Idaho House candidates share similar views

MOSCOW — Idaho’s 5th Legislative District House A race could be a choice between personalities as much as policies, since both candidates have similar views on a number of major issues.

Incumbent Democrat Margaret “Margie” Gannon of St. Maries was appointed to office in February, after Paulette Jordan resigned to run for governor. She’s a strong supporter of Proposition 2, the Medicaid expansion initiative, as well increased funding for public schools and treatment programs to keep drug offenders out of prison.

“I worked for the (Idaho) Department of Health and Welfare for 17 years,” she said. “It was an eye-opener, really seeing what poverty was like.”

Her opponent in the Nov. 6 general election, Republican Bill Goesling of Moscow, also sees Prop. 2 as a win for the state. He is a longtime supporter of public education as well, and thinks drug courts and substance abuse treatment programs are smart alternatives to building more prisons.

“With my background as an investment adviser, I look at (these programs) as an investment in our future,” he said. “That’s especially true with education. The payoff comes years later; instant returns don’t happen.”

Gannon’s experience working as a Department of Health and Welfare eligibility examiner shaped many of her views on the role of government.

Most applicants for food stamps or other assistance programs “had no desire to be in that office,” she said. “But things happened in their lives. Being able to help them and be part of their redemption, their comeback, was exhilarating.”

Gannon views Prop. 2 in a similar light. By expanding the eligibility criteria for Medicaid, it’s an opportunity for upward of 60,000 working Idahoans to gain access to preventative health care services they currently can’t afford.

“We have people right now who aren’t seeking medical care until it’s a crisis,” she said. “I’ve been in county commissioner meetings where they worry about indigent medical costs (which are covered in part by local property taxes). Our local hospital in St. Maries had a scary time and had to be helped out. I can’t believe we’ve been dragging our feet for six years on something that speaks to most people in Idaho.”

Besides believing in the beneficial power of government services, Gannon and her husband played a more direct role in helping their community: They served as foster parents for eight years, and were named Foster Parents of the Year for Region 1 in 2003.

Following 16 years on the St. Maries School Board, including 14 as chairwoman, Gannon stepped down and was elected to a two-year term on the St. Maries City Council.

Volunteering and public service have been a major part of Goesling’s life as well. The former Naval aviator serves as a special court advocate for children and a mentor for veterans in specialty treatment courts.

On the education front, he served five years on the State Board of Education, five years as a regent for the University of Idaho and seven years on the Idaho Public Charter School Commission. Goesling also served four years on the Moscow School Board and taught at UI.

“I think I have the experience to ask the tough questions and can hit the ground running,” he said.

For example, he has concerns about Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra’s proposed 2020 budget, which calls for a $122 million, 6.8 percent increase in state funding. That includes $53 million for the fifth year of the career ladder teacher pay plan, plus an additional $28 million to add a fourth tier on the ladder for more experienced teachers.

Goesling, who spent 15 years as a financial consultant after retiring from the Navy, supports the $53 million completion of the career ladder. Before a fourth tier is added, though, he thinks the state should re-evaluate where it’s at with its overall school improvement plan and decide how any additional funding can best be used.

“It goes back to the investment mindset,” he said. “What results are we looking for? We’ve never really defined success.”

Whatever the state does, Goesling said, it should adopt a school funding model that doesn’t force rural districts to rely so heavily on local property tax dollars. They don’t have the property tax base to keep up with their urban counterparts, which leads to inequities in the quality of education that’s being provided.

“The state has to take on more responsibility,” he said. “If the Legislature doesn’t act, it will become another proposition on the ballot or a lawsuit.”

Investments in education also pay off in terms of economic development and reduced prison populations, Goesling said. He noted that it costs $51 per day to incarcerate someone — and nearly $70 if they have to be sent out of state because of overcrowded state prisons.

“Think of what we could do with $51 a day at the kindergarten level,” he said. “Here again is an investment in education we could make that would save us money at the other end.”

Gannon said she’d like to ease overcrowding in the prison system by providing treatment for low-risk drug offenders. She’d also like to reclassify some nonviolent drug offenses as misdemeanors — and while she’s not ready to say recreational marijuana should be legalized, she’s ready to go there for cannabidiol oil (CBD) and possibly medical marijuana.

Overall, Gannon said she’s the best choice for District 5 because she can talk to Republicans and Democrats, she’s results-oriented and she has the experience to understand how government can help.

“I’m not going down there to represent Democrats and fight Republicans,” she said. “I’m going there to represent District 5.”

Goesling said his background and broad experience give him the edge.

“I understand the (legislative) system, I understand how to work with people and I understand how to manage money,” he said. “The foundations of my campaign are civility and common sense. People can disagree, but there’s value in each of our voices.”

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.