CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

2026 general Election

By Reader Staff

Before each election, the Sandpoint Reader reaches out to candidates in contested legislative and local races to ask questions about how they would represent the constituents in the offices they seek. Below are questions and answers for the offices of Idaho Legislative District 1 Senate, Dist. 1A and 1B House, and District 1 Bonner County commissioners on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election ballot.

All candidates in contested races who responded to our questions have been included below, with some answers lightly edited for length. New this cycle, the Reader reviewed all questionnaire responses using the Pangram AI detection software, with results noted below each candidate’s submission in red.

The Reader joined the Bonner County Daily Bee, KRFY 88.5 FM and SandpointOnline.com to host a candidates’ forum at Sandpoint High School on Oct. 20. Find a recording of the forum at krfy.org.

Finally, don’t forget to vote Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Bonner County Commissioner Dist. 1

1. Why are you running for Bonner County commissioner?

2. What are the three most important issues to your constituents? Are there additional issues you intend to prioritize?

3. What do you see as the top challenge facing Dist. 1 — or the county in general — and how do you propose to address it?

4. What differentiates you from your opponent for the Dist. 1 seat?

5. How will you improve staff retention and make open job listings more enticing in this competitive job market?

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Fred Arn, Independent

Age: 79
Birthplace and residence: Rabat, Morocco (Navy brat); Sagle 
How many years lived in Bonner County: 15+ 
Past/current government service (if applicable):  sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps-Reserve
Profession: retired photojournalist and small business owner; also part-time commercial fisherman, college instructor
Education: high school — Keflavik, Iceland and Virginia Beach, Va.; College of Marin; taught photojournalism at community college and university level
Contact info: [email protected], fredarn.net 

1. I wish to continue serving my community as I have been doing in various capacities, including volunteering, for the last several years. I have a proven record of standing up for the property rights of all Bonner County citizens and I wish to continue doing so. As a lifelong Republican and student of history, I am deeply concerned that a single private entity (BCRCC) would have a complete lock on all Bonner County elected positions. Being on the ballot as an Independent, I can offer the voters a choice; not just the one-party, one-candidate mentality that seems to exist and was displayed in the last primary election. The Republican Central Committee doesn’t have a monopoly on conservative family values.

2. Safety: Citizens want to know that their families and properties are protected and that they can rely on swift responses from the various services in times of emergency. I have a long documented history of support for fire and law enforcement. I am a volunteer for our sheriff’s office, helping with community watch programs to further communication and safety in neighborhoods.

Being heard, not ignored: Constituents want their issues listened to and addressed in a timely manner. When decisions are made, there needs to be enforcement and follow-through. Public attendance and input is vital and should be encouraged at all county meetings.

Land use: I will make sure that the county Comprehensive Plan is finalized, approved and that there is a viable enforcement mechanism in place immediately. This eliminates any confusion about what people can and cannot do with their property from the beginning, thus protecting everyone’s personal property rights.

3. Growth: Bonner County’s many qualities like its trees, lakes, public land access, sportsman opportunities and the rural lifestyle has attracted many to the area in a short amount of time. Bonner County has become easy prey to those who take advantage of small, local government at the expense of the rural character and our quality of life. Previous commissioners have bent to the pressures of developers and others, resulting in uncontrolled or irresponsible growth that hasn’t kept pace with county services. We need to pass and enforce the Comp Plan and make sure infrastructure is in place first. As former chair of the Sagle Sub-Area Committee, I know how important this document and the consistent enforcement of it is for the county.

4. I have broad, world experience. As a former newsman, I have seen the best and worst of humanity. I do not shy away from the difficult or uncomfortable, and am ready to dive in on Nov. 4. I have been actively involved in county issues for years before becoming a candidate. Over the last four years, I have attended more Bonner County commissioner business meetings in person than anyone, including candidates for any office, county employees and all electeds. As we learned from the Camp Bay episode, commissioners have a great amount of discretion in the decisions they make and we all have to deal with the consequences. This is why it is vital that we elect a level-headed, common-sense individual who owes no loyalty to any group, party or platform. I answer only to you, the good people of Bonner County. Vote person, not party, on Nov. 3.

