Incumbent Oneida commissioner defends seat against challenger in upcoming primary election

MALAD CITY — An incumbent commissioner is defending his seat from a primary challenger.

Kirk Willie is challenging Brian K. Jeppsen, Commissioner of District 3, for his seat on the Oneida County Commission.

EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each county candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less. EastIdahoNews.com is publishing the answers in their entirety, and without any grammatical or style editing.

The primary election is May 21. No Democrats are running for the seat, so the outcome will be determined by the primary election.

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

Jeppsen:

• Graduated from Malad High School in 1975
• After completing a 2-yr LDS Mission in 1978 my wife (Anita) and I were married in June of 1979.
• We now have 3 wonderful children (Jacob- Idaho Falls, Melissa McMillan – Midway, UT, and Breanna Charles – Malad)
• We also have 11 amazing grandchildren – two currently serving full-time LDS missions.
• I’ve worked construction, oil fields, steel mill, and for the past 27 years I have worked for Hess Pumice Products, located in Malad.
• I served eight years in the US Air Force Reserve-based out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah as an Aerospace Ground Equipment Specialist
• I have served in volunteer capacities in church, scouting, as well as a variety of community and interfaith organizations.
• I’ve had the privilege of serving Oneida County residents for the past year as District 3 County Commissioner with stewardship responsibilities for

1. Emergency Services
2. Veterans Services
3. Senior Citizens
4. TV Translator District
5. Parks & Recreation
6. Economic Development

Willie:

(myself and Family) I have lived in Oneida County my entire life. I graduated from Malad High School in 1991. I Married Kami Evans in 1993 we purchased a home that same year and have been there since. I have 4 kids, Karsyn (Joe) Sohler, Kassidy (Clay) Brackin, Kole Willie and Kyson Willie. 2 Grandkids, Dawson and Jersey.
(Career) My work experience has been with La-Z-Boy Chair Company for 9 years, Stotz Equipment for 15 years. During these years I also spent nights and weekends operating our family farm. I was able to learn a lot from these opportunities and spent a lot of time managing people, departments, budgets and customers.
In 2015 I was able to go to work full time Farming and Ranching with my father Tim and was able to work with him until his passing in 2018.
In 2019 we started an online store, under our brand, Willie Brothers Beef, selling home grown boxed beef. We sell beef any way a person would like it, from a whole beef to a package of hamburger.
My Wife and I are also co-owners in the Malad Gym, which we have been able to turn into a successful small-town business.
(Volunteer Work and Public Office) I helped coach Malad High School Wrestling for 10 years and then Coached the Malad Little league wrestling for another 5 years. I have been a member of the Oneida County Search and Rescue for 18 years.

Why are you seeking political office? Briefly explain your political platform.

Willie: As a lifelong resident of Oneida county, I take a lot of pride in our community and its heritage, culture and livelihood.

I believe that we must increase the urgency and direction our county is taking concerning population growth. I know our past and current Commissioners have tried to address this with a new Development Plan. While I think the development plan is important, it has a lot of changes and improvements needed for it to be effective and accomplish its purpose. This plan is just a small step. This plan does not address our major issues that our county will face as we grow. Major things like Water supply, sufficient roads, size of our schools, landfill and trash disposal, demands on our hospital, fire, EMT’s and other emergency services just to name a few. If there is no plan and no direction to address these issues until the growth is already here it is too late, and the tax burden on the Oneida County Residents to catch up will be huge. We need commissioners that are thinking ahead and that are willing to put the tie and effort into finding solutions that will help sustain our communities.

Jeppsen:

• I am seeking political office for the same reason I joined the Air Force Reserve at age 29. I feel that it is my duty to give back to this great land of liberty and pay my dues for the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy.
• I am a firm believer and supporter of the US and Idaho Constitutions, which are founded upon true principles and are, in my opinion, God’s law of government for mankind. I also believe that God Himself raised up and inspired the best men that were available at the time, through whom He established this great Republic.
• As such, I believe that the true power of our Constitutional Republic is that we are governed by laws, not by the whims of men and that, when, and only when, these laws are applied equally to all, regardless of race, creed, gender, political persuasion, or any other individual differences, can we truly have “liberty and justice for all.”
• I truly believe that the Idaho Republican Party Platform is the “best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive successful principles of government.”
• Above everything else, I believe that unless we are united as a people, with God as our King, no amount of laws will be capable of “governing” us into complete compliance.

What areas in your county need immediate improvement? What actions will you take to address those needs?

