Four newcomers are vying to be the next Lemhi County sheriff

SALMON — Four new candidates are vying to be the next Lemhi County sheriff, including a deputy, a city plan examiner, a detective sergeant, and a retired U.S. Marine.

Running this election season are John Bennett, Chris Horton, Leah Madsen and Albert Pardo. The race is for a four-year term.

Lemhi County Sheriff Steve Penner is not running for re-election.

EastIdahoNews.com asked the candidates to answer the same eight questions. 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.

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

Bennett: My name is John Bennett. I have been married for 34 years to my wife Stefani. Together we have an amazing family including our son Johnny, his wife Amanda, and their son Brody; our son Chase and his wife Maddie; and our daughter Laci. I am a lifelong resident of Lemhi County. I graduated from Salmon High School and later attended Idaho State University for a time. I returned to Salmon and worked for the US Forest Service in the Cobalt District for 4 seasons followed by 14 years of logging. I started my law enforcement career in 2005 with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office. I’ve had the honor of being a Patrol Deputy Sheriff for 18 years and counting. Since the start of my career, I have become a Tri-County Investigator representing Lemhi County, a certified Marine Law Enforcement Officer, a Boat Education Safety Trainer, and a Narcotic Investigator/Detective for Lemhi County, among other qualifications. In 2016 I became Lemhi County’s Patrol Sergeant, where I began to supervise 6 of our other deputies and conduct the schedule for the Sheriff’s office. In addition to my decades of law enforcement experience, I have actively volunteered for the Lemhi County Search and Rescue for 38 years, the Lemhi Fire Department for 8 years, and various youth groups as my children grew up.

Horton: I have been with my amazing wife for 17 years and we have two phenomenal boys. I am a combat veteran, former law enforcement officer, and volunteer youth wrestling and football coach. While serving in the military, I graduated from some of the finest leadership schools the military has to offer. I have earned an advanced law enforcement certificate and a law enforcement instructor certificate issued by the State of Idaho.

Pardo: I am a lifelong Idaho resident. My religious belief is Christian. I lived most of my life in the Treasure Valley in the Nampa/Caldwell area. I graduated in 1995 from Nampa High School and left for the United States Marine Corps that very fall. My wife and I have been married for 27 years and have raised three children. During my 25-year career in the Marine Corps I had the pleasure of serving in both the active and reserve forces. While with the reserves, here in Boise, I spent 6 years employed with the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office as a sworn Deputy before returning to active duty. Currently, I hold an associate degree from Brandman University and am enrolled with Liberty University finishing my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management. Since the time my children became old enough to enjoy and play sports, I have volunteered on many occasions as a coach for football, softball, basketball, and soccer in locations such as Okinawa Japan, Washington State, California and here in Idaho. This will be my first time running for any public office.

Madsen: My name is Leah Madsen. I was born and raised in Lemhi County, and graduated from Salmon High School. I come from a long line of Ranchers. My father, Keith Madsen and mother, Donna Stewart met and married in Pahsimeroi Valley, May, Id. My Grandparents were Everett & Virgina Bogart, and Donald & Dorothy Stewart.

Terry Stratton and I have raised our five exceptional children here in Salmon, and have been blessed with six wonderful grandchildren.

I bring 27 years of law enforcement experience and county management. I’m currently the Detective Sergeant for the Salmon Police Department, and a K-9 handler. I investigate child sexual and physical abuse, along with all sexual assaults/rapes for the City and County. I also investigate all major crimes such as homicides, burglaries, financial crimes. I am also currently the elected District #1 Lemhi County Commissioner.

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

Bennett:

• I love what I’ve gotten to do and currently do in my career, and I want to continue serving the county of Lemhi.
• I want the community to be safe.
• I strive to have transparency throughout our department. I want to institute an open-door policy where anyone in the community can communicate with me to share their ideas and concerns, whether in a group or one-on-one setting.
• I will continue to fight drug abuse and domestic violence and uphold the law to the highest standard.

Horton: My reasons for seeking office are many. At the core, I believe the people deserve a selfless leader who represents all the people. The people deserve a leader that is willing to listen, find solutions to current issues through community involvement, and defend the constitution. I swore an oath to uphold the constitution and I will continue to do that.

