Statesman endorsement: Two highly qualified candidates for this ACHD Commission seat
The race between Emilie Jackson-Edney and Dave McKinney for Ada County Highway District Commission District 5 was a difficult one to decide.
Both candidates, running for an open seat to replace outgoing commissioner Sara Baker, are highly qualified.
Jackson-Edney worked for 37 years as an engineer with ACHD, so she has the technical expertise. As does McKinney, who is a lawyer and civil engineer who serves on Meridian’s Transportation Commission.
In a joint interview with the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board, both spoke knowledgeably and in detail about the issues facing Ada County and transportation planning. Either candidate would be an excellent addition to the commission in this district, which includes west-central Ada County.
Jackson-Edney has the edge in this race for recognizing that ACHD can and should be more than just a “road agency.”
McKinney first and foremost advocates for “building out Ada County’s highway network,” and expanding two-lane farm-country roads is his top priority.
While we recognize some roads do not meet acceptable levels of service, we believe Jackson-Edney will prioritize a more sustainable future model of multimodal transportation, and promote and encourage other ways to get around.
We were troubled by McKinney’s response to questions about mass transit. McKinney rightly pointed out that Valley Regional Transit is in charge of mass transit, not ACHD. But the attitude of “this is someone else’s department” doesn’t help plan for the future. We’d prefer to see a commissioner seek to work collaboratively and actively with Valley Regional Transit for solutions. We believe Jackson-Edney will be that commissioner.
Further, McKinney said “the reality is, and ACHD has to live in the real world, the reality is most of Ada County is very spread-out developments and spread-out destinations.”
This is a kind of a chicken-or-egg question, with McKinney arguing that most people drive their cars everywhere, therefore we should accommodate more cars.
We would rather see a more forward-thinking approach of making it easier and more convenient to take mass transit so that people would be more compelled to get out of their car or use park-and-ride lots, an idea which McKinney addresses dismissively.
“Proponents of transit sometimes fall into the trap of imagining that we can create the world that they want to see, for example, a world where most people use transit or, you know, very few people use their personal automobiles, they’d like to see that,” he told the editorial board. “But the reality is, we can’t get to that imaginary world by ignoring the real world that we live in. And the real world is that most people rely on their automobile for most of their trips.”
Jackson-Edney appears to have a more nuanced understanding of the issue that’s not so black-and-white and doesn’t misconstrue the goals of increased public transportation.
“We could certainly do work on infrastructure for mass transit,” Jackson-Edney told the editorial board. “If we can provide those facilities and good connectivity, then that would encourage people possibly to get out of their cars and use those to maybe get to mass transit facilities. … Absolutely, I think we have to consider multimodal, and it’s not always just about building extra lanes.”
While both candidates are highly qualified for the job, Jackson-Edney represents a more progressive approach to transportation planning and offers the better chance of changing the way we’ve always done things in Ada County.
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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