Incumbent Bear Lake commissioner faces two challengers

PARIS, Idaho — A Bear Lake County commissioner looking to be re-elected is facing two challengers.

Commissioner Brad Jensen of District 3 is running to maintain his seat against Alan Eborn and Kathy Hemmert.

EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each county candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less. EastIdahoNews.com is publishing the answers in their entirety and without any grammatical or style editing.

The primary election is May 21. Because all of the candidates are Republicans, the race will be decided by the primary vote.

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

Jensen: Being born and raised in Bear Lake County and the third child of six siblings our family was raised with strong family, religious and conservative work values that have become the foundation for which have become the backbone of my community and global values. I believe it’s important to lead by example and live out your values through your own actions and behaviors. At the age of 13 I started working for the family business in the logging and lumber manufacturing industry and have continued with that for 54 years and continue to work in that industry. I have been serving Bear Lake County as Commissioner for the past 11 years and have thoroughly enjoyed working with the people in our community.

Eborn: I have been asked to introduce myself.

I am a life long resident of Bear Lake Valley living in Paris. My wife and I are just a few months away from being married for fifty years and we have two grown children. We both are retired from our previous careers. I retired after 30 years as a ranger for Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation, working at both City of Rocks N.R. and Bear Lake State Park. In addition to my normal ranger duties, I was deputized as marine deputy by the then current sheriff and I also administered the snowmobile program for Bear Lake, Caribou, and Franklin Counties for 28 of those 30 years. I just retired as the Emergency Services Coordinator after 17 years. If you do the math, you realize that I have worked two jobs at once. Years ago, I served as board member for the BL School District and as the Captain of the Paris – Bloomington fire dept. and was part of the fire board’s decision to form a separate taxing district and I am active in my church. My wife and I also run a small farm, where we raise hay.

Hemmert: I was born in Idaho Falls, ID and raised in Shelley, ID. I graduated from Shelley High School as well as Business College in Boise, ID. I worked at The Post Register Circulation dept, got married to David Pack from Idaho Falls, and worked at First Interstate Bank in Idaho Falls, covering roughly 15 years.

We moved our family to St. Charles, ID 30 years ago, to purchase, open, and run Minnetonka Market and Cafe in St. Charles. I have seven children who have grown up, went to school and graduated from Bear Lake High School.

David passed away 15 years after moving to St. Charles. I thought now what do I do with my life, with two children in Middle School, having a business to run, and loving this area we stayed continuing to run the store as we always had. Many thought I couldn’t do it, it would be too much work, now 15 more years have passed with the store and cafe still open.

Eventually I remarried a born and bred Bear Laker, Malone Hemmert, he is a 4-generation rancher.

While living in Firth I was a Girl Scout leader, also spent a year or so as a District Leader over all leaders in the Shelley- Firth area.

David and I belonged to the Intermountain Appaloosa horse club holding positions on the board.

A few years after moving to St. Charles I was asked to sit on the St. Charles Planning and Zoning board, I was involved with Planning and Zoning for 6 years. I was also elected on the St. Charles City Counsel and held that position for 8 years.

Why are you seeking political office? Briefly explain your political platform.

Eborn: I have been asked why I am seeking political office, and I’m not sure I know the answer myself. I am not a “career” politician and never hope to be. Government is like a big ship and you cannot change course very rapidly. I see our current course to be slowly headed in the wrong direction to the point that it is negatively hurting peoples lives. Government has no money except for what it takes out of the people’s pockets and I see the current state budget surplus and the local spending of Bear Lake County as anexample. The average citizen’s budget has been affected to the point that it is hurting those who can least afford it. I suppose that I can honestly say, that I hope to bring a different perspective to the direction we
are currently going.

Hemmert: Running my business for 30 years allowed me to listen and visit with many community members across the valley. As I listened to their concerns, the time seemed right to jump in and help to do what needs done. I will do my best to keep our county running smoothly.