Pardo: I made the decision to run for Lemhi County Sheriff on two bases. One, it was something that I felt called to do. Much like when people feel called to do missionary work, I felt that this was my calling. After spending time with Canyon County and having spent over half my life training with some of the best in the world to protect and defend our Constitution, I felt it was now time to do it again but on a more intimate scale, rather than overseas. Two, after moving to Salmon in 2021, I spent time working locally, observing, and speaking with locals that have lived here their entire lives and learning about their concerns and gripes. After listening and seeing for myself where some improvements were needed, I fully committed to entering the race for sheriff.

My platform is very simple. I want and plan, if given the opportunity, to work on deepening the relationship between the community and the Sheriff’s Office. To run a transparent office so the community can see that every officer and administrative staff is working diligently for them. And ultimately ensure that there is clear and concise communication between the Sheriff’s Office and the community. Communication is imperative to make sure that this relationship works to its full potential.

Madsen: I want to improve the culture of our Law Enforcement, and partnerships with other entities. I’m a firm believer of community-based policing, transparency, and have an open-door policy to my employees and the community. I advocate further education and advancement for my employees. I want law enforcement to be more involved with the youth in our community by possibly starting an Explorer Event/Academy where the deputies would mentor our youth through their growth and help them recognize and understand current threats that they face in our community. I also want to educate our community of the roles of Law Enforcement and First Responders to help everyone understand our duties.
Then collaborate, educate, and create partnerships throughout the community and the state to introduce new models and concepts to improve our safety and overall wellbeing within Lemhi County, and continue to advocated for stricter court sanctions on major crimes.

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

Bennett:

• The Lemhi County law enforcement officers deserve to receive more specialized training. This would benefit the community as a whole.
• The Judicial System and Prosecution could use improvement.
• Improvement in felony supervision (Parolee status).
• Fostering more trust and communication between law enforcement and residents.
• More activities for the youth in Lemhi County to keep them engaged and safe.

Horton: As per the uniform crime report, we are seeing a significant rise in crime. The community needs to be involved. I strongly believe in community policing and I will institute a plan that involves the communities throughout our county. I will ensure the service provided by deputies is sincere and compassionate and the office of the Sheriff is transparent to the public.

Pardo: As I stated before, many of the Counties citizens have spoken to me about their concerns. One of these concerns, that has been brought to my attention and which I personally have witnessed here, is the uptick of drug presence in the County. This is an area that is most disturbing to me. I have personally known friends and extended family that have been affected by drugs and I personally feel there is no place for them. Here is where the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office must work together to hold the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office accountable and make an example of the offenders to ensure that other offenders get the hint that drugs are not tolerated in Lemhi County.

That said, another area of concern is with the judicial system and the outcomes in court for those that have broken the law. I feel that the Sheriff’s Office along with the City Police Department must work unified to ensure that the work their officers do in report writing and investigations are not wasted to plea agreements or offense reductions. The individual officer’s work is crucial and a large part of what they do daily. If they feel that their hard work is in vain then why would they want to keep doing the job? If this unification does not produce the expected results, then the next step would be to go up the chain and leverage the help of the Attorney General’s Office.

Madsen: As I mentioned before, to improve the law enforcement culture and our partnership with the city. An employee needs to know their value, and that they are valued by administration. I believe if an employee feels valued, they will always give more than expected, overall helping our community.

Advocating for our Judicial system to hand down stricter sanctions on major crimes. When speaking with our residence they feel the system is just a revolving door of the same individuals. With that said, we also need improvement from the state to allow probation and parole to properly supervise and the ability to hand down proper sanctions on their parolee when a violation to the terms of their release and or probation.

Then strengthen our efforts to combat the Drugs/Trafficking within our community, through our Drug Task force “LCNET”.

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

Bennett:

• Our community and state are growing in population every day. While growth is great, it increases the calls of service for the Sheriff’s Office. Our law enforcement agencies need to be able to effectively keep up with the demand created by the influx of growth.
• Create effective law enforcement strategies tailored to the specific needs of each area.

Horton: As previously mentioned, the rise in crime presents a significant issue. Instead of reacting to this issue, we need to be proactive and employ proactive measures. Developing community policing programs, building relationships with other governmental offices, and implementing community crime prevention programs will greatly assist in combatting rising crime rates.