5. Positive leadership and treating employees with the dignity and respect they deserve will make the county a great place to work and attract quality applicants. All need to act responsibly, follow the law and be accountable to the people of the county. There needs to be consistency in how issues are handled across all departments. The old ways of doing things, department by department, are not viable today. Continuing to review and update H.R. policies as needed and developing a countywide employee code of ethics and enforcing it are also steps in the right direction. I wish to keep Bonner County one of the most beautiful, safest and friendliest places to live and work in this country.

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Steve Smith, Republican

Age: 74
Birthplace and residence: born in Coeur d’Alene; current residence in Sagle
How many years lived in Bonner Co.: 47
Past/current government service (if applicable):  chief marine deputy, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office; legal intern to the deputy attorney general assigned to the Idaho Department of Water Resources; First Judicial District law clerk; deputy public defender, Bonner County; and attorney for the cities of Sandpoint, Hope and East Hope
Profession: lawyer
Education: Coeur d’Alene High School, 1970; B.S. degree, biology, University of Idaho, 1974; juris doctor degree, U of I College of Law, 1977
Contact info: [email protected], 985-285-0514, votestevesmith.com

1. I am running for that position for three main reasons: 

a. I have resided and worked in Bonner County for more than 47 years and serving as a county commissioner is a way that I could give back to my community. Several members of my family presently live in Bonner County, and I am invested in making Bonner County the best place to live for all families in the community, including mine. 

b. I firmly believe that, with my “legal eyes” on the county, we can do better by avoiding the missteps of the past. 

c. After practicing law in Bonner County during the last 47 years, I have developed and refined a skill set in the executive, legislative and quasi-judicial areas in which a county commissioner serves, so I believe that I can add value to my community.

2. I believe that the three most important issues to my constituents are: 

a. What can the county commissioners do to balance economic growth with retaining our county local character while protecting private property rights?

b. What can the county commissioners do to make every tax dollar count so that living here can be more affordable?

c. What can the county commissioners do to protect Bonner County from the expense of defending needless lawsuits against the county? 

Additional issues that I intend to prioritize are: How can the work environment of county employees be improved? The current work environment is unpleasant and threatening, causing the loss of valuable employees as a result. How can the health care of county employees be improved and the cost of care be reduced? Health insurance costs have continued to increase while the quality of care has decreased. And supporting elimination of property taxes.

3. After talking with constituents since the summer of 2025 about challenges facing Bonner County, the top challenge seems to be how to manage population growth responsibly while preserving the local quality of county life. County commissioners may only act within the authority and jurisdiction granted to them by the Idaho Legislature. 

The steps of action available to county commissioners to balance growth with quality of life are primarily those set forth in the Local Land Use Planning Act, which include: promoting the health, safety and general welfare of the people; protecting property rights while making accommodations for other necessary types of development; encouraging urban and urban-type development within incorporated cities; avoiding undue concentration of population and overcrowding of land; and protecting fish, wildlife and recreation resources. I would welcome input from county citizens about how best to balance reasonable growth with quality of life.

4. The vote for Dist. 1 Bonner County commissioner should be cast based on who is the best-qualified candidate to represent Bonner County citizens. “Qualified” means a proven track record of being able to do the job well. Unlike the federal or state governments, which have executive, legislative and judicial branches, county government consists of three county commissioners who are required by law to function in all three of those areas. County commissioners are the chief executives (carrying out the requirements of law in doing the county’s business), the legislators (writing and passing laws in the form of ordinances) and the quasi-judicial officers (making decisions in matters such as planning and taxation). In 47 years of serving as an attorney in Bonner County, including as former city attorney for several cities and longtime legal counsel to local taxing districts, my track record demonstrates that I am qualified to fulfill those roles.

5. First, I plan to treat employees as I would like to be treated. A new team spirit is needed in which employees will be inspired to excellence. The working environment for county employees would be improved by caring for them as valued team members instead of seeking to control them and putting them in fear of termination if they don’t allow themselves to be controlled. 

Secondly, I would seek to replace health insurance with a new health care alternative that will provide better care at a lower cost. 

