Kara Veit or Jim Hansen for Ada County Highway District Commission. Here’s our choice
The Idaho Statesman endorses District 1 incumbent Jim Hansen in the race for Ada County Highway District commission.
His challenger, Kara Veit, a public relations manager and political newcomer who worked as a community relations manager at ACHD for a year, had solid answers to questions of funding, community engagement and even having designated streets that prioritize bicyclists.
We give Hansen the nod in this race because he recognizes that ACHD can and should do more than just build more and wider roads to accommodate more and more cars from more and more subdivisions in every corner of Ada County. He said ACHD planning has incentivized urban sprawl, and wants to reverse that.
It’s true, as Veit points out, that ACHD is not the land-use planning agency and has no final authority over land-use planning decisions — that’s up to the cities and county — but we believe ACHD commissioners should have a stronger voice in pushing for alternative modes of transportation and safe pedestrian routes.
We believe Hansen will be a stronger voice for that.
Hansen is a former state legislator and has been an ACHD commissioner since 2012. He vows that if he is reelected, this will be his last term.
Hansen said he wants to better measure “returns on investment” that taxpayers get from ACHD projects. We question the need for endless studies for every project and fear bogging down the process with this strategy, but we appreciate a more thoughtful approach to ACHD projects, with an eye toward balancing multiple uses, livability and health, and safety outcomes. As maintenance costs on Ada County’s 2,100 miles of roads begin to outpace revenues, it’s worth questioning the cost of adding to that inventory.
Hansen said he will continue his established track record of advocating for community projects, such as traffic-calming devices and design to slow speeding cars, connecting sidewalks, building bike lanes and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
We also believe Hansen will be a better partner with Valley Regional Transit. He recognizes that they may be separate agencies, but the two must work closely together to come up with alternative solutions to our traffic problems as the valley heads to a million-people population.
Hansen also recognizes that much of the conflict between ACHD and the cities in Ada County have to do with laws, rules and policies, not just personalities. He expresses a desire to fix those policies so that there is a more cohesive and less conflict-ridden approach to land use and transportation planning.
We applaud Veit’s recommendation that ACHD form and facilitate a Treasure Valley Mobility Advisory Committee that would be composed of a city leader and planner from each city, COMPASS, Valley Regional Transit and Ada County. She suggests intensive planning workshops, facilitated by an objective third party, for about six months, meeting once a month. We like this idea and think it’s on the right track, but we also recognize that efforts like this have been tried before to no avail. Our current system, while it has many benefits, also suffers from systemic faults that would need more than just sitting down and talking about it.
Veit is a strong challenger with some good ideas, but Hansen deserves and has earned another term to continue pushing his ideas for change and improvement.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
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, assistant editor 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.
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