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| GOP looks over candidates at Saturday event |
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| Election 2010: County, state fed candidates represented at annual Lincoln Day Luncheon |
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 | | Free Press/David Rauzi | | Idaho House Speaker, Dist. 9 Rep. Lawerence Denney spoke at Saturday’s event. |
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By David Rauzi (editor)
WHITE BIRD -- With the May primary elections looming on the horizon, the Republican race for Idaho County clerk so far looks to be a three-way run.
Patricia Alfrey of Ferdinand, and Kathy Ackerman and Joan Hall, both of Grangeville, spoke on the necessity of experience and leadership to serve in the four-year-term position, during candidate presentations at Saturday's Lincoln Day Luncheon, March 13.
"I truly understand you can't make everyone happy, but you can make decisions on what's best for our communities," said Alfrey.
Since 2004, Alfrey has worked as a legal assistant at Daren Fales Law office in Grangeville. Her past experience was as a supervisor with Micron Technology, assistant in a Wenatchee, Wash. law office, and also with the justice department in Maricopa County, Ariz., where she designed an effective filing system for their high volume of criminal citations. Alfrey noted she has been a taxpayer since age 14 when her father deeded her property as a lesson in responsibility. She currently serves on the Cottonwood School District 242 school board.
"The person elected to this position has a tremendous job to do," said Ackerman.
She noted her lifetime of leadership in county government which started 23 years ago as a clerk in the district court office, in several county office positions, and most recently for the past 13 years she has served as the county's civil deputy. Among her achievements was in 2007 becoming a POST (Police Officer Standards and Training) master instructor, only one of three in the state. Ackerman's community involvement includes the Idaho County 4-H program and working with youth at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish.
"Knowledge of county government is an important asset for the county clerk," said Hall. "I have that knowledge."
Hall noted her county experience extends back to 1973 when she started work with the assessor's office. In both full and part-time work she has served as chief deputy treasurer/tax collector, deputy assessor, and for the past three years Hall has served as a deputy court clerk. Her community involvement includes being an active member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
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Rallying for renewed involvement and a return to the party's traditional values, keynote speaker, Representative Lawerence Denney, Idaho House Speaker, noted times have turned for the worse since the last election. A standout issue is the $14 trillion national debt, which has the federal government borrowing 40 cents for every dollar it spends this year.
"And we as Republicans share that blame. The people have lost their trust in us, and we need to regain that trust," he said.
Reflecting on the continuing popular legacy of President Ronald Reagan, Denney said Republicans need to return to core principles that define the party, including an emphasis on faith -- "a commitment to righteousness and morality," Denney said -- and also optimism.
"I'm not a passive person when it comes to solving problems," said gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell.
Noting that Idaho is first in the Northwest and 13th in the U.S. in highest state and local tax burdens, Rammell proposes eliminating personal and corporate income taxes.
"That's the way to knock this economy into gear," he said.
Rammell advocates public education reform by moving complete control to the school boards, which would eliminate No Child Left Behind mandates and put funding responsibilities at the local level. On the wolf issue, he said these animals haves been disastrous to the state, and on day one as governor he would sign an executive order for Idaho Fish and Game to stand down from protecting this predator. Federal oversight has kept Idahoans from making decision on their public lands for 110 years, and Rammell said he is "ready for this battle" to return that local control.
Congressional candidate, Mike Irwin of Nampa, noted he is a new face in state politics but also a conservative on in his views to fix a broken education system and provide more governmental accountability. Married with five children, Irwin currently works as a field service engineer for Siemens and served five years in the Air Force.
"Americans today crave a new kind of leadership. They're looking for those who will stand up for their values and convictions," said Congressional candidate Raul Labrador, on such issues as fighting taxes, intrusive regulations and out-of-control public spending.
Labrador noted his experience as a small business owner in understanding the demands to meet payroll and pay taxes, his expertise in immigration law to address this ongoing issue, and his support of legislation at the state level to protect the unborn and Second Amendment rights.
Candidate for state controller, Todd Hatfield, spoke on the need for governmental transparency. The state's checkbook needs to be placed online to allow the public to view where and how their dollars are being spent, which also forces accountability by officials. Hatfield also spoke on the need to support natural resource industries, which provide Idaho's economic strength.
"Idaho's natural resources led us out of past recessions," he said, "and they can do it again."
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Ninety persons attended the annual luncheon fund-raiser event at Hoots Cafe in White Bird, sponsored by the Idaho County Republican Central Committee. Among the GOP candidates in attendance included incumbent James Rockwell for District 2 commissioner, Jim Chmelik for District 3 commissioner, and Idaho County Assessor James Zehner.
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