A friend of mine messaged me yesterday asking about my
support for Matt Bloxham. Before I answer that question, I would like to say
that this is the one race where I truly wish I could vote for both candidates. Both
are qualified, intelligent people with considerable communication skills. Both
have experience in public service and are respected members of the community. Should
Mr. Nye be elected, I have no doubt he will do his best to represent the
citizens of Bannock County well.
That said, there are a few reasons I decided to publicly
support and vote for Matt Bloxham. An experience I had with him a couple weeks
ago illustrates them much better than I could ever explain.
After one of the candidate debates, Michael O’Donnell in the
Idaho State Journal summarized it, publishing his impressions of what
the candidates said. O’Donnell’s version of Matt’s position on education
funding bothered me. Matt didn’t look too good on funding infrastructure
improvement either. Given my previous exchanges with Matt on the subjects, I
wanted some clarification and sent him a Facebook message asking if he had been
represented accurately, and if so, why. His response was swift, inviting me to meet
with him at a local eatery in order to better explain his statements.
As I had suspected, Mr. O’Donnell hadn’t adequately summarized
Matt’s statements in the debate. Matt explained that, while it is true increasing taxes is not his first impulse to fix our educational woes, it is
because the current system of funding earmarks hobbles the school districts in
their efforts to spend money where money is needed. By coincidence, a friend of
mine who is employed with the local school district was also taking lunch at
E-fresh that day and I asked him if he would join us for a minute, since our
topic of discussion was one with which he was intimately acquainted. My friend
oversees a major department at the school district. Matt asked him about the
funding for his department and my friend replied that while he had more than
enough funding for materials, he desperately needed funds to hire more people. The
current system of funding earmarks prohibited him from spending the money he
had on the resource he needed the most. Matt’s point that before we ask for
more money we need to more effectively spend the money we have couldn’t have
been more poignantly made.
My friend excused himself because he needed to get back to
work. I asked Matt if he had checked into the recent history of education
funding in our state, specifically in regards to former Governor Jim Risch’s
base switch from property tax to sales tax in 2006. This significant switch
deprived our education system of a stable source of funding and replaced it
with a highly variable and volatile funding source. Matt hadn’t known about this before I brought
it to his attention. He indicated that not only had he looked into it, he had
discussed it with several of his political contacts and found out some very interesting
information. Because of the sensitive nature of that information, I can only
say that no one need worry about Mr. Bloxham’s dedication to providing
education in Idaho with the money it needs in a stable and sustainable way.
I then asked Matt why Mr. O’Donnell quoted him saying that
he doesn’t support a 1¢
increase in the fuel tax to fix Idaho’s aging roads and bridges. He explained
that when the debate occurred, he was concerned that raising the tax on fuel
would have a negative impact on the trucking industry in our state. While such
a tax wouldn’t be too much of a burden for the average fuel consumer to bear,
for those who purchased fuel in great quantities, it could have very negative
consequences, potentially driving their business out of Idaho. However, since
the debate, he had spoken with several of his contacts in the industry who
supported the tax increase. Since they were supportive of the tax, Matt said he
had no problem supporting it as well. To me, this demonstrated not only an
uncommon ability to understand the intricate web that connects seemingly
disparate issues, but also the ability to revise a position in the light of new
and reliable information.
I consider myself to be fiscally conservative. Although I
work at a public library and obviously believe in the good that can be done
with public spending, I also believe that public money is sacred and should be
spent with all the wisdom and restraint we can humanly muster. I perceive that
Mr. Bloxham feels the same way.
Also, as much as I despise party politics, given the current
composition of the Idaho Congress, Bannock County needs a Republican
representative whose voice will actually be heard. Democrats have little to no
influence in our Republican-dominated legislature, a fact which has muted the
voice of Bannock County in Boise for decades. Put another way, Democrats are
the kids with cooties in the sandbox whom no one will play with. We need to
change that, and strange as it may seem, at this point, I think sending a Republican into the fray is the best way to get that ball rolling, especially when Matt is that Republican.
This doesn’t mean I think any Republican will do. I didn't vote for Terrel Tovey because statements he has made regarding Democrats indicate to me that he is unable to see beyond a person's party affiliation to work for the common good. Mr.
Bloxham, on the other hand, would be a credit to any party with which he aligned, not least because he has the ability to see past partisan politics to all the people he's serving. As I’ve
illustrated above, I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Matt, and
he is an informed, intelligent, and insightful person who asks sincere
questions and really listens to the answers. Should those answers provide
unexpected information, Matt evaluates it and, if it proves
sound, he adjusts his views accordingly. Unlike the Titanic legislators we’ve
had for the last 15-plus years, Matt will change his course if he sees an iceberg.
He also doesn’t surround himself with people who will tell him what he wants to
hear. This is the kind of legislator we want in Idaho.
We put our trust in those we send to represent us, but these
people are human. Will Matt and I agree on everything? No. Will he make
mistakes? Possibly, but from what I’ve seen, he has both the
integrity to be true to his constituents and the humility to recover when he
makes a misstep. He takes the time and listens to people. He genuinely cares
about Idaho in general and Southeastern Idaho in particular. His youth and
energy make him a breath of fresh air that our stale statehouse sorely needs. And although
the “R” beside his name on the ballot means he will be given a place at the
table, it doesn’t mean those who identify as a “D”, an “I” or an “L” will be
deprived of a voice at that table. This is why I support Matt Bloxham in his bid to
represent Bannock County in the Idaho legislature.
