Republican Brad Wolfe challenging incumbent Democrat Cindy Riegel for Teton County Commissioner District 1

VICTOR — The incumbent Democratic Teton County Commissioner for District 1 is running against a Republican challenger.

The Teton County Commissioner District 1 seat is a four-year term. Republican Brad Wolfe is running against Cindy Riegel, who currently serves as Chair of the Board of County Commissioners.

To learn more about Riegel, visit her website here.

To learn more about Wolfe, visit his website here. Wolfe did not provide responses to EastIdahoNews.com.

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, without any grammatical or style editing.

The general election is Nov. 5.

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

Riegel: I have been serving as a Teton County Commissioner for ten years and am running for reelection. I have been the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) for six years. I still love my job and learn something new every day. My experience is extensive due to my time in office and has involved just about every aspect of county government including budgeting, running public meetings and hearings, managing county employees, setting strategic priorities, passing county policies and ordinances, collaborating on community projects, writing letters of support and press releases, upgrading county equipment and facilities, and declaring and managing emergencies like the Tie Fire, global pandemic, and Teton Pass collapse. I have been diligent in implementing Teton County’s Comprehensive Plan, Recreation and Public Access Master Plan, Economic Development Plan, Capital Improvement Plan, and Transportation Plan. I have worked across political, geographic, and intergovernmental divides to create a Housing Authority, establish new public parks and pathways, and reduce the risk of wildfire and flooding in our community. I serve on the 7th Judicial District Magistrate Commission, the Board of Directors for High Country Resource Conservation and Development, and the Public Lands Steering Committees for Idaho Association of Counties and National Association of Counties. I have lived in Teton County for 30 years and have three children who were born and raised here. I enjoy hiking, biking, and skiing in the mountains surrounding Teton Valley with my family, friends, and two black labs.

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

Riegel: I am seeking a fourth term because I have more work to do on behalf of my community. This is a crucial moment in the history of Teton Valley. We are feeling the effects of the rampant growth that has occurred over the past several years, including traffic, noise, light pollution, cost of housing, loss of farmland, and crowded trailheads. I have consistently used the 2012-2030 Teton County Comprehensive Plan as my guide for setting priorities and am proud to say most of the key action steps from that plan have been accomplished. Next term, I plan to focus on transportation planning, agricultural land protection, and climate action. I will also continue to prioritize new and creative revenue sources for Teton County because our budget can not keep up with the growth we are experiencing. I am currently working on legislation that will allow counties to collect a two percent lodging tax with the help of the Idaho Association of Counties. This tourist tax could provide an additional $700,000 annually to Teton County. Economic development that benefits locals and small businesses is also a priority for me. Good, family wage, year round jobs in Teton Valley are hard to come by. Many of our residents continue to commute over Teton Pass to work but would love a job closer to home. We need to shift our focus and actions away from a tourist and real estate based economy towards a more sustainable economic future for everyone in our community.

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

Riegel: The lack of proactive planning 30 years ago has led to sprawl in the rural parts of Teton County. This is the primary reason our roads are in rough shape. They are old farm and ranch roads that were not built to withstand the traffic volumes and vehicle weights that we have today. We can not simply fix these roads with the wave of a magic wand. We have to rebuild them from the ground up, which can cost up to a million dollars a mile. Teton County has an excellent Transportation Plan that was updated in 2020. Based on recommendations from that plan, the BoCC increased development impact fees to enhance funding for road projects. The plan also details roads that are scheduled for repairs and rebuilds. In order to accomplish all the projects on that multi-year list, the County has started contracting out more of the work, including gravel crushing, flagging, and chip sealing. We have received state and federal grants for larger road projects like Cedron, 500 West, and Packsaddle. I am most excited about our Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant from USDOT. The money will be used to hire a transportation consultant to bring local jurisdictions, Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), Teton Valley Trails and Pathways (TVTAP), Teton County Fire, and community members to the table to work on creative solutions to address traffic and safety issues on our roads and highways. Once the Safety Action Plan is complete, we will be eligible for implementation grants from USDOT.

