Who is running for Seat 4 on the Idaho Falls city council?
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EDITOR’S NOTE: EastIdahoNews.com will be publishing the responses to candidate questionnaires every day through the municipal election on Nov. 4. Read them all here.
IDAHO FALLS — One candidate is running against the incumbent for Seat 4 on the Idaho Falls City Council this November.
The newcomer, Jared Dominick, is hoping to secure the city council seat from incumbent Jim Francis.
To learn more about the candidates’ platforms, EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less and were only edited for minor punctuation, grammar and length.
Elections are on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Read about more candidates running this year in eastern Idaho HERE.
QUESTIONS
Tell us about yourself — include information about your family, career, education, volunteer work and any prior experience in public office.
Dominick: My wife, children, grandchildren, and I are all fortunate to call Idaho Falls home. I am a Marine Corp Veteran and career professional with 30+ years of experience. Currently working for Idaho Environmental Coalition in Waste Management supporting INL missions (15 years). I have a B.S. in Radiation Health Physics from Oregon State University. As my career grew, I had the opportunity to live in a variety of locations throughout the United States. Previously employed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (12 years), Savanah River Site (1 year), and at the Nevada Test Site (5 years) all supporting DOE.
In 2010 we jumped at the chance to accept jobs and move our growing family to Idaho Falls. Immediately upon our arrival and for many years now, our family has enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and small town feel that is Idaho Falls.
I am not a politician and have no previous experience holding public office.
Francis: I came to Idaho Falls in 1953 when my father began a career working with the early test reactors. I graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1966 and went on to earn my BA with a history major from Arizona State University in 1970 and later my MA in history from the University of British Columbia. I began my teaching career in 1972; a career that spanned four decades. As a teacher of history, I taught at the middle school level, at the high school level, and part time at Idaho State University.
In my career I earned recognition with the Seventh Judicial District Association’s Law Day Liberty Bell Award for the Teaching of Democracy (1988), as Idaho’s Teacher of the Year (1997), as the Idaho Humanities Council’s Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award (2011), and as the recipient of the City Club’s John Hansen Award for Civility and Public Service (2017).
I currently serve the community through my work as a member of the City Council, as a volunteer with the Master Naturalist program, as a member of the Behavioral Health Crisis Center Board, and as a presenter for the Friends for Learning at University Place.
Outside of City Council work and volunteer work, I am a skier, a backpacker, a day hiker, a reader, and a canoeist. I have spent many a summer day with my wife of 52 years exploring the backcountry of Yellowstone Park.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Francis: My proudest accomplishments include two special awards. These were honors given to me by community organizations based on my teaching and my deep commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In 1988 when I was teaching at the middle school, the Seventh Judicial District Bar Association honored me with its Liberty Bell Award for the Teaching of Democracy. In 2017, the Idaho Falls City Club gave me its John Hansen Civility Award. Civility has one essential foundational point: recognition of equality of all. These two honors are particularly significant because a centering point in my teaching was helping students to decide for themselves the core meaning of democracy and to communicate their ideas in civil discussions and with structured writing.
As a part of City Council, my proudest accomplishments center on the decisions I have made to advance the full meanings of “liberty and justice for all” and human equality. For example, I took a leading role in the city’s equality in public accommodations ordinance and the funding of a crisis intervention detective dedicated to helping people in crisis situations connect to support offered by community resources. I was one of the city leaders who found the way to finance the new police complex without raising taxes, a facility that helps make possible twenty-first century policing including community-oriented policing, modern investigation, advanced laboratory facilities and evidence storage and access, as well as up to date training.
Dominick: Successfully raising my family to be loving, graceful, kind, truthful, and honorable individuals and citizens of the United States of America.
Why are you seeking political office within your community? Briefly explain your political platform.
Dominick: Recent and rapid changes to our entire city have greatly affected our outlook for the future of Idaho Falls. It concerns us so much, we decided we could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch as the city we love is fundamentally changed forever. We decided to take action and run for City Council in an attempt to recapture and enhance the traditional small-town atmosphere and feel Idaho Falls has always held for us.
