One to challenge incumbent for Idaho House 28B seat in Republican primary

BANNOCK COUNTY — Incumbent Dan Garner will take on a lone challenger for the Republican nomination to the Idaho House of Representatives District 28B seat.

Garner is running for his second term in the seat and will face Kirk Jackson in the primary election. The winner will take on uncontested Democrat Jayson Meline in November’s general election.

To learn more about the candidate’s platform, EastIdahoNews.com asked the candidates to answer the same eight questions. We did not receive a response from Jackson. Garner’s unedited responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less.

Learn more about Garner by visiting his campaign website — here.

Learn more about Jackson by visiting his campaign website — here.

The primary election is May 21.

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

Garner: I grew up in Clifton Idaho which is a small town in Franklin County Idaho. My family owned and operated a small farm there and it was a great way to grow up. Upon graduating from high school, I went to Brigham Young University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. I then returned to Clifton to purchase and run my own farm and ranch. After college I meet a wonderful women, Sherri-Jo, who I was lucky enough to marry me make my wife We have four great kids one girl and three boys. I have served on my local school board for nine years which was a great leaning experience. I have served on my local Farm Bureau Board for many years and then was honored to serve on the State Farm Bureau Board and Insurance board for 9 years. I had the honor to serve as State Representative for district 28 the last two years.

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

Garner: I am seeking this position because our kids and grand kids deserve a bright future. We as a legislature put in place and funded the launch program. This will give our graduating seniors a chance to go on with higher education and pick up skills that will help them get a good paying job. This will make it so they can stay in Idaho and raise their families here in this great state if they want to. I strongly believe in local governance. The government closest to the people is the best to solve problems and serve the community’s needs. I have argued this point many times on the house floor and will not change my opinion. I believe Idaho needs a strong education system and will continue to fight for one. I also believe in private property rights and see them getting challenged often. Our 2nd amendment rights I also see as sacred and will defend vigorously.

What are the greatest challenges facing people and communities in your district? What is your plan to meet those challenges?

Garner: The rapid growth Idaho is facing is the biggest challenge facing our communities. It places a great burden on all the infrastructure of the state. Our roads, bridges, schools, services and resources such as water are all taking a hit by this rapid growth. The Governor and legislature have recognized this and have allocated more last year for this vital infrastucture. We even have come up with some great ideas to help fund schools and their facilities while lowering property tax and income tax as well. We need to continue to think outside the box to address these problems and new unique solutions. Additionally, we need to look closer at ways that this growth can help pay for itself. I have confidence that we can achieve all of this while keeping Idaho the great state that it is.

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

Garner: I enjoy talking and communicating with my constituents. I find that their views help in coming up with the best solutions. I have tried hard to respond to every email I receive during the session. This is hard when we have such a large number of bills and committee assignments we must keep up on. We looked at way over 700 bills last year and would sometimes receive hundreds of emails a day. When it got to overwhelming, I would have to only respond to the ones in my district, but that was seldom. I encourage my constituents to reach out by phone or email when I am in session. Or the can contact me at my office, which is on the Idaho legislative web site. You do make a difference.

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

Garner: We have made great strides in education funding, but I believe we are not their yet. If we can continue to fund the new buildings it will help the local communities, and our children. Idaho is also experiencing a need for more police officers and emergency responders. I think we can find places to cut in many of our state budgets. I believe that by consolidating a few agencies or their services that we can experience some savings to the taxpayers of Idaho.

Are you currently working on any legislation or have ideas for bills that you feel are vital to the future of Idaho? Please provide details.

Garner: There is an idea floating around to put in place a standard blue print for school buildings that any school district in the state could use. Having a standard school building design would eliminate the need of school districts from having to hire architects and engineers to design their new buildings. This could be a significant cost reduction where engineering, architectural, and other similar fees can cost anywhere from 10%-20%. Additionally, State engineers would still be used to inspect and provide for the safety of these new building.

Blue prints like these would be used for school districts that couldn’t get a bond passed and needed the help from the state to build a new facility. Saving on these costs would allow districts to provide needed opportunities to our students, while lowing your property taxes by lessening the need for schools to pass new bonds and levies.

Have you seen any mistakes made by the Idaho Legislature in recent years? How would you work to correct these errors?

Garner: Yes. Just last session we saw a sale of an ITD building addressed in a budget. The Joint Appropriations Finance Committee is supposed to set budget recommendations not policy. In my opinion addressing a sale of a building is policy, not budgeting. We need to address this and stop it from happening again in the future. We also saw some problems in House bill 521 and another budget. I look forward to getting back and addressing these issues.

What is the most important issue facing Idahoans? What is a legislator’s role in meeting or addressing that issue?

Garner: The rapid growth is the most important issue facing our communities and the State of Idaho. It places a great burden on all the infrastructure of the state. Our roads, bridges, schools, services and resources like water are all taking a hit by this rapid growth. The Governor and legislature have recognized this and have allocated more money for bridges and roads and water projects. We even have come up with some great ideas to help fund schools and their facilities while lowering property tax and income tax. We need to continue to think outside the box to address these problems. We need to also look closer at ways that this growth can help pay for itself. I have confidence that we can achieve all of this while keeping Idaho the great state that it is.