Two new candidates vying for Idaho House Seat 29B

POCATELLO — With current Rep. James Ruchti running for Idaho Senate, two new candidates are vying to replace him in the Idaho House of Representatives.

Democratic candidate and Ruchti-endorsed Nate Roberts is a former workforce development educator at the College of Southern Idaho. Jake Stevens, a Republican candidate, is an Idaho State University alum with experience in IT and cybersecurity.

More information about Roberts can be found on his website — here.

Additional information about Stevens can be found on his website — here.

The 2022 general election will be on Nov. 8.

EastIdahoNews.com sent both candidates the same eight questions. Candidates were required to keep each answer to 250 words or less. Their unedited responses are below.

Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work and any prior experience in public office.

STEVENS: I have been married to my wife Jordan, for just over six years, and we have two sons, ages 5 and 3.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from ISU in 2016. I earned my MBA with an emphasis in Information Technology Management.

I am a Sr. Systems Analyst for a crop science company in southeast Idaho. My job entails designing, building, maintaining, and securing industrial-grade data networks in manufacturing and mining environments.

Although my educational background is in IT and cybersecurity, I am fortunate to spend a lot of time working outdoors on some of my projects.

Additionally, I’ve had the pleasure of serving in the United States Army Reserve for almost six years now. I am a Chief Warrant Officer specializing in tactical network management (255N).

ROBERTS: I have been married to my wife, Kirsten, for 36 years. We have raised two adult sons. I am an electrician and elected union officer.

While working as an electrician, I have worked in seven states and internationally. I have managed jobs and maintenance departments in the 32 years I have been in the trade. I have also been an educator with the Idaho Workforce Development program, teaching apprentice electricians at the College of Southern Idaho.

I have volunteered in Pocatello with the Red Cross and served on the Planning and Zoning commission briefly.

As a union officer, I have represented unions at the Capitol building annually since 2018 and served as a temporary Representative in the 2022 session.

What are your proudest accomplishments in your personal life or career?

STEVENS: I am first and foremost proud of my family and my role as a husband and father. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had to work in a field and for organizations that I enjoy and that have afforded me the ability to provide a living for my family. I am proud to be a member of the United States Army Warrant Officer Cohort.

ROBERTS: Being elected by my brothers and sisters to an officer position at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and elected as President of the Pocatello Central Labor Council. I continue to serve in these positions.

Secondly, by only a small percentage, being sworn in by the Speaker of the Idaho House as a Representative.

Why are you a member of the Republican / Democrat / Independent / Other party? Briefly explain your political platform.

STEVENS: I am running as a Republican. The Republican party stands for limited government, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty. Many Republicans do not govern according to these principles, unfortunately, but I believe strongly in sticking to these ideals as outlined in the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Idaho.

ROBERTS: I joined the Democratic Party in Bannock County to participate in protecting the rights of working Idahoans. I feel that the Democratic Platform represents the needs of working families in Idaho best. Making sure that families have access to affordable housing, the right to personal control of healthcare, that workers receive a wage that supports their families, a fully funded public education system that provides a path to a successful future, and access to public lands to share the beauty of Idaho for the generations to come.

What are the greatest challenges facing Idahoans?

STEVENS: Outrageous taxation (property tax, income tax, grocery tax) and unnecessary/excessive government spending. Federal overreach. Consistent growth of the size and scope of government. Radical indoctrination in schools to include radical gender theory, divisive rhetoric with regard to race, and inappropriate sexual content.

ROBERTS: Affordable housing — the high growth rate of our state has made it very difficult for working families to access housing.

Legislative overreach — the Idaho Legislature, pushed by far-right ideologies and influencers, has made life much more difficult in Idaho than should have been.

Removing bodily autonomy, threatening educators and librarians over non-existent issues. Not properly addressing issues like property taxes, year after year. Ignoring constitutional duties of fully funding public education. Along with not adequately dealing with growth in our state.

How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views?

STEVENS: Taxes are too high for everyone, regardless of political views. The state of Idaho, as well as many counties and municipalities, could operate and perform the legitimate functions of government with a fraction of the revenue they are currently taking from hard-working taxpayers.

I will advocate for dramatic reduction in taxes and elimination of the grocery tax and property taxes. I will fight to protect the rights of everyone to operate their businesses and hold jobs without the fear of forced shutdowns or mandates. I will work to protect the rights of parents to be involved in their children’s education decisions.

ROBERTS: I will hold community meetings regularly to listen to their concerns and reach out to community leaders to discuss subjects that may affect Pocatello directly. Input from all sides of an issue will provide the needed information to vote on bills on the floor.

What role do lobbying entities play in the decision-making of Idaho legislators?

STEVENS: The majority of lobbyist entities represent the interests of large corporations, not the people of Idaho. There are some that deserve to be consulted regarding bills that fall into their area of expertise. For example, bills that have to do with water rights and farming may justify input from organizations who represent the farmers. However, when consulting with any lobbyist it is important to keep in mind that the purpose in doing so is to understand the implications of legislation on the people of Idaho, not that of special interests. I will never be beholden to any lobbyist entity.

ROBERTS: They hold specific knowledge on subjects that come before the legislature. To make an informed vote on bills, a legislator should try to understand the topic as well as one can. Lobbyists can help provide information on both sides of a topic.

How can you encourage compromise, debate and a bipartisan approach to introducing new legislation in Idaho?

STEVENS: Many Democrats in Idaho claim to support property tax reform. I am personally of the opinion that property taxes should be eliminated entirely in the State of Idaho and that the necessary, legitimate expenditures they currently pay for should be replaced with existing sales tax that would be made available by eliminating spending in other areas, such as socializing broadband expansion. I am open to hearing other bipartisan ideas for dramatic reform or elimination of property taxes regardless of what side of the aisle they come from.

ROBERTS: Having worked within the Capitol building over the last few sessions, I have begun building relationships with the people that work in our government. I will continue to build these relationships to the best of my ability.

This is how government works best — working together.

What parts of Idaho government could benefit from additional state funding? What part of Idaho government could be improved with financial cutbacks?

STEVENS: Law enforcement and mental health resources are some of my greatest concerns for our community. I am not sure that additional state funding is necessarily the answer but I do think the state should start by ending the practice of creating “unfunded mandates” for counties and evaluating what might be done for the mental health crisis.

Some will argue that education isn’t “properly funded.” Idaho spends around $8,000 per kid per year for public school. I send my kids to private school that includes before and after school childcare plus it’s all year round, smaller class sizes, and has far better performance than government schools. I pay less than $6,000 per year per kid. The problem isn’t funding, it is fiscal irresponsibility.

Nearly every government entity could be improved with financial cutbacks. Idaho ranks in the top five in the United States for education spending as a proportion of state budget.

ROBERTS: Education is top of mind. While we have increased funding for public education, there is still much to be done. The Office of Performance Evaluation released a study at the beginning of 2022 indicating that our schools need $847,000,000 of maintenance and upgrades to bring them up to “good.” This affects mostly our rural schools without a large tax base to be able to provide local funding for school repairs. It also affects areas where the state has seen tremendous growth where more schools may be needed.

Infrastructure is another area where Idaho needs more funding attention. Broadband and energy infrastructure investments will be needed to continue to build businesses in Idaho.

At this time, much of this can be handled without increasing taxation. The budget surpluses we have seen recently come from growth, but we have not been using these funds to fully address what will be needed for Idaho’s future.