from work as a campaign aide to then-Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to a stint as West Bench Neighborhood Association.
And it shows. Paterson has a strong command of the issues — from extending Idaho 16 on the west end of the Valley to supporting local-option taxes that could finance transit in Boise. He’s a seasoned, reasonable candidate, and he gets our nod in an open House race in District 16.
Democrat Hy Kloc also has a long record of local involvement, and now serves as an elected member of the Greater Boise Auditorium District board. Paterson is a slightly stronger candidate, who would give Boise a voice in the House GOP caucus.
LES BOCK, GRANT BURGOYNE
Sometimes it takes persistence to get things done at the Statehouse, especially for a Democrat. Sen. Les Bock gets this. In 2009, he was an early advocate for a ban on texting while driving, a concept that finally passed the Legislature this year. The six-year lawmaker gets the nod over a qualified GOP challenger, Joan Cloonan, a member of the state’s Board of Environmental Quality.
Two-term Rep. Grant Burgoyne’s big issue is local control, and the Boise Democrat is willing to say that state government taxes too much and tries to do too much. He also floats a dramatic shift: a local-option income tax, as a method of weaning schools off of the state’s funding sources. Burgoyne gets our endorsement, in part, because he’s unafraid to think boldly.
“Our View” is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman’s editorial board.
