These county commissioners in Idaho show egregious failure of COVID-19 leadership
By Scott McIntosh, Opinion editor
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Idaho is experiencing a tremendous failure of leadership that threatens to worsen the impact of coronavirus on our public health and our economy.
The latest example comes from Adams County, where commissioners issued a resolution on Oct. 19, making clear that they’re not worried about COVID-19.
“Whereas, Adams county citizens are more than capable of self-government and controlling their lives, businesses, and decisions regarding their own health care without interference from any government agency or bureaucrat,” the resolution reads. “Whereas, We are the least regulated county in the state and have the least cases with zero death solely caused by Covid-19.”
Put this in the category of “this isn’t going to age well.”
“Whereas, Adams County rescinds all orders, recommendations, and restrictions put in place by policies relating to covid-19,” the resolution continues. “And we resolve that Adams County is open for business and back to normal.”
The resolution is signed by commissioners Joe Iveson, Mike Paradis and Viki Purdy. Purdy also is a Southwest District Health board member who posted on social media conspiracy theories and false information about the coronavirus.
Granted, Adams County has been fortunate to have avoided any sort of outbreak of coronavirus, with just 32 cases so far, the lowest cumulative incidence rate in the state, and two deaths.
Adams County, home to Council and New Meadows, is one of the least populated counties in Idaho, with around 4,300 people over a wide geographic area, which probably helps explain its low case numbers.
Still, it’s irresponsible to declare your county “back to normal” while there’s still a global pandemic going on and the potential for spread remains high.
What a contrast from a video shared Thursday morning on Twitter by Idaho Rep. Laurie Lickley, R-Jerome, who is heeding the call to take COVID-19 seriously.
You can read my full column on the issue here.
Endorsements update: Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District
In the race for the 2nd Congressional District between longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Simpson and Democratic challenger Aaron Swisher, our endorsement is now posted online. You can read our full endorsement and reasons for the endorsement by clicking here.
ICYMI: That constitutional amendment on your ballot
Perhaps you’ve received your absentee ballot and were surprised to see a question of a constitutional amendment, HJR4. Perhaps you’ve been hearing whispers about it but don’t know much about it.
We dug into it and got the details, and our editorial board weighed in on whether you should vote “yes” or “no” on this somewhat important measure. Please read our full editorial here.
Ada County Commission races
Two of the races we’ve been following closely are the two seats up for election on the Ada County Commission. In District 1, Democratic incumbent Diana Lachiondo is facing a challenge from Republican Ryan Davidson. In District 2, in an open seat to replace Rick Visser, Democrat Bill Rutherford is facing off against Republican Rod Beck.
The editorial board has weighed in on both of these races and made recommendations in both. Find the full endorsement in the Diana Lachiondo-Ryan Davidson race here. You can read the full endorsement in the Bill Rutherford-Rod Beck race here. You can also watch our full interviews with all four candidates by clicking on the links.
State legislative races so far
We’re in the home stretch now. We’ve interviewed candidates in state legislative districts 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 22. Here’s a breakdown of where we are so far:
- In Caldwell’s District 10, incumbent Republican Rep. Greg Chaney faces a very strong challenge from Democrat Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In Nampa’s District 13, incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Agenbroad faces a challenge from Democrat Melissa Sue Robinson. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In western Ada County’s District 14, longtime incumbent Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, is facing a challenge from independent candidate Cindy Currie in a race that features a competition between more tax cuts and more funding for education. Read our full endorsement by clicking here.
- In Boise’s District 15, incumbent Republican Sen. Fred Martin faces a very strong challenge from Democrat Rick Just. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In Boise’s District 16, an open seat for state representative, Democrat Colin Nash faces off against Jackie Davidson, a Republican candidate who has posted on social media about QAnon and conspiracy theories. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In Boise’s District 17, another open seat, this one for the Senate, Democrat Ali Rabe and Republican Gary Smith share a lot of similar views, but one key difference on public education funding separates the two. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In Boise’s District 19, in a race to replace outgoing Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, current state Rep. Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat, seeks to move to the Senate chambers in this race against Republican Aaron Tribble. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In District 22, which includes parts of Meridian and Kuna, five-term incumbent Republican Rep. John Vander Woude faces a challenge from Democrat Diane Jensen. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- Also in District 22, in the race between incumbent Rep. Jason Monks, R-Nampa, and Democratic challenger Nina Turner, the editorial board did not find a good choice. Read our endorsement and watch video of our full interviews here.
- In the District 22 Senate race, incumbent Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, faces a strong challenge from Democrat Mik Losé. Read our full endorsement and watch video of our full interview with the candidates here.
Still to come: endorsements in two more District 14 races.
U.S. Senate endorsement
In the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Risch and Democratic challenger Paulette Jordan, the Idaho Statesman editorial board recommends that voters retire Risch and send Jordan to the Senate. Read our endorsement and watch our full interview with Jordan and Constitution Party candidate Ray Writz here.
Ada County Highway District
We have finished our final interviews with all of the Ada County Highway District candidates, so we’ll be rolling out those endorsements soon.
U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District
In the race for the 1st Congressional District between incumbent Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher and Democrat Rudy Soto, that endorsement is scheduled to come out sometime next week, as well. Keep an eye on our editorials homepage for that endorsement and videos of our interviews here.
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