Thirdly, I would review the salaries and employee benefits of all employees to make sure that they are adequate and competitive with other local governmental entities (“… the laborer is worthy of his hire,” Luke 10:7). A worthy wage is an important element for retaining good employees and thereby allowing the county to receive the full benefit of employee training and experience.

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Legislative Dist. 1

1. Why are you running?

2. What do you think are the three most important issues to your constituents?

3. What do you see as the top challenge facing District 1, and how do you propose to address it?

4. What differentiates you from your opponent?

5. Where do you stand on Proposition 1 and citizens’ ballot initiatives as a form of popular democracy in Idaho?

Dist. 1 Senate

Scott Herndon, Republican

Age: 58
Birthplace and residence: born in Richmond, Va.; resides in Sagle
How many years lived in Bonner Co.: 22.5
Past/current government service (if applicable):  Dist. 1 senator, 2023-2024
Profession: homebuilder and general contractor (owner, Herndon Inc.)
Education: B.S. degree in finance
Contact info: herndonforIdaho.com, [email protected], 208-610-2680

1. I am running to end Idaho’s property tax, because no one should have to keep paying the government rent on a home they already own. I have watched neighbors on fixed incomes taxed toward losing paid-off homes over value they never cashed in, and I believe a free people should truly own their land. I am a homebuilder who meets a payroll and a finance professional who reads a budget, so when I say we can retire the property tax without a new tax, I have done the math and published it for anyone to check. In the Senate, I helped pass the first state buy-down, which already returns about $328 million a year. I want to finish that work, defend our constitutional rights and represent North Idaho with honesty and real transparency.

2. First, the cost of living, with property taxes at the center. Families here are squeezed from every direction, and the property tax is the one bill the state can actually take off their backs. 

Second, growth and affordability. Rapid growth is driving up assessments, prices, and pressure on our land and water, and people fear being priced out of the place they chose. 

Third, protecting what makes North Idaho what it is: our constitutional freedoms, our local control, and a government that stays out of our private lives and off our wallets. These are what I hear at the door and in my inbox every day. They cut across party lines, because a property tax bill, a grocery receipt and a love for this place are not partisan.

3. The biggest challenge is affordability in the face of rapid growth. Assessments, home prices and the cost of living have climbed faster than incomes, and longtime residents, young families and retirees all feel it. My central answer is to end the property tax, funded by the revenue growth the state already collects, so no one is taxed out of a home they own. 

Beyond that, I support strong private property rights, protecting public access to our land and water, and keeping growth-related decisions local and voter-approved rather than dictated from Boise. Growth should never be an excuse for a bigger permanent government or a heavier tax load. We can welcome our neighbors and still protect the character, the affordability, and the freedom that drew people to North Idaho in the first place.

 4. I give voters no ambiguity about who I am or what I will do. I am a conservative Republican, I tell you exactly where I stand, and I have a voting record to back it. I do not just talk about ending the property tax; I helped pass the first installment and published a five-page plan with every number so anyone can check my math. I meet a payroll as a homebuilder and know what a budget means in the real world. And I engage directly and in public, answering hard questions even from people who disagree with me, rather than hiding behind a label. 

Voters deserve a representative whose positions, record and reasoning are all out in the open. That clarity, and a plan with the numbers behind it, is what I offer.

5. I am firmly voting no on Proposition 1, and I believe most Idahoans will too. It is one of the most sweeping abortion measures in the country. It removes the parental consent Idaho has always required, so a minor could end a pregnancy without a parent ever being told. It allows abortion to a late, loosely defined point of viability the measure leaves to the provider, with no age limit written anywhere in it. 

A “no” vote keeps Idaho’s current protections for the unborn in place; a “yes” vote tears them down. On the process, we are a constitutional republic, and I defend the people’s right to the initiative. But I ask voters to see who funds this one: about $2.4 million, more than 40%, comes from out of state, including $950,000 from a single Washington, D.C. PAC and $250,000 from former-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

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Steve Johnson, Independent

Age: 76
Birthplace and residence: born in Longview, Wash. and moved with my family to our family farm in Sagle in 1957, which has been home ever since
How many years lived in Bonner Co.: 69
Past/current government service (if applicable):  East Bonner County Library Board and Lake Ponderay School District Building Committee
Profession: small business owner, farmer and retired educator; taught elementary school in Dist. 1 for 20 years, 10 of those as an elementary school principal; taught 20 years at the public alternative high school in Sandpoint
Education: bachelor’s degree in education and M.A. in administration from the University of Idaho
Contact info: 208-255-8055, [email protected], 1497 Beers Humbird, Road, Sagle, ID 83860

