State candidates cover ground in forum

SANDPOINT — Education, health care, public lands and economic development were dominant topics for legislative candidates during the joint Daily Bee and Cedar Post forum at Sandpoint High School on Wednesday.

The 300-seat auditorium was nearly filled to capacity for most of the forum as candidates went head-to-head.

State control of federal lands was well-discussed, with some candidates seeing great promise in the concept and others seeing it as a waste of time and money.

“It’s not a question of if but when,” said Sage Dixon the Republican nominee for the House of Representatives’ 1B post in the legislature.

Dixon said there’s more than one way to reach the goal of attaining control of those lands and while the initiative has cost the state more than $60,000 in fees for outside legal counsel, that outlay is minimal when compared to the amount of money those lands could generate for Idaho.

But Andrew Sorg, the Democrat nominee for the House 1B slot, said the idea certainly sounds good, but doesn’t pencil out into actually being a good idea.

“This plan bears no fruit,” Sorg said.

Heather Scott, the GOP nominee for the House 1A seat, is also an ardent advocate of state management of federal lands, as is Christian Fioravanti, a Constitution Party candidate for the District 1 senate seat.

“We can see a budget surplus in the state,” Fioravanti said.

Fioravanti, who’s running to unseat incumbent Republican Shawn Keough, contends lawmakers have let the public down by letting federal government reach further into their lives.

But Keough disputed that notion by pointing out that her support of Idaho’s health care exchange — which opponents have used to accuse her of supporting the federal Affordable Care Act — actually protected Idahoans from overreach.

“Voting against the health care exchange would have invited in the federal government,” said Keough.

Scott, Fioravanti and Dixon see control of federal lands as a solution to the state’s funding dilemmas and a path to prosperity because timber and mining resources can be capitalized on.

Scott contends Idaho receives a pittance from the federal government through the payment in lieu of taxes program.

“I think we can make more than $1.23 an acre,” said Scott.

Laura Bry, the Democratic nominee who’s running against Scott, told the crowd that a brighter economic future lay in expanding broadband Internet access and placing more importance on funding and long-range education planning.

“We need a strategic plan coming out of the Legislature,” said Bry.

Jessica Chilcott, a Democrat running for the House A spot in District 7, also believes education funding is critical to surmounting economic doldrums.

“Our economy is not going to last until we appropriately fund our schools,” said Chilcott.

Republican incumbent House 7A lawmaker, Shannon McMillan, didn’t attend the forum.