The past few years we have had very rapid growth in the south end of our county. It is putting stress on infrastructures throughout our area. I would like to work with the County Commissioners to maintain a peaceful place where our residents do not feel “pushed out” by tourists and short-term residents. Keeping in mind the value tourists and Short term residents are to our county, also keeping our history and heritage we have here alive.

Many of our residents are concerned that their children cannot return home to their roots and be able to raise their families here or buy a home here in our valley. I would like to be a part of the committee that changes that perspective. I believe that our young people are needed here to become involved in city and county government. We need them and their talents, and interest to grow and serve in our communities.

Jensen: My roots run deep for Bear Lake County and I hope to continue serving as I have a few more things I would like to accomplish that would greatly benefit our community.

What areas in your county need immediate improvement? What actions will you take to address those needs?

Hemmert: There is always room for improvement no matter where you go. Roads in some areas need to be improved, hopefully we can work on ways to get critical areas taken care of.

Jensen: With the increased values of property in Bear Lake County it has become a challenge for many to purchase property and buy homes as young/first time home buyers. A possible solution could be sought by obtaining grants to assist qualifying home buyers to be able to purchase a home while retaining value on property during a high inflation market.

There are several fast growing areas within the county that are needing improvements with the roads and I am currently involved with engineering, design and construction to make these improvements by seeking available funding through state and federal grants.

With an increasing demand for short term rentals and commercial air bnb’s in Bear Lake we could benefit from establishing some guidelines through state legislature to determine commercial and residential classification for short term rental properties.

Eborn: In Bear Lake County I see that seemingly small decisions can have a great impact upon the average citizen. Government could be and should be the means to help the citizens. Too many times I have seen residents shake their heads in disgust as they are either treated with apathy and/or by bureaucracy when dealing with government and this is happening not only on a local level but on the state and national level as well. I see the demand for a piece of recreational property raise to unbelievable prices for land and homes and this is not unusual throughout the state. This demand has eliminated the ability of our young married people to purchase a home and provide for their family at the same time. The problem of fair market value is more than a transaction between a willing buyer and seller, it affects the neighbor next door, who has not and perhaps will not sell their property. In essence they are being taxed not on what is, but what could be. Personally, I have seen my own property taxes raise nearly 50% in 4 years. Other expenses have risen dramatically as well. Irrigation water for my farm has risen from $300.00 to $1,700.00. When added to the cost of a vehicle, fuel, groceries, etc. the current cost of living is unsustainable.

While government cannot fix all our issues, they can do more than they currently are. Government cannot be blamed for all our issues.

What are the greatest long term challenges facing people in your county? What is your plan to meet those challenges?

Eborn: As related in my previous thoughts, some of the challenges have to come from elected officials who enact laws on the state level, but the pressure to do so starts locally. Being more fiscally responsible and spending money wisely will put money back into the pockets of the citizens where it was originally taken from. Taxing what could be and not what is has to be reevaluated and a better solution found. A solution which does not hinder a farmer’s ability to make a living, and then hoping to pass his/her home and land to their children, again a better soulition must be found. These are just two examples of the ship veering off course.

Jensen: Currently, the housing market has affected home buyers within Bear Lake County. There is limited housing available and the extreme cost of purchasing a home creates a hardship for many young first time buyers. I believe it is possible to establish a home buyer program to offer assistance to families and individuals who would qualify to buy or build in our rural area.

Hemmert: I think the rapid growth we are experiencing in our County is an ongoing challenge. Keeping up on law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire safety, road maintenance, garbage, are a concern to Bear Lake County. We are having a lot of Short-Term Rentals pop up all over the County which increases the burden on our county infrastructure. Rising home and land prices concerns me because we do not have enough long-term rentals or affordable housing for our residents who want to live and work here.

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

Jensen: As an elected official it’s important that you make decisions based on what is right and will have the most positive affect to those you serve even if it’s something you might not agree with. You represent all the people of the valley and you have to represent them equally. I want constituents to feel they can communicate easily and openly with me. I try to listen respectfully to everyone with their ideas and thoughts.