1. I am running as an Independent candidate for Idaho Senate because voters deserve a choice. My focus is on helping Idaho families thrive during these very difficult times. As an Independent candidate, I can work more effectively with all legislators regardless of their political affiliation to find realistic solutions to everyday issues that impact all of us. My opponent wasted his previous term on ideological culture wars instead of representing North Idaho interests.

2. Affordability: The cost of living increases every day with groceries, housing, utilities and gasoline/diesel. We need to make sure the kids growing up here can afford to stay here and the people who live here can afford to stay here.

Public lands: We in North Idaho are blessed with abundant public lands that provide us with timber, recreation, hunting, fishing, hiking and a multitude of outdoor activities. The ability to enjoy our mountains and forests and lakes is one of the most precious resources we have. I will support and vote to keep our public lands in public hands.

Education: It’s the cornerstone for our future and the greatest opportunity we have for improving the lives of our citizens. Unfortunately, Idaho consistently ranks dead last of all 50 states in funding education.

3. We can provide rapid property tax relief by updating the Homeowner’s Exemption to reflect today’s property values. This puts real money back in the pockets of those of us who actually live here, while ensuring that data centers and vacation properties pay their share.

Expanding the Circuit Breaker program will ensure that no one is thrown out of their home because they can’t pay their property tax bill.

Lastly, I support repealing sales tax on groceries so people’s food budgets stretch a little further.

4. I’m a lifelong resident of Bonner County. I’ve worked on the family farm, taught in our classrooms and run a small business here. I know the issues families face and I hold traditional Idaho values. My campaign is funded by local folks here in North Idaho. As an Independent, I work for you, not party bosses. I will focus on local services like roads, emergency services and schools, not ideology. That’s why our most trusted Republican legislators — Keough, Eskridge and Woodward — are endorsing me.

My opponent moved here from California and brought his politics with him. He wants to expand the state’s role in your local services and in your personal life. He proposed selling our public lands to developers. He collects dark money from out-of-state interests. He makes backroom deals and demands loyalty oaths. He’s had the opportunity to represent your interests and squandered it on culture wars.

5. I fully support the citizens’ initiative process that is included in our Idaho Constitution. That initiative process has been a major benefit for Idaho citizens, including the creation of the property tax homeowner’s exemption. I believe the most sacred part of our government is the right to vote. If the people pass Prop. 1, it will be my duty to help implement it as written. My opponent has vowed to disregard the vote of the people and impose his personal ideology.

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Dist. 1A House

Karen Matthee, Democrat

Age: 69
Birthplace and residence: born in Redwood City, Calif., resides in Sandpoint
How many years lived in Bonner Co.: 5
Past/current government service (if applicable):  worked with the U.S. State Department to assist landmine victims in Southeast Asia and Afghanistan
Profession: journalist for 30 years, then NGO communications director
Education: B.A., U.C. Berkeley; MSJ, Northwestern Univ.
Contact info: [email protected], 206-218-3646

1. For almost 30 years, the Idaho Legislature has had a supermajority, and I question if any of us are all that much better off for it. Tax cuts of over $4 billion over the last five years have benefited only the wealthiest of Idahoans and resulted in a budget deficit this last session that led to across-the-board cuts in Medicaid, child care assistance and disability services, as well as other programs and services that benefit the majority of Idahoans. Those cuts also placed our rural hospitals in jeopardy. 

To change this, we need a more balanced Legislature: We need to elect Democrats and Independents who will work across the aisle with traditional Republicans to achieve laws that benefit the majority of Idahoans.

2. Access to affordable health care: Medicaid cuts increased health care costs for many Idaho families and threatened the survival of our rural hospitals. 

