Two candidates are running for council seat No. 3 in Idaho Falls

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the first of two stories on candidates running for Idaho Falls City Council in November 2023. Read the second story on Seat No. 5 here.

IDAHO FALLS — Two candidates are looking to become part of the city council in Idaho Falls.

Kirk Larsen and Barbara Miller are running against each other for council seat number three. Councilman Thomas Hally, who currently holds the position, is retiring and is not seeking re-election.

RELATED | Idaho Falls city councilman retiring after 20 years in office

EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each 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 general election is on Nov. 7.

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

Larsen: I am a lifelong Idahoan who is married to the lovely and talented Jeannine. We have four married children (that brings us to eight great kids) and 16 grandchildren. Being a husband, father, and grandfather is the most meaningful part of my life. I’m grateful that our son Dr. Matt Larsen is my campaign Treasurer and that I have the endless support of my family.

I grew up interested in exploring how to make money work to meet one’s goals and decided to go into banking. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Brigham Young University, I became a banker focusing on business loans. Ten years later, I took night classes at University Place to earn an MBA from Idaho State University.

I currently serve as a board member of the Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency and as the Treasurer for the East Idaho Falls Fly Tying Expo.

In the past I have served as President and board member of the Idaho Falls Business Assistance Corp., Board Member of the East Central Idaho Planning and Development Agency/The Development Company, President of the East Idaho Falls Rotary Club and Soda Springs Rotary Club and as a member of the Idaho Falls Rotary Club.

This is my first effort to serve in elected public office.

Miller: My family immigrated to America when I was 3. English was not my first language. My parents came to America with $200 in their pocket and 2 children and only my father spoke English (somewhat). I grew up in Santa Monica, CA. I am married with 6 children and 1 grandchild and 1 deceased.

I am an attorney, licensed to practice law in California. I graduated cum laude from law school. I practiced for over 5 years in California, and have been admitted before the Supreme Court of the State of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the US District Court for the Central District of California; prior to that I was an escrow officer in California for 8 years.

I was a Labor Relations Officer with the Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, Nebraska. Together with my husband, we owned and operated a multi-million dollar Harley-Davidson dealership in Oregon. I am currently a self-employed business owner in Idaho and have been since 2007 when we moved to Idaho Falls.

I was an adjunct professor at University of West Los Angeles School of Law and at BYU Idaho.

I have been a Relief Society President, a Young Women’s President and in the Primary Presidency with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was the Student Body Association President at the UWLA School of Law. I am currently the Treasurer for the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee (BCRCC). BCRCC outstanding officer of the year 2022.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

Miller: Graduating law school cum laude (since English wasn’t my first language) and tutoring others and helping them along the way to graduation. My absolute favorite thing to do is to share with others, whether it be knowledge, information, new foods, experiences, etc. As Frederick Douglas said “an educated man makes a poor slave” or “knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave”. I firmly believe that more information is always better and is necessary for a choice to be made.

Larsen: To be the accomplishment of which I am most proud, I must select the most important element of my life. Marrying Jeannine is the thing I have done that has been of the most value, not just because she is an incredible person, but because of the many ways she has helped me. She is the center of my growth and has always been a transformational presence in my life. I owe her so much. Together, we raised four children who are married to marvelous spouses and have gone on to be productive citizens with their own families and who have brought us both immeasurable joy. Nothing is more important to me than my family.

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

Larsen: Idaho Falls is growing, and I can use my collaboration skills and financial acumen to navigate through the challenges of development while staying centered on the heart of our community: benevolent residents, innovative businesses, and our shared values of safety and prosperity.

• To secure a strong financial future for our City, we must evaluate opportunities for savings and investments that go beyond the annual budget. Just like a business, the City develops projects such as fire stations and parks, provides employment opportunities, and executes policies for investments and dividends. My background in banking will be invaluable in protecting taxpayer dollars in these decisions.
• Collaborating with City staff and fellow City Councilmembers to streamline the process of developing within the city is key to efficiency and strong customer service. Some use the word “growth” to scare, but the reality is that much of our growth is homegrown and we need to make it as simple as possible within our city – whether that’s an extension on your home or a new restaurant.
• Transportation planning must be a key focus for our City in the next four years. It’s a complex process because we must work with Bonneville County, Idaho Transportation Department, railway owners, and other partners to succeed. Our City has made many improvements and we must continue to make more.