Smart Growth
- Recapture and enhance traditional small-town atmosphere and feel.
- City development should be in-line with residents wishes, focusing on single-family residences, particularly affordable starter homes, while providing a range of housing options.
- Ensuring adequate infrastructure needs are met prior to development activities being conducted.
- Avoiding overdevelopment.
Residents First
- Residents, especially families, and business owners have always been the backbone of our community and are not receiving adequate consideration or priority in City Hall decisions. Supporting their needs should be given the highest priority in all city decisions and activities.
Common Sense Leadership
- There should be more to city governance than revenue generation and promoting growth.
- We will create direct open lines of communication between the citizens and Idaho Falls City Hall.
- As members of City Council, our decisions will be made focusing on what is best for the current citizens and businesses of Idaho Falls.
Francis: I am seeking re-election to the Idaho Falls City Council for two fundamental reasons.
1) I am committed to a principle of leadership personified in Kate Curley when she helped to found the Village Improvement Society in the early years of Idaho Falls. She acted on the principle that thoughtful actions now create a positive future.
2) I am committed to the country’s founding principles. My four decades of teaching the theory and history of American democracy give me a unique background and understanding for decision-making within those principles.
Going forward I am committed to working to:
- Protect what past city leaders entrusted to us including our high-quality infrastructure for drinking water and waste water processing; services such as sanitation, fire and police; public parks; a city owned power company and airport, a public library, and a nonpartisan city government. Previous city leaders determined we had to build for both the present and the future. This foresight drives my approach to governing.
- Establish an intergenerational community center.
- Advancing the proactive, community-oriented policing already begun in the city.
- Advancing our leading-edge micro-transportation, GIFT.
- Advocating for the goal: “anyone who works in Idaho Falls can live in Idaho Falls.”
- Advancing transparency in government.
What are the greatest challenges facing people in your community? What is your plan to meet and overcome those challenges?
Francis: Idaho Falls faces two major challenges: 1) the population growth; and 2) the current tax system that forces cities to rely almost solely on property taxes for police, fire, parks, streets, and library services.
Growth brings challenges and, equally important, opportunities. Growth is far superior to the alternative, i.e., declining population, shuttered businesses, and loss of tax base for public safety.
Opportunities outweigh challenges. Growth brings increased retail opportunities. A larger city invites a greater variety of music performances, galleries, and athletic events, etc.
Multi-dwelling buildings well planned make efficient use of land, provide housing options that meet a public demand, and help to prevent urban sprawl that eats up farm land and adds to commuter traffic. Single family homes also are in demand and remains a housing option. We have a defined area of impact to help developers know where housing and commercial best belong as the city expands, but growth must not deny to farmers their right to farm.
The state tax structure requiring cities to rely on property taxes for public safety, property protection, parks, streets, and libraries has to be reformed. Cities should benefit from sales tax revenue generated within the cities. This increased revenue must go toward property tax relief and to funding for core local services including schools. Cities and schools are on the front lines dealing with growth. A vibrant city draws people from all over the region and beyond. Visitors as well as residents owe a portion of the cost of services.
Dominick:
- Explosive city growth and development (see ImagineIF) is not in-line with the citizens or business owners needs and wishes.
- Infrastructure improvements are not keeping up with the current rate of development.
- Over the past three years, many crime categories in Idaho Falls have increased, especially sex offenses, which are up 20% over that period (9% this year alone).
- Residents, especially families, and business owners are not given adequate consideration or priority in City Hall decisions.
- In the past, there has been a lack of voter turnout for these local elections (5,518 ballots cast in 2023). Voting in local elections is critical.
- Promote public engagement and civic responsibility in all areas, especially voter turnout.
Rework ImagineIF to bring it in-line with residents wishes and reduce the push to maximize population density.
City zoning and development codes must be adjusted, especially allowable uses within zones. Apply code conditional use requirements to help ensure responsible growth.
Focus on affordable, family-friendly development like single-family homes/townhomes with easy park access.