Affordability: Most working families are struggling to cover the basics: rent, mortgage, health insurance, food and gas. I favor eliminating a tax on food, as well as creative solutions for affordable housing and reinstating the homeowner’s property tax exemption index, which was based on the sale price of Idaho homes but capped at $100,000 in 2016. The exemption hasn’t kept up with inflation and I will work to ensure that it does. Inadequate funding for public schools: Idaho public schools are the least state-funded in the country. Our rural districts suffer from failing facilities, teacher shortages and large classroom sizes. The state needs to honor its constitutional obligation to fully fund public schools, rather than relying on homeowners to foot the bill through bonds and levies.

3. Severe cuts in the last legislative session to Medicaid provider reimbursement rates are making it difficult for our rural hospitals to keep their doors open. I would work to reverse those cuts and return to careful, line-by-line examination of state departmental budgets, instead of last-minute across-the-board cuts. These cuts were necessary to compensate for the millions in tax cuts in the last session that benefited the wealthiest Idahoans and resulted in a budget deficit.

4. As a former journalist, I value objectivity and examining issues from all sides. So I will make myself available to all constituents as much as possible, no matter their party affiliation. I also have experience in government working with the U.S. State Department and members of Congress from both parties to assist landmine victims in Southeast Asia and Afghanistan.

5. I fully support Prop 1. The initiative would protect the personal liberty to make one’s own reproductive health care decisions — including birth control, IVF, regulated abortion access and more — with their doctor and without undue government overreach. 

Ballot initiatives are one of the purest forms of American democracy. They allow citizens to get the issues they care about placed on the ballot and voted on by the people, often in cases where politicians fail to act.

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Jane Sauter, Republican

Age: 63
Birthplace and residence: born in Austin, Minn.; (did not respond)
How many years lived in Bonner Co.: 11
Past/current government service (if applicable):  former precinct committeeman, poll worker and chief election judge
Profession: former small business co-owner, homemaker
Education: Grad.Austin Christian Academy, Austin, MN and Christ for the Nation’s Institute,  Dallas, TX. Associates Degree in Theology
Contact info: [email protected]

1. I’m running because I love North Idaho and want to preserve what makes it such a special place to live and raise a family. I’m concerned about growing government, rising taxes and the gradual erosion of our constitutional freedoms. I believe elected officials should answer to the people, not special interests or political insiders. I’m not interested in becoming a career politician. I want to bring common sense, integrity and accountability back to government and make sure the voices of Bonner and Boundary County residents are heard in Boise.

2. Affordability and taxes: Families and seniors are struggling with rising costs. I support eliminating the grocery tax, working toward eliminating property taxes and controlling government spending.

Education: We need to modernize Idaho’s school funding formula, direct more resources into classrooms and special education, and respect parental rights.

Constitutional rights and freedoms: From the Second Amendment and medical freedom to parental rights and protecting the unborn, government has a responsibility to safeguard our liberties, not diminish them.

3. Our greatest challenge is maintaining the affordability and quality of life that makes North Idaho special. Rising property taxes, housing costs and everyday expenses are putting pressure on families and making it increasingly difficult for longtime residents to stay.

We cannot simply keep raising taxes to support an ever-expanding government. I will work to eliminate unnecessary spending, demand accountability for taxpayer dollars and pursue meaningful tax reform while protecting essential services. We need to make government more efficient, not more expensive.

4. My opponent and I have fundamentally different views about the role of government. I believe in limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and protecting our constitutional rights. My opponent supports a more expansive role for government in education, health care and taxation. Before supporting legislation, I will ask whether it’s constitutional, whether government should be involved, whether it’s the right thing to do, what it will cost taxpayers and how it will affect individual freedoms. I’m a lifelong Republican, and my principles don’t change depending on the election. Voters deserve to know where their representative stands, and I intend to provide that consistency.

5. I oppose Prop. 1. I’ve been involved in the pro-life movement since I was a teenager, and I believe we have a responsibility to protect both mothers and unborn children. I’m particularly concerned about the initiative’s broad language, its exceptions after fetal viability and its potential impact on parental involvement in decisions affecting minors. These are serious issues that deserve careful consideration. I support the right of Idaho citizens to bring initiatives directly to the voters. It’s an important part of our democratic process. However, initiatives should be clearly written, transparent, and thoroughly understood before becoming law. Voters deserve to know exactly what they’re approving and how it could affect Idaho families and future generations.

