Legislature could get a shake-up

BOISE — Long hours. Low pay. Plenty of opportunity for public condemnation. Oh, and angry bosses. Lots of angry bosses.

If that sounds like your dream job, the application period is now open.

The two-week candidate filing period began Monday for the Idaho Legislature.

As is the case every two years, all 105 legislative seats are up for grabs this year. The seven state constitutional offices will be on the ballot as well, along with three of Idaho’s four congressional seats and a variety of judicial positions.

At the county level, two commissioners, the assessor, clerk, coroner and treasurer are up for election.

Adding to a busy May 17 primary, all local party precinct positions will be on the ballot. Some local bond issues and local taxing jurisdiction seats may be as well, such as the soil conservation district.

Another layer of complexity this year comes from the recently completed redistricting process, which redrew boundary lines for Idaho’s 35 legislative districts to reflect updated population numbers.

As a result, people may not even have the option to vote for the lawmakers who currently represent them in Boise.

The new legislative districts take effect with the May 17 primary. To be eligible to run, candidates must have lived in their district for at least a year prior to the Nov. 8 general election.

The new districts boundaries in north central Idaho include:

2nd Legislative District — This sprawling district includes all of Clearwater County, along with Benewah and Shoshone counties, the eastern half of Kootenai County and a small portion of southwestern Bonner County.

The only incumbent legislator who lives in the district is Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, who currently represents the 1st Legislative District.

6th Legislative District — Encompasses all of Latah and Lewis counties, as well as the northeastern half of Nez Perce County, including Lapwai, Culdesac and a portion of the Lewiston Orchards.

Incumbent legislators who live in the district include Sen. David Nelson, D-Moscow; Rep. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow; Rep. Caroline Troy, R-Genesee; and Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston.

Kendrick farmer Robert Blair, who is filling in this session for Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston, also resides in the new 6th District.

Johnson is not running for reelection, as he was recently elected mayor of Lewiston.

7th Legislative District — Includes most of Lewiston and the southern half of Nez Perce County, along with all of Idaho and Adams counties.

Incumbent lawmakers who live in the district include Sen. Carl Crabtree, R-Grangeville; Rep. Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston; and Rep. Charlie Shepherd, R-Pollock.

Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, isn’t running for reelection to her legislative seat, but is running for lieutenant governor instead.

It’s unclear how many incumbent-versus-incumbent battles will take place statewide as a result of redistricting. That won’t be known until the filing period ends at 5 p.m. March 11.

However, had Johnson and Giddings not chosen to pursue other ventures, there could have been several such battles in north central Idaho. As it is, the only potential conflicts are in the new 6th District.

Nevertheless, there’s likely to be substantial turnover in the Legislature this election year.

In 2013, following the last redistricting period, 40% of the House and Senate seats were held by people who weren’t in those seats the year before. That included eight representatives who moved from the House to the Senate, but another 34 lawmakers either retired, lost their reelection bids or otherwise stepped aside.

So far this session, at least a dozen lawmakers, including House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley; Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum; and 11-term Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Caldwell, have announced that they’re retiring or running for higher office.

Other incumbents know they’ll be squaring off against friends and colleagues.

That’s the case in the 22nd Legislative District south of Meridian. Four incumbents live in the new district, including House Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian; House Revenue and Taxation Chairman Steven Harris, R-Meridian; and Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa.

Harris and Monks have served five terms in the Legislature. Vander Woude is a seven-term veteran.

“Some of us aren’t going to make it,” Vander Woude said.

House Majority Caucus Chair Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, said redistricting puts a lot of pressure on lawmakers.

“A lot of new districts pit friends against friends, people who have worked together for years,” she said. “It’s a difficult decision to run against a friend. And when they’re seasoned legislators, we lose a lot of institutional knowledge that benefits the whole body.”

Although lawmakers are occasionally accused of being in it “for the money,” the ones in Idaho don’t exactly rake in the dough.

The job has a base salary of $18,875 per year, plus health insurance. Lawmakers are reimbursed for approved expenses, and receive $139 per diem during the legislative session, if their primary residence is more than 50 miles from Boise.

In addition to the legislative positions mentioned above, the federal, state and county offices that are up for election in Latah County, with names of the incumbents, include:

Federal

U.S. Representative (two-year term): Russ Fulcher

U.S. Senator (six-year term): Mike Crapo

State (all with four-year terms)

Governor: Brad Little

Lt. Governor: Janice McGeachin

Secretary of State: Lawerence Denney

State Controller: Brandon Woolf

State Treasurer: Julie Ellsworth

Attorney General: Lawrence Wasden

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Sherri Ybarra

County (all with four-year terms, unless otherwise noted)

Latah County

County commissioner, District 2: Tom Lamar

County commissioner, District 3 (two-year term): Dave McGraw

Assessor: Rod Wakefield

Clerk: Tonya Dodge

Coroner: Cathy Mabbutt

Treasurer: BJ Swanson

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