Statesman: Our choice for the Republican primary for Ada County commissioner

Republican voters in Ada County face a difficult decision in the primary for Ada County Commission in District 2.

Four candidates seek to replace Republican Rick Visser, who left the position earlier this year.

All four candidates bring their own unique skill sets to the campaign, and three of the candidates have prior experience and qualifications for the job.

Teri Murrison stands out to the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board and earns our endorsement.

Murrison is the administrator for the Idaho State Soil and Water Conservation Commission. She was on the Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission for five years and the Eagle Transportation Committee for two years.

She also is a former county supervisor in Tuolumne County, California. She took that office in 2007, right before the Great Recession and had to make budget cuts amid a crumbling economy.

She rightly points out that the coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown will play a large role in the decisions that the next county commissioner will have to make likely for years to come.

Murrison came across as thoughtful and reasonable with a balanced approach to her answers to the board’s questions about property taxes, the county budget, development and the fate of Expo Idaho. Based on that approach, we are confident that she would approach the job in the same careful, thoughtful manner.

Two of her opponents, Rod Beck and Mary McFarland, also rightly focus on the county budget and property taxes, favoring “zero-based budgeting,” rather than taking the previous year’s budget and simply adding 3% to the top. Both point to “unsustainable” budget growth and burden on property taxes.

Mary McFarland, who owned restaurants for 17 years and also published the Eagle Informer magazine for 10 years, is a former Eagle City Council member who also has experience cutting budgets. She argues the county shouldn’t have budget surpluses and shouldn’t be taking forgone property tax revenue.

Beck, a former Idaho state senator, Senate majority leader and director of the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, also said property taxes and making tough decisions on the budget are his top priorities.

But Murrison recognizes that some areas of the budget, such as planning and development services, provide economic benefit and shouldn’t be cut.

We also appreciate that while Murrison also considers property taxes and the county budget a high priority, her first priority is “to ensure a brighter future for Ada County.” It’s not all about slashing and burning the budget.

Murrison said she would differentiate between “what is nice and what is necessary” in the budget.

The fourth candidate, Fred Rippee, a professional engineer with 40 years’ experience in the power production industry, said he would approach budget challenges by looking for ways to increase the tax base, such as building power plants in Ada County, including nuclear, gas and coal, and building an industrial park in Ada County to draw in large employers.

Rippee is admittedly not a politician, and he comes to the campaign with some interesting ideas and a unique perspective. We don’t think he would make an effective commissioner, however.

The winner of the Republican primary will go on to face Democrat Bill Rutherford, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Beck pointed out that if the makeup of the county commission remains the same after the November election, and Republicans hang onto the District 2 seat, and Democrat Diana Lachiondo hangs onto her seat, it would be two Democrats outnumbering the lone Republican commission member. “I don’t know if the other two will listen to me,” Beck said, referring to Lachiondo and Kendra Kenyon, who is not up for reelection this year.

We feel Murrison would be better able to work with Lachiondo and Kenyon.

Murrison rightly recognizes the added costs associated with allowing developments outside city limits. She supports the task force approach to deciding what to do with Expo Idaho and the county fairgrounds, and she supports the county collecting impact fees while not demonizing developers. She argues in favor of having the ability to consider a local-option tax, which she said is not government officials imposing a new tax but rather an opportunity for voters to make that decision for themselves.

Murrison was the only candidate to bring up the importance of preserving agriculture land, while also considering a balance to growth and development. When she did, she wove it into talking about how COVID-19 has reminded everyone of the value of growing food close to home. That is another indicator of her big-picture view of Ada County, as well as a strong grasp of what matters to all the community members who are a part of it.

Murrison’s experience, consideration of her constituents and measured approach to the job make her the best Republican candidate to send to the general election.

This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 4:00 AM.