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Dist. 1B House

Kathryn Larson, Independent

Age: 69
Birthplace and residence: born in Dallas, Texas, moved a lot; raised family in Golden, Colo.; resides in Sandpoint
How many years lived in Bonner County: 11
Past/current government service (if applicable):  none
Profession: strategic business advisor, technology entrepreneur
Education: B.S. degree from Southern Methodist University in geology; post-graduate work in geology, education and organizational development
Contact info: [email protected], 208-248-5949, larsonforIdaho.com, 217 Cedar St. No. 167, Sandpoint, ID 83864

1. Politics was not on my bucket list. But I love North Idaho — the independent spirit and generous people. I want to do my part. Idaho has a representation problem. For the past 12 years, outside influence has gained power using closed primaries, campaign financing, punitive scorecards and dishonest messaging. This ensures our representatives pledge loyalty to their political machine. Their machine demands legislation that strips local control, pushes costs onto communities and encourages programs that remove wealth. Our communities pay the price.  

The party system in the U.S. has become a game. But it’s not a game to those who live and work in North Idaho. That’s why I’m running, and running as an Independent candidate. I’ve helped all types and sizes of companies solve strategic problems and operate effectively to get desired results. I know how to communicate to get things done for us in Boise. That’s my part.

2. I’ve talked to thousands of people who live in Dist. 1 and this is what they say: 

Affordability: People who work here should be able to live here. About 85% of the Sandpoint workforce can’t afford Sandpoint. It’s happening in other Dist. 1 communities. Federal policies are only part of the problem. I’ll focus on state decisions. 

Reliable services: Highway 95 safety. We need safe and reliable infrastructure yet we’ve underfunded transportation for decades. This year, the Legislature took $275 million from road projects to pay for tax breaks that most Idahoans didn’t even feel. We count on health care and schools for creating opportunities and attracting a workforce. 

Local decision-making: Most Idahoans want the freedom to build a life. They want a significant voice in how our communities operate. The Legislature is passing laws each year that reduce local self-determination.

3. Affordability. When the people who work here live here, our community thrives. Boise’s epic tax cuts delivered little money back to the average Idahoan while driving up costs in rural communities.   

Hospitals experienced a 4% reimbursement cut. Road projects cut by $275 million. Cuts to state colleges drove up tuition. Most state agencies experienced blanket cuts. 

That’s not a fair trade. Clear the logjams. Get money flowing.  

Four immediate steps: 1. eliminate the grocery tax — like almost every other state; 2. fix existing tax relief (homeowner’s exemption, “circuit breaker” and land trust assessment); 3. incentivize local land ownership, land trusts and creative alternatives to selling to absentee landlords.

Protect Medicaid. It pays our hospitals, reduces the cost for Dist. 1 taxpayers and provides preventative care for 17-19% of our residents.   

My opponent knows Medicaid keeps rural hospitals afloat and saves Dist. 1 taxpayers money, yet wants to weaken it.

4. He runs a local business. I have nothing against him personally. But he signed a pledge to an outsider-funded platform and answers to the IFF scorecard over local residents. Consequently, his votes have stripped Dist. 1 of power, increased our costs significantly and encouraged value created here to go elsewhere.

His misplaced loyalty is the primary reason I’m running. I answer only to Dist. 1 residents. My decisions in Boise will be based on the consequences to affordability, roads, schools, hospitals and community well-being in Boundary and Bonner counties. I’ll seek input. I’ll respect all constituents. I’ll be transparent in my communications and reasoning. I’ll show up for town halls (which, my opponent hasn’t done). 

My background has taken me into boardrooms, factory floors, nuclear power plants, military leadership advising and more. I’ve been able to get people to work together. I’ll do that in Boise. 

5. Decisions are best made by the people affected by those decisions. For Prop. 1, that’s families, doctors, trusted advisors — not part-time legislators. Expert medical care shouldn’t be disrupted by legal threats and dishonest messaging. I’ll be voting “yes.”

I’ll respect the outcome. I’ll protect the citizens’ initiative process. Since 1912, the Idaho Constitution has protected the people’s right to bring initiatives and overturn bad legislation through a ballot vote. Today, the outsider political machine wants to eliminate our initiative voice.  

