Ernie Moser, Robert Ballard, and Lorin Nielsen competing for Bannock County Commissioner District 1

POCATELLO — Republican Ernie Moser, Independent Robert Ballard, and Independent Lorin W. Nielsen are competing for Bannock County Commissioner District 1 in this year’s general election.

Nielsen recently retired as the Bannock County Sheriff to run and Ballard is a former business owner and CEO. They are both looking to take over Ernie Moser, who is the current commissioner and running for re-election.

To learn more about the candidate’s platform, EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each candidate. Their unedited responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less.

Visit Ernie Moser’s Facebook page to learn more about his campaign.

Robert Ballard and Lorin Nielson do not have campaign pages.

Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work and any prior experience in public office.

Nielsen: I have been a resident of Bannock County for 44 years, 42 of those years I was employed by the Bannock County Sheriff’s office, 24 of those years I was the Sheriff. I reside in Arimo with my wife Candice, where we raised six boys and have enjoyed the addition of five daughters-in-law and 11 grandchildren with one on the way. Even though I have been busy with work and family, I am an active member and volunteer often in my church. As the sheriff, I had a unique opportunity to volunteer and be on many committees for the county. I have invested and still have reason to invest in Bannock County.

Ballard: I’m married with three grown children who reside in Utah. I’ve lived in Bannock County for nearly 25 years moving here in 1996, bringing my electronic manufacturing business and creating local jobs.

I have three college degrees in Business Administration and Accounting. Combined with 40+ years in the private sector, I’m schooled and experienced in Administration, Accounting, Auditing, Budgeting, Human Resources, Inventory Management, Cash Management and Marketing. I have never held public office.

Moser: My name is Ernie Moser and I am a Bannock County Commissioner representing District 1. I grew up in a modest home in Inkom where my parents taught me the value of hard work and love for our community. My wife Sue and I met in Pocatello while she was attending ISU and I was working for Ash Grove Cement. We were married in the Idaho Falls Temple and have been married for 39 years. We too made our home in Inkom where we raised our three children. Our family has now grown to include our daughters-in-law and our seven grandchildren.

I am a homegrown product of the great Bannock County graduating first from Marsh Valley High School and then from Idaho State University with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Human Resource Training and Development. In addition to the time I spent at Ash Grove Cement, I worked for Farmers Insurance and On Semiconductor before beginning work as a Bannock County Commissioner.

My public service began as a City Councilmen for Inkom where I served for 12 Years. I then served as the Mayor of Inkom for four years prior to being elected as a Bannock County Commissioner in 2018.

What are your proudest accomplishments in your personal life or career?

Ballard: My proudest accomplishments are my children who are successful taxpaying citizens. All educational and professional success pales in comparison.

Moser: In my personal life I am most proud of my family. I have been blessed to have a wonderful wife and three great children and nothing in this world beats being a grandpa. As far as career accomplishments I am proud of the work that we are doing as commissioners in unifying members of the county. Since I was elected, I have made a priority of getting out of the office and into the communities to build relationships. I have spent time with the mayors of our county and know and understand some of the challenges they are facing and look forward to working together to make a stronger Bannock County in the future.

Nielsen: I am most proud of my family. I have been blessed to be married for 43 years to my wife. I am proud of my sons and the men they have turned out to be. My grandchildren are the best of life.

I am also proud of what I have accomplished in my career. I am the longest-running Sheriff in Bannock County. During my many years, the two programs that stick out for me the most are Short Stop and Sheriff’s Camp. Shortstop is a program that I instituted with the county court system to help with early intervention. It has been running for over ten years. Sheriff’s camp is where we would take at-risk kids for 3 days to Camp Taylor. The kids would have positive interactions with Bannock County Officers and a chance to hear inspiring stories and talks from members of the community.

Why are you a member of the Republican/Democrat/Independent/Other party? Briefly explain your political platform.

Moser: I am a proud member of the Republican party even though I was raised by a staunch Democrat. I align myself with Republican values of being family-centered, fiscally responsible, and conservative values. I believe that America is a blessed country and that the Constitution was a God-inspired document and our rights are worth fighting for.

Nielsen: As an Independent, I can set my own platform. I see the good in both parties and combine them to work for me. I have a few issues that are very important to me. The first one is unity. I think that it is very important that the county unites and works together on issues. The second one is doing what is right for Bannock County with the way resources that we have. I know what it takes to run the county and I also know the importance of property
taxes to people, especially those with fixed incomes.

Ballard: I am running as an Unaffiliated candidate. I take the view county elected offices should be removed from partisanship. A Commissioner’s only loyalty should be to the taxpayers. Give the taxpayers the very best government for the least amount of money. An Independent candidate comes into office with no favors to return.

