Who’s running for Ada County coroner? Hear from the candidates
Ada County Republican voters will have a choice for county coroner on their ballots between a longtime death investigator and a newcomer who promises an overhaul of the office.
The Ada County Coroner’s Office performs autopsies and investigates deaths from violence and those that occurred under suspicious circumstances, among others. The office determines a cause and manner of death through its investigation. The Ada County Coroner’s Office is the largest coroner’s office in the state and frequently takes on cases from around Idaho. According to the Coroner’s Office website, it provides forensic pathology services to 32 other counties.
Unlike medical examiners, coroners are not physicians. Idaho law requires coroners to attend a “coroner’s school” within one year of taking office. Medical examiners and coroners are both known as medicolegal death investigators, a term Idaho applies to people who make formal inquiries or examinations to determine the cause and manner of a person’s death.
Incumbent Republican Rich Riffle, who was elected Ada County coroner in 2022, is not seeking reelection.
Riffle has endorsed Chief Deputy Ada County Coroner Brett Harding in the primary. Harding has more than 30 years of experience in the field and is the director of medicolegal death investigators on the National Homicide Investigators Association’s Board of Directors.
In addition to Riffle’s endorsement, Harding has the backing of county coroners in Bingham, Bonneville and Bannock counties, as well as from the director of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, among other supporters. Harding said continued fiscal responsibility would be one of his priorities if elected Ada County coroner.
Harding is certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators — a voluntary professional certification board that says it “certifies individuals who have the proven knowledge and skills necessary to perform medicolegal death investigations.” To be certified, an individual must be employed by a medical examiner or coroner jurisdiction and have experience conducting medicolegal death investigations.
Tim Flaherty, Harding’s opponent in the primary, appears to be new to death investigations. Flaherty did not respond to requests for clarification about his qualifications.
In an interview for Eagle Public Library Board Trustee Brian Almon’s Gem State Chronicle, Flaherty told Almon he completed a 40-hour training program through the Death Investigation Training Academy. A representative for Death Investigation Training Academy confirmed to the Statesman that Flaherty completed its certification.
Flaherty is not certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
Flaherty serves on the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities board of commissioners and is the CEO of Nampa-based nonprofit Astegos, which provides food, clothing and other items to homeless and low-income individuals. Astegos has reportedly clashed with others in the local nonprofit space. BoiseDev reported in 2024 that Americorps, a federal program that partners with nonprofits to provide staff, cut ties with Flaherty’s organization over worker injuries and complaints, and the Idaho Foodbank terminated its relationship when Astegos missed food disbursements.
Flaherty has said he was inspired to start Astegos while serving time in federal prison for wire fraud. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to using fraudulent checks to transfer $3.1 million into a brokerage account, which he then used to buy and sell stocks.
Flaherty also works as a political consultant and has worked for clients including Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford and Ada County Commissioner Rod Beck, both Republicans. In 2024, InvestigateWest reported on claims that Flaherty may have been using Toys for Tots giveaways affiliated with Astegos to subtly promote his political consulting clients.
The nonprofit CEO has emphasized suicide and overdose crises as issues he would plan to address if elected coroner. He told the Statesman he would “conduct a full operational review” of the Ada County Coroner’s Office and focus on efficiency and timeliness, as well as compassionate interactions with families of decedents.
Flaherty’s campaign website promises action on several “failures” with the current Ada County Coroner’s Office, including high costs for autopsies, long wait times to resolve investigations and low autopsy rates.
The Idaho death investigation system has faced intense scrutiny in recent years. A 2024 report from Idaho’s Office of Performance Evaluations found autopsy rates are lower than most places in the country, and also pointed out vague rules, insufficient resources and instances of coroner’s offices not meeting the education standards set for them in state law. A series of ProPublica investigations published last year highlighted myriad other issues.
Flaherty said he would focus on fully staffing coroner’s offices to address some of the issues, as well as improve coordination between coroners, public health agencies and law enforcement.
Harding acknowledged the challenges facing Idaho’s death investigation system but said Ada County is an exception to the 2024 report. He noted the Ada County Coroner’s Office is dual-accredited by the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners and the National Association of Medical Examiners and meets the highest forensic standards in the United States.
“Change needed by the rest of Idaho includes legislative change, additional infrastructure, increased funding, increased training and professional requirements for coroners,” Harding wrote in the Voter Guide. “Without addressing these deficiencies, the citizens of Idaho will remain at significant risk. I and other coroners have been working with Idaho state legislators to address these deficiencies for the betterment of all.”
Only Republican voters can cast ballots in Idaho’s closed GOP primary. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Dotti Owens in the November general election. Owens served as Ada County coroner from 2015 to 2022.
The Idaho Statesman sent questionnaires to each candidate in a contested race. Their responses are presented below, unedited.
To learn more about these and other local races, go to IdahoStatesman.com/Election. Find more candidate Q&As like this in the Statesman’s Voter Guide.
Reporter Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed.