Citizens’ initiatives brought us nonpartisan hunting and fishing management, transparency in election finances, term limits, homeowner’s tax exemptions and Medicaid expansion. Initiatives can hold elected officials accountable. We need to protect that right, especially when outside interests shift the loyalty of representatives away from constituents and to their own scorecards.

Vote “no” on HJR4. Spoiler alert: It’s not really about marijuana. Read it carefully. It’s about eliminating your initiative power.

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Cornel Rasor, R (incumbent)

Age: 70
Birthplace and residence: Jackson, Calif.; Sagle
How many years lived in Bonner County: 57
Past/current government service (if applicable):  Bonner County commissioner, 2009-2013; Dist. 1 representative, 2024-present
Profession: retail store owner
Education: two years, North Idaho College/University of Idaho
Contact info: [email protected], 208-290-7403

1. I’m running because Dist. 1 still needs someone who will read every bill, push back on government growth and protect the natural rights of the people who live here. I’ve spent two sessions carrying and supporting measures that matter locally including protecting women’s private spaces after the Sandpoint YMCA incident, strengthening church trespass protections, defending property rights against overregulation, and vetting and voting against budget enhancements that lock in higher spending. 

Affordability, education that respects parents and limited government are the practical work of restraining a system that already spends too much and reaches too far. I still have useful work left in me, and I want to keep doing it for the folks in Bonner and Boundary counties rather than hand the seat to someone who treats North Idaho problems as occasions for more state intervention.

2. Affordability comes first. Rising property taxes, the cost of housing, and the cumulative burden of state and local spending hit working families and retirees hardest in the panhandle. 

Second is education that actually serves students and respects parents, keeping ideology out of classrooms, protecting biological reality in sports and facilities, and resisting one-size-fits-all mandates while maintaining local control. 

Third is the protection of core rights: property rights against regulatory takings and patchwork local rules, the ability of women and girls to have sex-segregated private spaces, religious liberty for houses of worship and secure borders that keep criminal illegal aliens from cycling through our jails. 

These three issues dominate the emails, calls and conversations I receive. They show up in tax bills, school board contests, and neighborhood concerns about safety and local control.

3. The top challenge is the steady erosion of affordability driven by government spending growth and regulatory costs that outpace wages in a rural timber and tourism economy. Property taxes, impact fees and the downstream effects of state budget increases make it harder for longtime residents and young families to stay. I propose continuing the work of the last two sessions: carefully considering and often voting against most budget enhancements so that maintenance budgets do not automatically ratchet higher, supporting targeted tax relief, and advancing property-rights protections that prevent cities and districts from imposing new costs without clear local benefit. 

North Idaho does not need more programs; it needs fewer permanent commitments of taxpayer money and more room for private and voluntary solutions.

4. My opponent previously ran as a Democrat and is now campaigning as an Independent. The difference is not a label; it is the record and the direction. I have consistently voted to restrain spending, protect biological sex distinctions in private spaces, support parental authority in education and defend property rights against local overreach. Those positions reflect the limited-government, pro-life, Second Amendment and local-control views that most Dist. 1 voters have expressed to me. An Independent who previously ran under the Democratic banner brings a different set of priorities, greater emphasis on expanded public funding for education and health services, and less skepticism of state intervention. Voters can compare the actual votes and bills I have supported with the platform of someone who has not yet had to cast those same votes under the same constraints.

5. I oppose Prop. 1. It would replace Idaho’s current law protecting preborn children with a statutory right to abortion up to fetal viability and broader exceptions afterward. That is a direct retreat from the protections we have maintained and an expansion of elective abortion. I also remain skeptical of the citizen initiative process as a routine form of lawmaking. Idaho is a constitutional republic, not a pure democracy. Ballot initiatives allow well-funded, often out-of-state interests to bypass the deliberative process of elected representatives who must face voters again and who are expected to read and debate every provision. California’s experience shows how repeated initiatives can lock in policies that are difficult to correct and that expand government power. Representative government, with its checks and the ability to amend or repeal through the Legislature, is the safer and more accountable path for protecting the unborn and preserving limited government.

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