My platform is simple: lead a War on Waste, turn around money-draining projects, root out any misconduct, demand total accountability, introduce a new level of transparency, produce a very simplified accounting statement that any citizen can follow and do my very best to reduce property taxes. Demand that sufficient accounting controls are in place.

What are the greatest challenges facing your county?

Nielsen: As I stated previously the lack of unity between the county commissioners and their constituents concerns me. A key that helps build that unity is open communication about goals and plans. There is a housing shortage in Bannock County that causes the values of houses to rise. I am concerned with this effect on high taxation, which can be an issue with fixed incomes and new homebuyers.

Ballard: The greatest county challenge is Accountability, reversing dollar draining projects and curb ever skyrocketing property tax bills.

Moser: The greatest challenge facing the county is the COVID-19 pandemic and the long-term impacts. Since March 13th Bannock County has been monitoring COVID-19 and the impacts to our community. Now more than ever we need to use accurate data to help guide decisions to begin leading our county back to a sense of normalcy.

How is your party’s ideology better suited to dealing with these unique challenges than those of your competitor?

Ballard: Being unaffiliated means I bring absolutely no political baggage into office. No favors to return and no large donors to give patronage jobs. The very best government for the Least amount of taxpayer dollars, therefore an Independent Candidate is best suited to fill the job.

Moser: The republican party’s conservative values allow me to evaluate the entirety of the COVID-19 situation. Our family values and fiscal responsibility help me to assess the impact of our decisions on all members of our county. As Independents, my competitors only rely on their values and priorities and not of a specific party. I believe the citizens of Bannock County deserve to know the values that will guide future decisions.

Nielsen: I am running as an Independent and because of that, I am able to work to make the right choices for Bannock County. I am not beholden to a political party. I have the ability to make hard decisions based on experience, and what is best for the county. Those running with a party have that party to answer to when they make their decisions.

How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views?

Moser: In Bannock County we are blessed to have such diversity in our county. We have rural, agricultural, and suburban areas and we have to know each of the areas and their specific priorities. During my time in office, I organized town hall meetings with the majority of cities in Bannock County where all nine elected county officials attended. I am in the office every day and make myself available to those wanting to speak.

Nielsen: I am able to represent the view of the constituents for Bannock County because I can get down to issues. I can be a unifier instead of a divider. I will represent the issues of the county not the issues of a party.

Ballard: Personal political views have no relevance for a county commissioner. His/her only view should be delivering the very best governmental services for the smallest tax bite. Commissioners need to assume office devoid of political baggage. Serve the people not a party ideology.

What trait, attribute, or experience do you possess that best qualifies you to manage public employees and handle public funding?

Nielsen: I have over 40 years of experience in county government — more than all of the commissioners and my competitors combined. I know how counties work and what it takes to run them. I have been a member of the Idaho Association of Counties for many years. I have served on state boards and committees. I was even selected to be a representative for Idaho to serve on the National Board. I have been in charge of the county’s largest employer. During my years as Sheriff, I managed multiple employees and had to stay within the budget set by the county.

Ballard: I bring an extensive educational background (see question 1) but a more impressive 40+ years of private sector experience. Starting from the lowest level, I gained valuable experience in industries as varied as wholesale distribution, retail chain store management, transportation, food packing, banking, and medical equipment.

With each experience, I took greater and greater responsibility beginning with the inventory manager, ending as CEO. In 1990, I invested in an electronic manufacturing firm and relocated to Bannock County in 1996. I’ve handled other people’s money starting with 9th grade Student Council.

With my own company and as CEO of others, I held the final decision with regards to funding and personnel matters. I have hired many and regretfully fired a few, an extremely unpleasant task.

Moser: I bring over 18 years of public service and experience to the Commission. During that time, I recognized my approach of being a level headed person that takes all of the facts and data into account before making decisions. I am also a taxpayer and realize the trust people have put in me to be a good steward of their money. Managing employees comes down to treating people with respect and showing appreciation for their contribution to the county.

What are your views regarding the role of the media in covering your county? How can you best work with local reporters to ensure coverage of the issues?

Ballard: The American media has a historical role to keep politicians honest. In a small market such as Bannock County, the media, for lack of large numbers, is vital. I welcome any reporter who will take a deep dive into the misdeeds and omissions of Bannock County officials. I will, and encourage any elected official, to cooperate fully with media representatives on county issues.

Moser: I believe in transparency in government and the media plays a vital role in ensuring we get the message to as many people as possible. My relationship with members of the media is great and I appreciate all they do to keep members of our public informed. My work with local reporters begins with a relationship built on trust.

Nielsen: When I was sheriff, the Idaho State Journal called me the most open and accessible elective official. I believe that local news media has local issues at heart. I believe in new conferences. As sheriff, I gave out my private number to local news stations and news reporters. I will always answer the questions that I can.