Jim has spent most of his life in North Idaho. He knows and understands the issues that Bonner and Boundary County residents care about. He wants to preserve our North Idaho lifestyle while adapting for growth and technological change.
Jim will advocate for:
Your education is your “toolbelt” for life. The more tools at your disposal, the more you can do for yourself and others. As Idahoans, we have agreed in our state constitution that we support and will fund our public education system to make sure everyone has a chance at a productive and purposeful life. For too long, we emphasized a four-year college degree as the route for everyone. I will continue to support educational success through all avenues including career technical education, military service, on-the-job training such as apprenticeships, and college education.
We are feeling the effects of a demographic shift with more people retired and in need of service than are available to provide service. This is true across many sectors of the economy, but particularly a problem in healthcare. I will continue to support medical education programs in Idaho. I will not propose or support legislation that threatens the life of a woman or threatens medical professionals with felony convictions and loss of medical licenses.
As co-chair of the Idaho Land Use and Housing Study Committee, I’m committed to exploring land use policies and barriers that will improve affordability and availability in Idaho. Along with this effort, I will work to change the current homeowner’s exemption system for better equality between Idaho residents and non-residents.
My role as a state legislator is to create and vote on state laws and budgets while making conservative, constituent based decisions about taxation, spending and legislative impact. The best decisions are those made closest to home and I will oppose laws that impart government overreach or put the state in a lawsuit. And as Idaho has grown, so has the need for our state provided systems. I will work to balance the state budgets for continued low taxation while bringing infrastructure, education, and safety to our citizens.
Whether for work or play, we have abundant natural resources in North Idaho that must be managed properly. None of us like spending our summers breathing wildfire smoke. All of us want our lake and river waters managed for maximum use. As our population grows, groundwater management is becoming more and more important also. No one wants a dry well. I understand the issues and will work for you to make sure we’re getting the right answers.