Hemmert: I think we need to go back to the basics.

• 1- Have a direct conversation with the constituents to find out what their concerns are, discuss
  their thoughts with them. One way is not always the right way.
• 2- Be a good listener, listen to what they have to say so they can make their voice heard.
• 3- Do some research about their concerns to find out more about the issue. Bring it back to the
  commissioners to see what changes need to be made.
• 4- Have another discussion with the constituents to state what you have found out. So, in the
  end, both sides can compromise and meet somewhere in the middle to solve the issue. So, we
  all can remain friends.

Eborn: I believe that it is a God given right to choose for yourself and not have someone else tell you what is right or wrong. I believe all political parties have men and women who have good ideas and solutions. We all have a different perspective of the same apple, and that does not mean my perspective is right while yours is wrong because of party affiliation.

While being fiscally conservative, we have a duty to protect the elderly and struggling families, and not toss them by the wayside. There is a difference between needs and wants. My parents grew up during the depression and they learned to do without if they couldn’t afford it. I have been taught the same values. They did believe as I do that we have an obligation to help those less fortunate.

What parts of the county budget could use more funding? Where are places in the budget that cuts could be made?

Hemmert: There are always places within a budget that need more funding. You can also find places that don’t need as much, this will vary from year to year.

Eborn: Statistically speaking Bear Lake County has a depressed economy. It is the citizens who need more funding and from a government perspective I believe the focus should be on them, not on which part of the county’s budget needs more funding. The second solution to the question of which areas to enhance funding or to be reduced can only be determined by listening to the department heads and separating needs and wants.

Jensen: Budgets can be minimally cut without affecting required services but more importantly you need to find ways to grow your budget to keep up with continual changes and growth. It’s important to be able to provide services that our community will benefit from. The sheriff’s department and road and bridge are continually growing and improving. These departments require more funding to keep up with demand and growth within the county and their needs are always changing while many of the other departments have a fixed budget.

What is the role of local media in your community? How can county officials work to have a better relationship with the media?

Jensen: Our local media is the communication hub for the community. It is the best and quickest way to keep our community informed of important issues, public safety and can help to keep citizens engaged and involved. We do have a good working relationship with our media on a local level. It’s important to keep an open line of communication to achieve timely, accurate and transparent communication.

Eborn: Most residents in Bear Lake County receive information from businesses not locally owned. It is common in today’s society to learn what is happening via the internet. One area that concerns me is using online media (Facebook) to learn of situations which are centered around the citizens safety. There is a better way of learning about a road closure or current road conditions than from Facebook.

Hemmert: Local media in our area consists of Face book, Instagram, twitter, and Tic Toc for many people. We have one local radio station in our area, KVSI, which does a great job getting information out to the public. TV Stations are two hours away so nothing local to work with. Half of our county receives Idaho Channels, and the other half receives Utah Channels depending on where you live within the county. Very few residents can get both Idaho and Utah channels. We had our local News Examiner, which was the only paper that cared about Bear Lake. That recently sold and now includes Soda Springs and Grace information so it’s no longer our own. We do not have a larger newspaper in most areas of our county that comes daily.

Voter turnout and participation continues to be low in Idaho. What efforts can be made to stimulate greater voter involvement in elections and government?

Eborn: Voter turnout is low and continues to be low in Idaho because of the lack of choices. The same candidates for office, the same way of doing things, etc. If residents felt like they had a choice and could make a difference between the same old, and the same way, it would encourage them once again to be actively engaged.

Hemmert:

• 1- Banners across major streets stating the voting date to remind everyone.
• 2- Have a booth set up at the high schools to register high school students who are just
  turning 18 and have never voted.
• 3- Educate voters on absentee voting

It is each of our responsibilities to take part and vote.

Food for thought: If you don’t vote or get involved, you have no room to complain about who is
in office or what they are or are not doing.

Jensen: Good communication on the importance of voting and involvement of citizens in government activities. Technology is constantly changing and more options to vote are continuously being offered to make it easier for those to cast their vote.