Jeppsen:

• My goal has been and will always be to unite our citizenry around the causes that matter most. Protecting individual Constitutional unalienable rights of life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.
• In a world that seeks to divide us on every issue imaginable, we need to remain united for the common good and be ready to support and assist one another in the cause of freedom.
• My greatest efforts will be put towards this end. That every individual will recognize their own intrinsic value and that of every other member of our community.

Willie: Our county roads need to be a priority, a lot of them are in poor condition and too narrow to accommodate the amount of traffic that they have. I think we need to look at all our roads and monitor the traffic and then prioritize each of them based on use. We also need to look for other revenue sources that can help us fund the repairs needed. I think our road department is doing the best they can with what little funding they have.

The county development code also needs some immediate action taken. I think most people can see the need for this to be improved.

What are the greatest long term challenges facing people in your county? What is your plan to meet those challenges?

Willie: I think our greatest challenge in the long term is definitely going to be population growth and how to sustain this growth without a huge tax burden on our residents.

Jeppsen:

• I believe that one of our greatest challenges for small communities is to see and understand the value of that diversity can bring. There are many who are gathering to our beautiful valley because of the peace and togetherness that is generally present here.
• One of the several solutions, I believe, is to have greater community involvement in local government. To hold more town hall meetings that are educational and help bring us together. To plan and carry out local unity-building activities. In today’s computerized world of isolation and division, we must stand together to overcome the challenges we all face and work together to return to our roots.

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

Jeppsen:

• The beauty of a Constitutional Republic is that we are governed by laws, not opinions or viewpoints. I welcome open and free discussion regarding the issues that concern our citizens as we work together to resolve any differences that may arise. Even our Founding Fathers had greatly differing viewpoints, but were able to agree on a set of laws that treated everyone equally and justly. The multitude of divisions that are taking place among the people today is the result of moving away from being governed by just and sound Constitutional Law and towards being governed by opinion and bias.
• As public servants we take an oath to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Idaho. That is our duty and obligation, regardless of personal interest or opinion.

Willie: My 7 years serving on our county school board has taught me a lot about open meeting laws and about how to communicate with those with differing opinions. I have learned that those opinions that differ from my own can be a valuable way to learn and help make better decisions. No one has all the right answers or knows everything about every issue.

I believe transparency and honesty in all your discussions is vital in any public office. I always try to explain my position on issues and why I believe in what I do. Making sure to follow open meeting laws and encouraging people to attend meetings whenever possible will always increase public trust.

I will always try and make myself available to have any conversations needed. The best way to reach me is usually by phone. (208-766-3684)

What parts of the county budget could use more funding? Where are places in the budget that cuts could be made?

Willie: Oneida County has very limited funding in all our county departments, I don’t believe any department would say that they have excess funding to accomplish everything that they are asked to do.
In order to answer this question accurately, I would have to get into a lot more depth with the county budget and each department supervisor.

Jeppsen:

• I believe that one of our main duties is to ensure the safety and security of our citizenry. That includes making sure that we are operating with well-trained and qualified personnel in law enforcement and EMS.
• The County, like any other employer, is only as good as its employees. Each of which should be fairly and justly compensated, which in turn creates a better work environment. More satisfied employees are more likely to become better public servants.
• As always, creativity and compromise will need to be considered when making any cuts, but such cuts should be measured and distributed fairly across all areas.

What is the role of local media in your community? How can county officials work to have a better relationship with the media?

Jeppsen:

• Our local media is a vital part of our community and plays a major role in assisting local government in disseminating public information. I feel that we have a solid relationship with our local media, and we are very appreciative of service they provide.

Willie: The Idaho Enterprise plays a big role in helping keep our community informed and aware of issues and events. They do a great job of keeping our community informed about everything happening here. They are especially supportive of our schools and youth events along with keeping us up to speed on community issues.

County officials should always take time to communicate and be available to help the media be informative to members of our county.

Voter turnout and participation continues to be low in Idaho. What efforts can be made to stimulate greater voter involvement in elections and government?

Willie: I think we sometimes need a reminder of the importance of every vote. I think we sometimes get to a point where we believe 1 vote doesn’t matter.

I remember my high school history teacher reminding us during each election about the importance of participating and getting out to vote.

Jeppsen:

• This is a very important message that can’t be overemphasized. Our government was established as a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”. When the “people” are removed from that equation, whether voluntarily or otherwise, the doors of tyranny are opened wide and will stay unguarded and unchecked.
• We must do better at engaging “the people” in the process. The making and enforcing of the laws that govern our daily lives, leaves no room for apathy and disinterest. If not for our own sakes, at least for the sake of our posterity, it is vital that we engage in the process. No other people in history have been given the opportunity to participate in this process as we have. To shirk this duty is no different than to have never had the opportunity in the first place and will inevitably lead its abolishment.