Pardo: Counties face many challenges on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. I feel that the greatest long-term challenge for Lemhi County is Economic growth. Changes of this nature are inevitable as people get tired of city living and seek out areas such as ours, rural country living, to move to. However, Economic growth can be both good and bad for an area. Generally, with growth some of the biggest changes that occur are population increase, new businesses, rise in crime, and a rise in drugs. When an area begins to grow, everything needs to adjust to accommodate the growth. This includes the way we think about things. What I am saying is, whatever worked for the community 20, 10, 5 years ago will not work for the future. The County must do forward thinking to meet the needs of the community as it moves forward. This also includes Law Enforcement.

My plan to meet challenges such as these is to ensure that moving forward the Sheriff’s Department has the equipment, personnel, and training to face growth in the area. However, ultimately to do this the department cannot continue to work the same way it has been for the past decade. It must evolve and work outside the box that is rural Lemhi County.

Madsen: The State of Idaho has seen an influx of people migrating from other states to live the Idaho dream. With that brings more crime which ultimately effects our community and the law enforcement. This is why responsible community policing would help in our efforts to combat the crime in Lemhi County. Encouraging the community to report, if you see something say something. Developing that relationship with the community, and the community knowing that law enforcement is listening and acting.

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

Bennett:

• I will always keep an open mind regarding their concerns.
• Engage in active listening, and always be fair and impartial.
• Keep an open door and always remain approachable.
• Make a space for one-on-one time with law enforcement officers, residents, and other members of the community.

Horton: ur country has one constitution. We are all Americans and we are all afforded the protections under the constitution. This applies to all political parties and views. I will provide fair and unbiased law enforcement services to all of our county. I will have an open door policy and I will ensure deputies have open lines of communication with all citizens.

Pardo: I believe that the best way to represent any constituent no matter what their affiliation, is to listen to them. I mean, really hear them and what they have to say. Although there are different views on matters, people from opposing sides can have ideas that, when put to work, can help resolve issues. But it all comes back to listening to everyone and what they have to say. The one caveat to this is that not everyone’s issue can be resolved, including those from one’s own party.

The best form of communication, in my opinion, is face to face. In today’s world we, as a society, have become far too comfortable with communication through many other forms of media, (i.e. cell phones, computers, social media, etc.), rather than meeting up and speaking to one another. Although there are times that not everyone can show up for a meeting, the majority can and that is the best way to get information out. Once the meeting has been held then one can use the other means as a secondary form of communication to push the information out to those who did not attend.

Madsen: I love my community, and like family sometimes we do not always view things the same way. I would deal with all my constituents the same way, with respect, and an open-door policy. I am a great listener, compassionate, and strong. I will always fight for the rights of my constituents and their well-being.

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

Bennett:

• As the budget is already low, there are unfortunately not a lot of places to cut costs.
• Employee wages could use more funding to represent ever-growing inflation.
• Specialized training for all staff deserves more funding.
• It would be helpful to review and improve employee benefits to increase the longevity and retainment of employees.
• Up-to-date expense reports related to fleet and equipment costs.

Horton: Reallocation of funding towards community projects should be a priority. I will need to spend time evaluating our current allocations and line items to see where cuts can be made. My goal is to make the cuts and increases where it makes most sense.

Pardo: After looking over the last budget report from the March 11th, 2024, Commissioners meeting, I would say that there are two areas that I believe could use more funding. The first area is Lemhi County Fire District. As a rural fire district, it is vital to have the proper equipment available, in good working order, so the many volunteers utilizing them can do the best job possible for the citizens of Lemhi County. Recently, I spoke to a fire official speaking about how the radio in one of their vehicles was inoperative. This is unacceptable. If it weren’t for their handheld radios, where would they be in responsive communication? It is very important to have these volunteers equipped with only the best and most updated equipment. The second area that could use more funding is the Drug Court. It is no surprise that drugs continue to be an issue throughout the Nation and Lemhi County is no exception. The one caveat I would say is that with the increase in funding the County would have to seek better treatment regimens for those that take part in Drug Court and ensure that these regimens are being completed fully.

Once again living in a small rural community it is hard to say, “oh let’s cut some funds from here or there”. Every line item on a budget is important for one reason or another. I believe that there is not one area that needs budget cuts currently.

