Electing the Managers
Ada County voters choose bureaucratic bosses
On Saturday, the Ada County Republican Party hosted a candidate forum at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds. Every Republican running for county office was invited to speak and interact with anyone willing to show up. There are nine elected positions at the county level: Three commissioners, assessor, clerk, coroner, prosecutor, sheriff, and treasurer. Seven of those positions will be before Ada County voters this year.
I will cover the races for commissioner and sheriff in future newsletters. Today I want to take a look at some of the lesser-known races. The offices of assessor, clerk, coroner, and treasurer do not make headlines as much as the others. The officials who run these departments do not have very much leeway to push their political views. Whereas the races for governor, state legislature, and even county commissioner turn on the candidates’ ideologies, these managerial positions require candidates who can run the department and get the job done. Picking the best candidate can seem like a tall order, especially since most people have no idea what the jobs really entail. My own journey of getting to know these candidates has also provided me an education about the roles of their departments in county government.
The race for Ada County Treasurer is already over. Elizabeth Mahn, running for her second term, has no challenger in either the primary or general election. She has many years of experience in the world of finance and accounting, and comes across as competent and personable. The treasurer is responsible for collecting property taxes in the county, but tax policy itself is set by the legislature and the county commission. Ms. Mahn promises to continue her good stewardship of Ada County funds and to manage the department in as fiscally conservative a manner as possible.
The race for county clerk is a done deal as well. Trent Tripple is currently the deputy for Phil McGrane, who is running for Secretary of State, and he is running unopposed for his boss’s position. Mr. Tripple is a US Air Force veteran with an MBA who spent time as a strategic policy officer in the Pentagon. During our conversation last Saturday, Mr. Tripple disagreed with my position that Mr. McGrane was wrong to impose mask mandates on poll watchers in 2020, and that the department should not have taken money from Mark Zuckerberg’s Center for Tech and Civic Life. He defended both decisions, claiming that masking was necessary to avoid making elderly people feel unwelcome, and stating that without the grant we would not have had open polls that year.
Mr. Tripple emphasized that elections are only a small part of the functions of the county clerk’s office. Most of their work is devoted to Ada County’s court system, but they also play a role in executing the budgets of the other departments in the county. Like Ms. Mahn, Mr. Tripple emphasized that he wanted to cut government waste by running an efficient department.
The position of Ada County Coroner is the only managerial office currently held by a Democrat. Dotti Owens is running for reelection, while two Republicans have filed to challenge her. Cheri Durst, wife of state superintendent candidate Branden Durst, will be on next month’s ballot, but she declined to attend Saturday’s candidate forum. Mrs. Durst does not appear to have a background in medical examination or forensics, but emphasizes her experience in organization and her conservative credentials.
The candidate who did appear for the forum is Rich Riffle, who brought more than 25 years of law enforcement experience to Idaho from his native Oregon. Mr. Riffle served in the Benton County Sheriff’s Department in their crash investigations unit, served as police chief for the town of Adair Village, and served on the city council in little Scappoose. He believes that his experience makes him an ideal fit for the position of coroner, which handles death investigations as well as coordination with other county agencies. Mr. Riffle’s biggest concern with the incumbent is that she simply is not around much, and wants to make the office more present with Ada County citizens.
That brings us to the most contested county race this year, the campaign for Ada County Assessor. Four candidates are bringing their own unique experiences to the voters as they seek to run the department tasked with establishing your property values for the purpose of taxation. Property taxes do not only fund county and city governments, but also school districts, fire districts, and any other bond or levy approved by your community. The job of the assessor is not to set tax rates, rather their mission is to fairly valuate homes and businesses so that property taxes are distributed equitably.
Like the other managerial positions, the assessor has very little leeway when it comes to acting on his or her political positions. What we as voters are looking for, then, is someone who can competently manage the department, be frugal with their budget, and be counted on to fairly evaluate properties with no partiality or inside deals. I will present the four candidates in alphabetical order:
Rebecca Arnold has done a little bit of everything. She graduated with an MBA from Murray State in 1982 and a Juris Doctorate from Washington University in 1987. Since then she has been a real estate agent, a certified public accountant, and is currently licensed as an attorney here in Idaho. She served for sixteen years as a commissioner for the Ada County Highway District and has served on the boards of many volunteer organizations throughout the Treasure Valley.
Ms. Arnold’s priorities are to fairly evaluate properties, giving owners access to all the data used in the evaluations, save taxpayer money by running a tight budget, and lobby the legislature to lower property taxes.
Bradley Bolicek (bowl-of-chex, he explained at the forum) is an entrepreneur with many years of experience in the private sector. He worked in the finance divisions of Disneyland and Walt Disney Imagineering as well as Paramount Studios before coming to Idaho in 1994, where he founded multiple successful businesses. He currently runs a real estate office, and has acted as the political coordinator for the Idaho REALTORS lobby group.
Mr. Bolicek’s priorities are to work with the legislature to lower property taxes as well as to save taxpayer money by running a tight budget.
Ron DeRoest has a different background from his three opponents, in that he is the only candidate who already works for the assessor’s office. He emphasizes that he is not a politician, but his twenty years of service in real estate, including six in the assessor’s office itself, give him a unique experience that will enable him to efficiently run the department from day one. He is a certified tax appraiser and has over two hundred ours of continuing education in tax policy, assessment administration, and mass appraisal methods. He assures us that he is not looking for higher office, but that running the assessor’s office is the culmination of his career.
Mr. DeRoest’s priorities are to have an open and transparent office by improving access to public data as well as to work with the legislature to lower property taxes.
Dave Litster comes into the race from a private sector business background. He was born in Boise, attended BYU and Harvard, and lived in Boston, Houston, and Detroit before returning home to raise his family. He brings 35 years of business experience to his campaign, as well as time spent volunteering for the Boy Scouts and serving as PC for the Ada County Republican Party in District 19.
Mr. Litster’s priorities are fair and transparent assessments, to give citizens detailed data about where their property taxes go, to save taxpayer money by running a tight budget, and to work with the legislature to lower property taxes.
If you had not noticed by now, each candidate has similar ideas about what they will do as your Ada County Assessor. The question before the voters, therefore, is which candidate will do that job the best? Will it be Ms. Arnold, coming from a background of law, real estate, and managing the highway district? How about Mr. Bolicek with his experience building businesses and managing huge budgets? What about Mr. DeRoest, who already works in the assessor’s office and knows how to run it? Or Mr. Litster, with experience in all facets of business operation?
It is a hard decision, and one that will probably come down to whichever candidate works the hardest to get his or her name out to the public. I am still evaluating each candidate myself, and will probably make an endorsement shortly before the primary election day next month. I have linked to each of their web or Facebook pages above, and I urge you to meet them in person if you can find the time.
Ada County voters have the responsibility of choosing the bosses for these bureaucratic agencies, which manage millions of taxpayer dollars and employ many people in our community. The positions of county assessor, clerk, coroner, and treasurer might not be the most exciting political races, but electing the right candidate could have far-reaching consequences for your family’s prosperity here in the Treasure Valley of Idaho.