Leroy seeks House seat

SANDPOINT — Dave Leroy, a candidate in the seven-way race to replace Rep. Raul Labrador in Idaho's first congressional district, paid a visit to Bonner County this weekend, in part, to attend Priest River's Lincoln Day dinner Friday evening.

"Not only am I running for Congress, I am Idaho's resident Abraham Lincoln scholar," Leroy told the Daily Bee on Friday.

Leroy was also the guest of a meet-and-greet in the old Power House building in Sandpoint Thursday evening, sponsored by Gary Finney of Finney Law Firm, and attorney Steve Smith. Both men are peers of Leroy from the University of Idaho College of Law. He will also attend the Boundary County Lincoln Day event tonight.

Leroy grew up in Lewiston and attended University of Idaho where he received his business and law degrees. He received an post-doctorate degree at New York University and spent a few years as a criminal defense lawyer on the East Coast before moving back to Idaho. He was elected to two terms as the Ada County prosecutor, prosecuting 18,549 cases during those four years, Leroy said.

He was then elected as Idaho's attorney general in 1978 and was elected lieutenant governor in 1982, where he served as acting governor of Idaho for 254 days as the elected governor traveled extensively. In 1986, Leroy was the Republican nominee for governor, though he was "narrowly" defeated by Cecil Andrus. He also served three years in the Office of the United States Nuclear Waste Negotiator.

"I've literally been out of politics for 20 years, carrying the highest title in the land, 'Citizen Dave,'" Leroy said.

He is running for office again, he said, because it is a time of "spectacular opportunity" in a natural resource economy and a public land state, as Idaho is, during the administration of President Donald Trump. Some of those opportunities, Leroy said, include moving toward a balanced budget, cutting regulations and solving "long-standing problems" like immigration and border security. The greatest threat to American security, he said, is lack or a balanced budget.

"Congress is not doing the job," Leroy said. "It's inactive, it's divisive, it's truly broken down in its constitutional function, so I am interested in coming back for a limited period of time to try to turn this country around."

As attorney general, Leroy said he sat on the state land board, so issues related to natural resources are something he was "heavily" involved in.

"(Those issues) help illuminate my views of how the federal government should work if I am elected the next congressman," Leroy said. "We need sustainable yields and we need recreational access, and the kinds of things a congressman can do to influence the national policy in this area are the same kinds of things that I did when I was attorney general. If we can restore that kind of balance to a greater degree, the economy here would be much bolder and stronger."

Some of the issues that arose during his visit to Bonner County, Leroy said, include those related to water and transportation. The proposed second BNSF railway bridge across Lake Pend Oreille was of particular concern, he said. That involves the U.S. Coast Guard and state agencies, Leroy said, adding that he is looking forward to attending, or having a representative attend, the public hearings on that issue on May 23 to gather information. It is an important federal and state issue that "has to be handled correctly, he said.

Another issue that arose with federal implications, he said, is the proposed Newport silicon smelter, which he said needs to be done "very carefully." While it would help economy, he said, the industrial emissions have to be "calculated carefully and properly handled."

The forest products industry and access to timber are some other topics that came up, he said. If elected, Leroy said one thing he would like to do is advocate for what he called "working forests" with boundaries around them, where the fall back position is to cut at a sustainable yield, allowing maximum recreation without "environmental and litigation complications."

"A lot of good issues in this area," Leroy said. "And all of them are straight down the pipeline for the next first district congressman to contribute to management solutions with state and local government."

Information: leroyforidaho.com

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.