Madsen: I have had the privilege and forethought to set our county budget since my election and appointment to Lemhi County Commissioner for Dist. 1 on January of 2020. I have seen where there were areas needing more funding for the community facilities, and employees. I believe as we see inflation hit our economy hard, it’s hard not to ask for more wages, and benefits. The cost of insurance for a family is beyond what a single employee could afford, plus provide the much-needed items to sustain their families. I would like to implement a longevity financial program to the employees whom have vested him or herself with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office. This also helping in the retention of my employees long-term.

Implementing new programs may help in the reduction of travel costs and man hours out of the area that the Sheriff is mandated to provide. For example, our Mental Health holds and transports out of the area cost thousands of dollars a year. I’m looking to collaborate, educate, and essentially develop our own Crisis/Mental Health Facility through our ongoing efforts with “CIT” crisis intervention team programs.

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

Bennett:

• Lemhi County is a more rural county with fewer media outlets, but the media is still ever-present. Our residents regularly read local newspapers and other newspapers that serve East Idaho.
• In today’s day and age, the internet and social media are probably the most popular ways our community interacts with the media. Online groups on platforms like Facebook and Instagram have allowed the community to connect with each other in real time, share news and thoughts, and generally learn about the goings-on of the community.
• County officials can always engage in more communication and education.
• Articles in the news and online should be precise and accurate, while also considering the audience so they can easily understand it.
• County officials can communicate more on social media and the online landscape to reach a larger audience.
• It would be very useful to add a public information officer or something of that nature within the office to assist with all the above points.

Horton: I believe this a question better suited for our local media; However, I would like to think the role would be to provide timely and accurate information to the public. Transparency, on our part, is key in supporting this idea.

Pardo: Our local media consists of one newspaper and a radio station. The newspaper goes out once a week, every Thursday. Over half of the news reported in the paper is local in nature, as it should be, and the rest consists of other State and National news. The radio station carries both AM and FM frequencies and plays a variety of music along with local and National news. Although both sources of media do report news from outside the local area, it is very attuned to what is happening locally.

I believe that the media can be a strong tool if used properly. The media is crucial in passing word to the local populous. That said, the best way for county officials to work better with the media is to have a time set aside to sit down with them and discuss current or upcoming issues pertaining to the local community. Keep the media informed and in turn they will keep the community informed.

Madsen: Lemhi County has two media outlets. I believe in communication and open-door policy. I believe a County Official has the obligation and platform to get the much-needed information to the public through their local media. I believe strongly in having a Public Information Officer to provide and ensure accurate information to the media in a timely manner.

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

Bennett:

• Educating the public with advertising (newspapers, news outlets, social media, radio)
• Targeted education campaigns per audience segment to make sure each voting segment is reached in a way that they will see and that makes sense to them.
• Educate students and those that are newer to voting on the importance of voting and letting their voices be known.
• Gather feedback from current voters on what they think would help voter involvement.

Horton: Let’s get people on the ballots that are willing to provide selfless service, who are sincere in their efforts, and those that have a sincere care for the greater good of the people. We have to give them something worth voting for!

Pardo: The biggest push for voting participation, that I remember, was in 1990, Rock the Vote. Although it was a liberal non-profit organization, they commanded the airwaves and radio networks. They got the word out targeting young voters but also those who had not voted for some time. They used a unique method of top stars and music to get people to register to vote and to get to the poles. They played to their strength of music and stardom to get the word out.

Today I believe that most citizens have been burned by the voting process and figure that it doesn’t matter anymore because the powers that be will find a way to still get what they want. Whether this is true or not, if we as a populous do not try, we will surely lose. Our voice is the last line of defense, nonviolent, that we have. If you do not agree with the way things are currently, then speak up and don’t be afraid to call a spade a spade. So, to fully answer the question, I believe to get more participation in voting, the parties; republican, democratic, libertarian, etc… need to get face to face with the voters. Hold meetings in outlying areas, not just the bigger cities. Remind the people that they have a voice and there are candidates who are not afraid to take on the establishment.

Madsen: I believe we need to continue to inform the voter through education. I believe candidates truly try and get their message out, but unfortunately that does not reach everyone. I believe we should seek new ways in getting the communities young adults more education that reaches their interests, and platforms such as social media and the outlets they may frequent to get them involved in the election process.