Ensure infrastructure is in place prior to development activities.
Continue the push towards community-based policing (the beat system) and develop more interaction between the IFPD and the citizens to enhance trust and public safety.
Support the recently developed Special Victims Unit (SVU).
Support and increase awareness of the interactive public safety incident map.
Prioritize Idaho falls citizens and business owner needs FIRST.
Clearly list and describe the priorities for each department, as laid out by the mayor and city council, on the city website.
How will you best represent the views of your constituents – even those with differing political views? How will you communicate directly with constituents?
Dominick: We believe all the citizens and business owners of Idaho Falls want what is best for the city and that good ideas can be received from any source. The candid, honest, and open input of everyone counts, especially when it comes to our city, the place we all share as our home.
Fortunately, city council is a non-partisan position so we look forward to being able to focus on city specific issues and working towards doing what is best for our city as a whole.
We are thinkers and practical problem-solvers who will take the time to understand issues, receive all input, evaluate available data, then make thoughtful and informed decisions that are best for ALL the citizens and business owners of Idaho Falls.
Current opportunities for communication between the citizens of Idaho Falls and City leadership are limited to non-existent. In order to open lines of communication and build trust, we propose:
- Initiation of Quarterly city open forums. All City leaders (Mayor, Council members, Department heads) will be in attendance to provide status updates and discuss current issues and initiatives as well as directly answer questions posed by citizens and business owners.
- Develop a City of Idaho Falls Hotline (phone, web, social media) to receive and respond to any questions or concerns in a timely manner. The response history would be saved and available to the public.
Francis: I have made a personal commitment to answer all emails from residents and respond to telephone calls. An election is a statement by voters that entrusts decisions to the elected officials. I don’t count emails on one side or the other of an issue nor on the basis of the number of people who make a comment in a Council hearing.
Instead, I see it as my duty to listen to every speaker and process their message as a part of my final decision. Sometimes a large number of people express an original/new perspective that I have to consider. Sometimes one person expresses an insight that opens my thinking. Everyone who speaks up on an issue should be heard and taken seriously, but not every idea will work and not every idea will help build a community.
In voting I have four responsibilities: identify community interests, vote “yes” or “no” with the realization that not all groups will be satisfied, take responsibility for my vote, and explain my reasoning for each vote.
What parts of the city budget could use more funding? Where are places in the budget where cuts could be made?
Francis: The parts of the city budget that need more funding are all linked to the general fund that is dependent on property taxes. (Please see my proposal for tax reform to address the inadequacy of funding local government in question 4 above.). The city needs both additional staffing and expanded facilities.
The city needs more police officers to fully staff the department based on the report from the International Association of Police Chiefs. To fully staff the city’s fire stations, we need at least nine more fire fighters. We also need additional staffing for the Parks Department in order to meet our standards of maintenance and add the work that comes with new parks and trails.
We have to improve the arterial streets that allow traffic to move efficiently from the outskirts to the core of the city. As the city expands, the old county roads become inadequate. It is time to build an intergenerational community center that brings people of all ages together for fun, learning, studying, crafting, etc. We have to add parks and trails accessible by people living in newer parts of the city.
Maintaining Idaho Falls as a high quality of life, safe city costs money. When Council cuts items out of the proposed budget in order to balance the budget each year, we are not discussing extraneous items. We are lamenting our inability to fund needed police officers, fire fighters, library staff, and street maintenance.
Dominick: We have met with all the city department heads and one of the topics we discussed with all of them was their budget. All departments stressed that their budget is tight. Without a more detailed review of each department’s specific money allocation and needs, the only areas that we see being cut is the 2026 salary increase for the mayor (25% increase from 2025) and the salary increase for the City Council members (19.5% increase from 2025).
What do you think is the best approach to mitigate housing affordability in Idaho Falls?
