Statesman endorsement in ACHD race between newcomer and longtime incumbent
One of the knocks against Ada County Highway District commissioner Rebecca Arnold is that she’s confrontational and hard to get along with, which is important in light of complaints that the commission doesn’t get along with city officials when it comes to approving projects or collaborating on planning.
In the editorial board’s joint interview with Arnold and her challenger Alexis Pickering, Arnold did little to convince us that those fears are unfounded.
The Idaho Statesman editorial board endorses Alexis Pickering for the Ada County Highway District Commission in District 2 for a change in vision and a change in how the commission works with other agencies.
Arnold, who has held her seat since 2005 and has worked as a lawyer for a real estate development company, claimed that Pickering is “pretty ill-informed,” “hasn’t done her homework” and is “misinformed,” and attacked Pickering’s age and education as making her unqualified.
Arnold also accused Pickering of not being involved in ACHD’s processes, even though Pickering was on ACHD’s pedestrian advisory group and served as chairperson for two years.
If this is how Arnold communicates with city leaders, we can understand why there’s discord.
As a sign of how Pickering would handle herself differently from Arnold as a commissioner, she continued to answer questions respectfully during our interview and did not engage in personal attacks.
“There aren’t really good relationships with the cities and the county with ACHD currently,” Pickering told the editorial board. “There hasn’t been a lot of coordination and working together and make sure that we have a cohesive plan and how we’re going to prioritize how we grow and make sure that we’re growing sustainably, and protecting all the things that we hold dear about what’s so beautiful about Ada County.”
Pickering, a public health strategist with the Central District Health Department, recognizes that the Treasure Valley has been “car-centric,” which has put Ada County behind in planning for mass transit, bicycles and pedestrians, noting sidewalk gaps throughout Ada County that need to be addressed.
“I think ACHD needs to take a more forceful role,” Pickering said. “And in recognizing and supporting and actually prioritizing all modes of transportation and not just being so car-centric.”
When asked if ACHD should have a stronger voice in land use decisions being made by individual cities, Arnold said ACHD is not a land use planning agency and should not be telling city officials how to run their cities. In contrast, Pickering said ACHD needs to do a better job of coordinating with cities on their decisions and have a stronger voice in those decisions.
Ada County residents would benefit from a change in the commission in strategy, planning for multi-use transportation and in how it interacts with other agencies to work toward better outcomes than what we’ve been getting.
Alexis Pickering would be a welcome and refreshing change in direction for ACHD. We recommend voters in ACHD District 2 elect Pickering.
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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