Idaho Statesman finds no good choices in this race for Idaho House seat
In many ways, Rep. Jason Monks, R-Nampa, is emblematic of the frustrations many voters have with the Idaho Legislature.
Dogmatic and an ideologue, Monks talks around solutions to problems, such as public education funding, local-option taxes and property tax relief.
Monks, who is running for his fifth term in the Idaho House of Representatives, Seat B, in District 22, is facing a challenge from Democrat Nina Turner.
Unfortunately, Turner does not present a viable challenge to the much more experienced and polished Monks, who is assistant House majority leader.
Turner told the editorial board that bodily sovereignty and being working people-friendly separate her from Monks. She said she is concerned about young people leaving Idaho and the rising cost of living outpacing wages.
“I want to look at the world we want in 2050, and then work backward from that,” Turner said. “What do we need to do now to prepare for that time.”
But Turner was not up to speed on several key issues that our editorial board asked about and struggled to provide answers to several basic questions, such as school vouchers and property tax relief.
Monks, a small business owner, is intelligent and has extensive knowledge of the issues. However, he does his constituents in District 22, which includes fast-growing school districts Kuna and West Ada, no favors through his adherence to principles that may sound good in theory, but do not help in the real world.
On public education funding, he parrots the overused and tiresome Republican talking point that spending more money on education doesn’t mean better results, and he appears to be fine with Idaho being 51st in the nation in per-pupil funding, making the argument that our education funding is higher as a percentage of the budget than most other states, but that’s because we have such a small budget (which he voted to shrink two years ago by cutting personal income and corporate taxes).
Instead, he wants to give tax dollars to people who choose to send their children to private schools, a form of government subsidy that this board struggles to understand coming from a free-market, personal-choice candidate.
Monks said he wants more school choice, but Idaho already has plenty of choices: public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, community schools, private schools, virtual schools, homeschooling. What he’s really talking about is diverting tax dollars from public education to private businesses.
Monks said he would like to get rid of school supplemental levies, as does this board. Idaho’s school districts collectively operated on about $214 million in voter-approved supplemental levies last year, a clear sign that many school districts are underfunded by the state. But Monks thinks the real problem is not that Idaho’s schools are underfunded by $214 million; it’s that the school districts play on parents’ emotions about their children’s teachers to get levies to pass and then sneak in the vote when few people vote. If only we could get rid of those pesky voters who support supplemental levies, problem solved.
Monks introduced legislation last session to eliminate property taxes and replace it with an 11.5% sales tax. We appreciate the “thought experiment” as a way to consider reducing government reliance on property taxes and shifting to user fees. But when asked about another way to reduce property taxes, Monks came up with several reasons he opposes local-option taxes.
Raising the cap on the homeowners exemption — one of the easiest and quickest ways to reduce residential property tax bills — came with several caveats from Monks, and he mostly focused simply on trying to limit how and to what extent city councils and county commissions set their budgets, ignoring the fact that capping the homeowners exemption caused a massive shift in the property tax burden from commercial and agricultural properties to residential properties.
If Democrats could put up a viable candidate to truly debate and challenge Monks on some of these positions, this board could make an endorsement. As it stands now, though, we are not able to recommend either candidate in this race.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we write endorsements
Who decides the endorsements?
Members of Idaho Statesman editorial board interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The editorial board is composed of journalists and community members. Members of the Statesman editorial board are: Statesman editor Chadd Cripe, opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members John Hess, Debbie McCormick and Julie Yamamoto.
What does the endorsement process entail?
The Statesman editorial board meets with political candidates and asks them a series of questions about policy issues. The editorial board discusses the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous. The editorial board generally will not endorse a candidate who does not agree to an interview with the board members.
Is the editorial board partisan?
No. In making endorsements, members of the editorial board consider which candidates are well-prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, their readiness for office, their depth of knowledge of key issues and their understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points. The editorial board will endorse both Republicans and Democrats. We make recommendations about who the best-qualified candidates for these jobs are.
Why are endorsements unsigned?
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Do I have to vote for the candidate the Statesman endorses?
Of course not. An endorsement is just our recommendation based on the candidates’ backgrounds and their answers to editorial board questions.
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Of course you can. We encourage voters to do their own research and choose the candidate who best represents your views.
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