Engelhardt hopes to cut spending, taxes

SAGLE — If elected Dennis Engelhardt will fund state agencies only to the extent of their legal mandates and strike out against growing government, even in good times.

Engelhardt, a Sagle Republican who faces his neighbor, Sen. Joyce Broadsword, in the District 2 primaries next week believes national government has gotten out of hand and has usurped power at the detriment of state representatives.

If elected, he says, he will work to reverse the process.

“I want to correct the balance of authority in the political systems of our constitutional republic so that the interests of the states are served by the national government, not the reverse,” Engelhardt said. “I understand that this will only happen if the people are represented in their state legislature by common sense conservatives, who like myself, are not interested in political favors or long-term careers.”

Engelhardt, who served in Vietnam as a young Marine, and retired as a law enforcement administrator, said his 20 years in budget management will serve him well in the Legislature.

He is a former member of the Bonner County Waste Management Board and served as a Festival at Sandpoint volunteer until 2008.

Public service is his motivation, he said.

“I consider being a public servant a trustworthy honor,” he said.

 In addition, he said, constituents deserve a candidate with a lifetime of service in a wide arena, and should voice their desire for change at the ballot box.

The Senate seat he is vying for “does not belong to any individual, regardless of length of occupancy,” he said. “It, like all other representative seats in the Idaho Legislature, belong to the people of Idaho.”

Idahoans, he said, deserve a common sense representative who will not only reduce taxes but government spending as well.

“ A representative who will oppose federal mandates, promote the sovereignty of Idaho, protect the rights of Idahoans from the federal government,” he said. “I intend to be that kind of representative.”

His priorities, if elected, would focus on protecting Idaho’s rights, economy and natural resources from federal intrusion, he said. He would work in support of private business, expand natural resource and agricultural jobs and meet the state’s balanced budget mandate and work to limit government.

“To the greatest extent possible, government should be limited and local,” he said,  “with the authority and consent to govern flowing upward.”