Mark Sauter

BIOGRAPHY:

Mark Sauter served 30 years in the fire service, with his last eight years as fire chief; as well as two years in city administration. and current Idaho House of Representative representative for District 1A.

He has an undergraduate degree in fire administration from California State University Los Angeles and a graduate degree in public administration from the University of Southern California. 

He retired in 2011 and moved to Sandpoint in 2012. For the last 10 years, he has been applying his skills to many volunteer opportunities, improving his carpentry/cabinet-making skills and enjoying outdoor activities like skiing and hiking. 

Sauter and his wife have three adult children in their blended family.

He can be reached via email at mark@marksauterforidaho.com or via his website at marksauterforidaho.com.

ANSWERS:

1. Things move very quickly after the election. The Legislative session starts long before January. As a returning legislator, I will have bills ready for presenting and my committee interests sent to the House Speaker before the session starts.  Fortunately, I have experience with the capitol bill writing systems and already maintain many relationships there with other elected leaders and importantly, with State officials too. As the session starts, I will be working with other legislators to address the pressing issues for our District and the State (many described below). I plan to continue to reach out to our residents during November and December so that I may stay as well-informed as possible.  

2. -Women’s (Community) Health statute changes. We have lost our OB/GYN doctors and our Labor and Delivery unit at Bonner General Health. This affects considerably more than delivering babies. Women’s health, pediatrics, surgeries, EMS, and hospital staffing are all impacted, and more.  

-Property tax changes. The homeowners’ exemption is overdue for an adjustment. Idaho homeowners now pay almost 50% of the property tax in the State 

-Student funding formula and school facilities funding. Our school funding is based on average daily attendance (ADA). There must be a factor in the formula for rural school situations, special needs students and facilities.  

3. Add a women’s health exception to our abortion statutes 

Increase the homeowners’ exemption using the real estate inflation costs as a basis. Index the exemption amount so it rises with property values. 

Amend the formula for school funding to include a rural factor, the increased cost of special needs students and student attendance fluctuations.  

4. I support the initiative process in the Idaho Constitution. I believe all the voters should be voting on Prop 1 without the influence or input of elected officials.  Proposition 1 is a "citizen’s" initiative that will give direction to the legislature on the will of the voters. If I am re-elected, I will follow the will of our voters and vote accordingly if Proposition 1 comes before the House.  

5. Yes, the closure of the BGH labor/delivery unit is proof of the problem. Rural healthcare in Idaho has always been challenging. The changes to Idaho abortion law have brought us past the tipping point. Women should not need to travel to CDA for OB/GYN care. Expecting families should not have to seek temporary housing as they await the arrival of a cherished newborn. EMS ambulances should not be called upon for a ride to a hospital in another County when the services should be here and available. 

6. Our healthcare system needs attention. We can’t continue to have a sustainable community if we don’t have reliable, quality healthcare nearby. If I get re-elected, I will propose a Bill to provide a women’s health exception to the abortion statutes. Over half of the doctors considering leaving our State have said they would stay if that change were adopted. The same change will also help to recruit more doctors and encourage more doctors to train here. Our families will benefit from the improved health access. Our hospitals will also have better staffing and be able to provide better comprehensive care for our residents.  

7. The Albeni Falls Dam problem and the associated problems with our lake levels are very important issues for our area. It’s been said our local economy rises and falls with the level of the lake. Many of us are here because of the unique opportunities and beauty the Lake offers. The recent problems with the AFD are alarming and need to be remedied ASAP. Last Spring I met with the Governor and informed him of the magnitude of the problem. ‘We’ have worked all summer building a coalition to address the many problems with AFD, the period of time we are ‘at-risk’ until the AFD is fixed, and the future of lake operations. For us to fix these issues, it requires cohesive and involved collaboration. We have a good start.  I want to keep working on solutions and speed them up.  

8. Focus on what’s good for our District. When we look at problems first and truly understand them, we are much closer to addressing them. When we care about finding a solution that works for our District, we get closer to what we are here for, after all, to serve the community.  We have tremendous capacity to accomplish good work for our community when we work together.  

9. Yes, clearing the way for the housing market to work is necessary. We need to continue to ensure our regulations are effective but not burdensome. We also need to control our tax policy so it does not create additional unintended consequences from additional growth.  

10. As a Legislator I have held meet and greets throughout District 1, attended numerous public meetings and events, written many articles for the newspapers throughout the year and kept in contact with citizens through email. I have recently been approached about participating in KRFY radio interviews during the legislative session.  

If re-elected, I think that would be an excellent opportunity to learn more from our voters and to get the word out from the Capitol. Unsure if the interviews would merit a continuation in between sessions, but I’m open to that as well.  

11. Listen. Elected leaders need to listen to the community and make themselves available for doing so. Being an active volunteer, continuously maintaining and building business and personal friendships, and attending public events helps to get the conversations going. 

12. Why are you running for office (again)? I’m running for office so that I may continue to serve our District and be a responsible representative. There is more to do, we need to improve our healthcare system and other important issues outlined above. I’ve served our area for the last two years being mindful of our interests and values. Last session, I carried five bills for our district, and all of them were signed into law by the governor. Simply stated, I want to continue this effort. 

13. I have lived a life of service to my community. Through professional service and volunteering, I’ve developed a love for the effort.  I’ve learned and accomplished a lot in the last two years. I’m asking for your vote to continue to responsibly represent this beautiful place we call home for two more years and to get more things done for our district and state.