Steven Bradshaw

1: I have very strong conservative values and have always been a Republican voter (unlike some of the other candidates). My belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit holds me to a higher accountability.

I want to bring honesty, accountability, and integrity back to local government by presenting all things in truth regardless of my opinion, and bring back moral judgement and common sense into local government. I believe we can do this by taking the politicians and politics out of government.

2: We need to get back to the roots our nation set forth by the founding fathers and follow our Constitution as it was intended. The bulk of this nation’s founders were pastors, ministers, and clergy.

George Washington, himself became a chaplain while he was as captain. Most of the signers of the Constitution were clergymen and four were current or former full-time pastors. Almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as most all of the founding fathers graduated from orthodox Christian teaching seminaries. Many were church elders and church officers which included:

Samuel Adams – signer of Declaration, father of the Revolution

John Hancock – Gov. of Massachusetts, Acting President, started the Minutemen, first signer of the Declaration

John Quincy Adams – Vice President the American Bible Society, 6th US President

Robert Treat Paine – signer of the Declaration, military chaplain

Rufus King – signer of the Constitution, ratifier of the Bill of Rights, manager of the American Bible Society

Bushrod Washington, John Lowell, Jonathan Trumbull, Timothy Pickering, William Samuel Johnson, Zephaniah Swift, James Bowden, James Kent, John Cotton Smith, Joel Barrow, John Treadwell.

These were all ministers in one form or another. I said that to say all this: I believe we, as Americans and Christians, need to engage in the battle of what is right in the eyes of God and not what is right in our own mind or according to what a particular party or special interest group thinks.

3. Issues:

A. Appropriate stewardship of the taxpayers’ money.

B. Management of growth.

C. Self- insurance for the county and its employees

What are your solutions?

A. The county has an obligation to provide needed services. These services should reflect the interest of all the citizens of the county without bias to any particular group. I’m not looking for personal gain serving as your county commissioner. I will not accept any special treatment for showing favoritism in one interest group over another.

B. We live in the panhandle of Idaho because of the natural beauty and rural culture. I pledge to preserve our quality of life in the face of inevitable growth.

C. In an effort to hold down rising insurance costs, the current County Commissioners, particularly Dan McDonald, have adopted a plan of self-insurance for county liability. From what I have read, this self-insurance program has saved the county significant money, while at the same time, not exposing the taxpayers to any further risks from exorbitant liability claims. The county should explore further self-insurance programs to cover health care benefits and disability benefits for the county employees. While it is important to reduce costs relating to benefit premiums saving taxpayer money, we must not ignore the welfare of our employees. Loyal dedicated county employees make up the backbone of our county services.

4. I have read multiple articles, spoken to multiple interested parties and attended several events relating to the smelter in Washington state that borders our county. Regardless of what you might think about the spillover of pollution into our air and water and the added truck traffic on our county roads, I’m opposed to the project because it was conceived in dishonesty. The county commissioners in Pend Oreille County, Washington, illegally sold the public land to a foreign company without due process. By my moral standards, public servants must not deceive the people.

5. As for Scotchman Peaks, I am against making it a Class I Federal Wilderness area. Multiple arguments can be made against the designation, but one important argument relates to Second Amendment rights. Federal wilderness designation gives an unelected bureaucrat the authority to make the area a “gun-free zone” like our schools and military bases. We see how well that has worked out. I also believe in states rights over the federal government.

Moreover, I watched in sadness as two of our commissioners chose willfully to omit the word “federal” from the language of the ballot advisory question knowing that it would identify the proposal for what it is, a “ federal wilderness area.” The Commissioners could have made the language transparent, but chose to walk away from full disclosure and truth. To Dan McDonald’s credit, he maintained his stand to use honest wording. That act of integrity convinced me even more to run for your commissioner.

6. I typically get up with the chickens. The advantage of a pastor’s life, most of my time can be managed with some degree of flexibility. Sunday mornings will be reserved for my church. Otherwise, I envision dedicating my time to the service of the citizens of the county in the same manner as I serve the members of my church.

7. Honesty

8. Doing what is right does not have a color or party affiliation. It’s just the right thing to do.

9. The railroad already has the legal easement right of way. Even if we were against the second bridge, as commissioners can do nothing to stop the project. Our best approach would be to work with the railroad to promote safety and effective flow of traffic.

10. Question: By what moral standards do you live? Answer: God’s standards.