Dominick: We believe the best approach is multi-pronged, evaluating where we stand with housing now, what is approved and not built yet, and what are the true housing needs for the citizens of Idaho Falls. Some thoughts and ideas on our current growth and development path:
- ImaginIF and the full-on push for multi-unit rentals (which are not affordable) hurts young families by locking up their revenue paying rent instead of saving for a down payment or building equity. It also limits family growth potential as one/two bedroom, apartments are standardized. ImagineIF must be reworked to promote growth in areas other than apartment buildings.
- Move from a renter model to an ownership model as home ownership provides more opportunity for families to prosper, builds generational wealth, and promotes pride in ownership. All of which is better for our community and works towards maintaining the small-town feel.
- Strategic develop of mixed use, focusing on existing vacant/partially filled existing buildings and provide expedited permit review, reduced regulation, and city support for refurbishment/reconstruction projects especially in the Historic downtown area.
- Look at tax breaks and expedited reviews for market priced starter homes, not high-end builds.
- Work on job creation by freeing up private sector jobs and promoting business development, especially with existing businesses. This will increase affordability through wage growth.
- Evaluate down payment assistance/subsidization, with downstream cost recovery from future sales of the property to provide easier entry into starter homes.
- Facilitate tiny home/bungalow, park centered, community developments to supplement starter home inventory.
Francis: Expanding affordable housing in the city involves a variety of actions. Because I am supportive of capitalism as an effective way of meeting market demands, I support development that provides quality housing options for people. Yes, this means multi-dwelling apartments and townhomes as well as single family housing. An adequate supply of housing is one means of lowering housing costs.
I also strongly support Habitat for Humanity’s plan for building 80 plus homes as affording housing in which people can build equity through their monthly fee payments.
I am willing to analyze the following alternate ways to support the construction of affordable housing. Some city fees for construction could be reduced in return for the developer’s committing to building housing that rent or sell for a lower cost based on a family’s income. Another option to be analyzed is a requirement that a certain percentage of each development includes a percentage of affordable housing.
My commitment is to work for a community in which the people who work in the city can afford to live in the city.
The City of Idaho Falls has been highly scrutinized over the last few years, with many accusing the city planning and zoning department of making it difficult to obtain permits and construct new buildings within city limits. What do you think needs to be done to regulate this process and make it more efficient for local business owners?
Francis: There was a degree of validity to the criticism expressed in this question about the city’s permitting process over the past few years. Some specific projects involving small businesses as well as developers and home builders did not receive consistent and timely messaging and support.
The essential point to make here is that relevant departments have modified procedures, outreach, and collaboration to improve service. Many steps over the past several months such as the availability of checklists of requirements for developers and those wanting to change use of a building, improved predevelopment protocols, and inspection coordination among departments all have served to clarify and formalize procedures.
Within these procedural changes there has to be continued commitment to building codes. Building codes are there for the safety of the community. Often, though, there are creative approaches to meeting the code’s requirements. Staff should feel empowered to be a partner with developers in working out solutions to problems. Council is open to suggestions from departments for ordinance adjustments needed to modernize policies.
As a Council member I have in the past responded to, and will continue to respond to, developers and small businesses who reach out to me about difficulties with the process. Although, individual Council members cannot order a department to take a particular action, members can ask questions of clarification and make directors aware of public concerns. City directors across all departments are open to suggestions and more than willing to reach to people with concerns.
Dominick: We view this as two separate issues:
The first being ability to permit and build within the city limits in general. Clearly this has been opened up. Of the ~6000 total multi-unit housings (3-20+ units each) in Idaho Falls – over 40% were built from 2021-2024 which explains the rampant construction of apartment buildings throughout the city. The ratio of single family/town home builds to multi-unit builds is way out of whack compared to historical norms for Idaho Falls. The overdevelopment of multi-unit, largely subsidized structures and associated warehousing of people, not only robs them of their dignity, it is tearing apart the fabric of our community to the point it will soon be unrecognizable. This warehousing and population density increase will lead to a whole host of problems down the road.
The second issue pertains to local business owners remodeling or constructing within the city limits. Existing residents and business owners should be given priority. Relaxation of regulation and proactive assistance in compliance by the city would go a long way to help improve the experience of existing residents and business owners.