Miller: I am seeking political office within our community because our community is growing; and having grown up in a very large city in California I can offer a perspective with regard to what not to do in order to avoid becoming California.

My political platform is the proper role of government. I believe that people can (and should) best manage their own resources. I believe that it is not government’s job to fix people’s problems nor parent them. It is improper and unfruitful for the government to legislate morality, thoughts or ideas. It is the government’s job to protect people’s rights from the unlawful usurpation by others and to create the conditions wherein people are free to exercise self-governance and the law of agency. Stop the public private partnerships that crush innovation and foster collectivism, conformity and mediocrity.

What are the greatest challenges facing people in your community? What is your plan to meet those challenges?

Miller: Our greatest challenge is growth and how to properly manage that growth. The challenge of integrating new migrants from other states and/or countries and doing so within a sustainable budget/model, in an inflationary economy which is financially impacting every citizen of our country.

Keep the City running with the necessary services (maintenance of City streets, buildings, properties, police, fire, utilities, airport, sanitation), then get out of the way of the private sector. Better services and products can only be provided and discovered in a true free market society. We began the move away from these principles with the first subsidy / bail-out given, creating monopolies that limit choices and do not foster innovation.

There needs to be more focus placed on teaching people how to help themselves and promote independence; instead of teaching them to become dependent upon the government through government “investment” of other people’s money.

Larsen: The simple answer is growth, but growth is complex, and the answers are as well. We need to meet the needs of not only a growing population due to new residents, but of the residents who have been here for decades. Their needs change, too.

Some of the challenges facing city residents are out of the scope of city control such as inflation, healthcare costs, and education. But there are challenges that our City can positively impact including traffic, road development, recreation amenities, economic development, public safety, and controlling electricity costs. I believe that our City is doing an excellent job meeting the vast majority of these challenges but my background sets me apart from my opponent as I’ve spent decades working one-on-one with both businesses and families to make smart financial decisions in order to obtain a particular outcome. I believe that this experience will be valuable in deciding where to invest the City’s time and resources to meet these challenges.

My goal is to consider the changes that each generation wants while not losing the marvelous atmosphere and feel of Idaho Falls. To accomplish this, we need to continue to learn from the past while adapting to the changes that the future always brings.

Those who know me recognize my leadership abilities in working with others for the best outcome. I believe that I will be an asset in forming and contributing to policy that contributes to the type of community we all want to live and work in.

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

Larsen: Our city’s government is, by design, non-partisan. As a City Councilmember, I will represent the residents, ratepayers, and taxpayers within the City of Idaho Falls. My goal is to focus on the needs of these individuals and businesses and do my best to understand them. I think most of these stakeholders want the same thing and the traditional political party narrative isn’t as relevant. I think we can all agree that we want our City to use taxpayer dollars wisely and frugally, that we want stable electricity, water, and sewer services, and that we want to use public safety resources to protect and serve the needs of the public.

As someone who believes strongly in collaboration, I would draw on insights from stakeholders, including residents, City employees, and other council members to provide information and perspectives. I enjoy learning something new or hearing a differing viewpoint.

I look forward to communicating with constitutes through public meetings, traditional and social media, phone, and email. Elected officials work for those who elect them and should be available.

Miller: I will always advocate for more efficient government to accomplish its limited purposes; and for less government “investing” necessitating less taxation. For those that advocate for government investing they could just go to the funding sources directly, which are their neighbors; thereby strengthening our community and connection to one another. No good results come from the government inserting itself into these relationships under the guise of welfare, charity or safety because the government thinks that it knows better than you how to keep you safe, happy or free.

I would always be available to discuss any issues facing the members of our community and welcome the opportunity to do so. I love hearing people’s stories and sharing mine. Much is to be learned from acquiring and sharing knowledge and experiences.

