IPEA is a nonpartisan organization, but this issue clearly demonstrated to us that the majority of the House Republicans are not going to be friendly to Idaho public employees any time soon. There are clear exceptions to that rule, though, and there are some who, while not yet voting the way we think they should on all public employee issues, we believe will come around to our way of thinking.
So I'm encouraging all of you to consider running for local office or helping us to find someone you feel would be a good candidate for local office. There are enough public employees and public employee retirees in every single district in Idaho to have a strong, determining effect on local elections. We can either fight these same battles year after year, or we can begin to elect candidates to public office who will have our best interests at heart. If you or someone you know would make a good state legislator, please contact our office (donnayule.ipea@gmail.com or 800.632.6679) and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you through the process. Come on now, don't be shy. I know you're out there. Let's start being part of the solution!
But we can't wait long! The filing period for candidates is March 8 through 19. Let's find some good candidates (retired public employees, you would make great state legislators!) and get them elected!
Now I know the task is great, there are 43 out of 70 Representatives we would like to see challenged. But let's do the math: We need 36 Representatives on the floor to vote FOR public employee issues. We now have 27 Representatives who either already vote in favor of our issues, or who we think we can sway in the future. That means we really only need to replace NINE of the legislators in the following list. When you think of it that way, it's entirely doable.
Now, part of the problem is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives. I believe they pressured the Representatives who voted for us before they voted against us, to change their votes. Replacing these people should be our highest priority. They are:
Speaker of the House: Lawerence Denney, Midvale District 9
Majority Leader: Mike Moyle, Star District 14
Asst Majority Leader: Scott Bedke, Oakley District 27
Majority Caucus Chair: Ken Roberts, Donnelly District 8
But we should also find someone to run against at least some of these Representatives:
Eric Anderson, Priest Lake District 1
George Eskridge, Dover District 1
Dick Harwood, St. Maries District 2
Jim Clark, Hayden District 3
Phil Hart, Hayden District 3
Marge Chadderdon, Coeur d'Alene District 4
Frank Henderson, Post Falls District 5
Bob Nonini, Coeur d'Alene District 5
Paul Shepherd, Riggins District 8
Judy Boyle, Midvale District 9
Darrell Bolz, Caldwell District 10
Carlos Bilbao, Emmett District 11
Steven Thayne, Emmett District 11
Gary Collins, Nampa District 12
Steve Kren, Nampa District 13
Brent Crane, Nampa District 13
Lynn Luker, Boise District 15
Marv Hagedorn, Meridian District 20
Joe Palmer, Meridian District 20
Clifford Bayer, Boise District 21
Richard Jarvis, Meridian District 21
Pete Nielsen, Mountain Home District 22
Rich Wills, Glenns Ferry District 22
Stephen Hartgen, Twin Falls District 23
Jim Patrick, Twin Falls District 23
Sharon Block, Twin Falls District 24
Bert Stevenson, Rupert District 26
Fred Wood, Burley District 27
Jim Marriott, Blackfoot District 28
Dennis Lake, Blackfoot District 28
Ken Andrus, Lava Hot Springs District 29
Marc Gibbs, Grace District 31
Thomas Loertscher, Iona District 31
Janice McGeachin, Idaho Falls District 32
Russ Mathews, Idaho Falls District 33
Jeff Thompson, Idaho Falls District 33
Dell Raybould, Rexburg District 34
Mack Shirley, Rexburg District 34
Lenore Barrett, Challis District 35
If we are not able to get people elected to these offices, we can expect more dirty dealing in the future when it comes to public employee issues. Let's deal with this problem in the election this fall.