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

Riegel: Housing and Transportation. Solving these issues takes experienced leadership, creative funding, persistence, and partnerships. Improving housing availability and affordability is something I have been working on for a long time. I established and secured private funding for the Teton County Joint Housing Authority (TCJHA) and approved the county’s Affordable Housing Strategic Plan. The TCJHA has successfully secured grants and partnered with developers to complete housing projects for low to middle income individuals and families in our community. The first project was Depot Square in Driggs (completed in 2023) which has 30 rent-restricted units. Teton County donated land for a similar project that will also include three apartments for Teton County employee housing. The notion that the “free market” will solve our housing crisis is a joke. If we sit back and do nothing, as my opponent has suggested, we will not be able to fill essential positions needed to run the community (health care, teachers, emergency services, snowplowing, law enforcement, shops and restaurants, etc.). Short-term rentals also have an impact on our housing availability, and the county and cities need to explore viable policies to encourage more long term rentals. I discussed transportation in the previous section, but my overall goal is not to just “fix the roads” but to approach our transportation issues holistically and in collaboration with local and regional partners.

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

Riegel: I am everybody’s County Commissioner. I have many independent and Republican supporters who know that I do not care about political affiliation and am willing to work with anyone to solve problems and contribute to the betterment of my community. I have also earned the respect of Republican elected officials from across the state through my service on boards and committees with them. One concern I have is that our Hispanic population is very underrepresented in local government. Appointing Latina and Latino members of our community to advisory boards like the Joint Housing Authority is a start, but we need to do more to amplify the voice of our minority populations and ensure their needs are being met and their solutions are being implemented. It is so important that everyone knows they can express their concerns to local elected leaders both during public meetings and outside of public meetings. People who call or email me directly know that I respond and always try to help when I can, even if it is not a part of my official job as a County Commissioner. All of our BoCC meetings are broadcast live. In addition, anyone can participate remotely via Zoom. The County website was recently updated and now general information, plans, and policies are more readily available to the public. We also post news and events on social media. There is certainly room for more community engagement and education, and I am open to hearing your ideas for how we can improve.

What parts of the county budget could use more funding? Are there places in the budget where cuts could be made?

Riegel: The County budget is very tight. Most of the money goes to pay our amazing county employees. The 110 employees are hard working community members who provide snow plowing, solid waste management, building inspections, marriage licenses, weed control, car registrations and much more. I would not cut a single employee or job that we have right now. We have 14 sworn law enforcement officer positions plus the elected Sheriff. These positions range in salary from $61,000 for an entry level patrol deputy to $105,00o for the Chief Deputy. The Sheriff’s Office budget has increased an average of six percent annually over the past 10 years. The cities of Victor and Driggs do not have their own police departments despite tremendous growth. Property taxes from Driggs residents cover 15 percent of the Sheriff’s budget, but they receive 30 percent of the service. Property taxes from Victor residents cover 10 percent of the Sheriff’s budget, but they receive 20 percent of the service. Teton County (including Tetonia) residents pay 75 percent of the Sheriff’s budget but only receive 50 percent of the service. My proposal for paying the added cost of more patrol deputies, which has the support of the Sheriff and County Clerk, is for Driggs and Victor to pay their fair share. This means Driggs would supplement 15 percent more of the overall budget and Victor would supplement 10 percent more. This will take time to implement, but it is a much cheaper proposition than starting police departments.

What is your position on Idaho’s Proposition 1 ballot initiative that would end closed-party primary elections and create ranked-choice voting?

Riegel: I wholeheartedly support it. It will restore power to the people of Idaho while dissipating the power of the extreme right faction of the Republican Party in our state.

As your county increases in population, what immediate and long-term issues need to be tackled to better accommodate growth and expansion?

Riegel: Do we really want to kiss the quiet side of the Tetons goodbye or can we step out of our comfort zone and work together to ensure we do not lose the soul of our community? The first step is to admit that the free market is not going to solve our housing crisis. It never has in desirable mountain towns, and we must continue to support the work that the TCJHA is doing. We also have to look carefully at our limited water supply. The community depends on it for drinking water, irrigation, and fish and wildlife habitat. The Teton Basin Water Users Association was formed to improve collaborative management of this shared natural resource and plan for our future water needs. Wastewater treatment is also a big issue. Currently, the treatment plant that serves Victor and Driggs is out of compliance and needs a major upgrade. Government infrastructure and services are unable to keep up with the growth we are facing and neither can our budgets. We need experienced leaders willing to set limits and ensure we grow in a sustainable way that benefits locals rather than outside real estate investment interests. The work I have been doing reflects the vision and action steps from the 2012-2030 Comprehensive Plan. I am proud of these accomplishments, but much has changed since that plan was adopted. It is time to regroup, reassess, and establish our community priorities, strategies, and action steps for the next 30 years. I would be honored to continue this work as your dedicated County Commissioner.