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

Miller: Our city needs to stop trying to “re-imagine” itself and take practical steps to handle the growth that we are experiencing whilst trying to maintain the Idaho values and independence that drew people to our city in the first place. Our roads and infrastructure need to keep up with that growth. If anything, Re-Imagine Idaho Falls without potholes, empty store fronts and bottlenecks. Our necessary city services need to keep up with that growth and the new problems that come with such growth. Aesthetic things (like pretty City signs and designs) should be a secondary concern to the practicality of how we pay for those things and the effect on the taxpayers. The wants of the few should not take precedence over people’s rights and the limitations of government and government employees.

Larsen: I want to better understand the process of developing within the city. I’ve spent many years in redevelopment and understand from an outsider’s perspective the challenges facing large developers when it comes to permitting and approval. I want to work with city staff and my fellow elected officials to see how ordinances and comprehensive planning can positively impact this process to make it more efficient.

Residents understandably get frustrated when streets aren’t maintained at a certain level but oftentimes, the streets with the most complaints are within the city but not within our jurisdiction. I have met with our City’s Public Works Director who is a highly respected professional who does a great job responding to concerns. I want to use my position to better educate the community on street related issues. Traffic in our city is growing. It’s time to reinvigorate a regional conversation about a beltway to avoid unnecessary thru traffic on our city streets.

As the city grows in terms of high and medium density residential development, City Councilmembers need to be aware of all the impacts and ensure that development is paying for the impacts, and not taxpayers.

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

Larsen: Spending the public’s money is a solemn responsibility. After interviewing city staff and council members alike, I’ve learned that there’s more than meets the eye in the city budget process and that it’s very easy to say that “cuts” can effortlessly be made. I watched parts of the council work sessions during the recent budget process and one of the things I learned is how budget requests are made (they come from city staff members typically and not council members) and the great lengths staff members go to, to demonstrate a need and provide detailed financial documentation.

The other thing I learned is that far more residents request through public testimony and emails that the city invest more in capital expenditures and programs, not less. Whether it’s pickleball courts, police department staff (which several new positions were approved in the FY ’24 budget with letters of support from the business community), or improvements to the newly named Frontier Center for the Performing Arts, taxpayers want us to do more with the funding that we have.

As a member of the council, I would endeavor to meet the needs of the community that relate to city government, as fiscally responsible as possible. I spent my entire career helping small and large organizations use every penny as wisely as possible and I hope to bring those skills to the city budgeting process.

Miller: I think all of the city budget needs to be re-evaluated for wants vs needs. I think the city needs to stop taking on projects that should rightfully be done by the private sector; and stop providing services for the few with other people’s money. The city should not be in the charity business. That is not the proper role of government. Nor should the city be in the business of picking winners and losers, subsidizing some but not others or regulating some but not others. The city also needs to work with other public taxing entities on sharing of information and work product to produce the best and most efficient results for the taxpayers.

What is the role of local media in your community? How can city officials work tohave a better relationship with the media?

Miller: Historically, media was to keep an eye on the government (the servants of the people) to keep it transparent and accountable to the people that it serves. The media’s First Amendment purpose is to operate as a check and balance against the secrecy and manipulation of a self-dealing government; to keep the government honest.

The role of media in the community depends entirely upon what the media sees as its purpose. If the purpose of the media is to inform the public, then it should stick to the facts and report all sides of any given issue or story; to allow the readers to form their own informed conclusions. If the purpose of the media is to shape the opinion of the public and establish conformity then it must silence any dissent or opposition to its desired conclusion.

To this end, more information is always better. More discussion is always better. Light is better than darkness and secrecy. The key to any relationship being a good one or not is communication and trust. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be honest and don’t lie. Be accountable and be willing to look at the real problems and issues facing our city, state and country; and then seek solutions. Work together, many hands make light work.

Larsen: Media is an important element in a free democratic republic. It provides information from both directions, from city government to the public and the reverse. I respect the media and appreciate the vital role it plays in society. It’s my understanding that our city government communicates often and effectively with the media and appreciates the time given to city-related matters to help inform the community.